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Botswana: Changing Times - A World View!
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The Voice (Francistown)
OPINION
13 May 2008
Posted to the web 13 May 2008
Francistown
Having just come back from an trip to the UK I was struck with a couple of things that clearly indicate that the world is rapidly changing and we are tumbling along with this change sometimes unable to do much about it! Internationally, word is that within a short time we shall be finding the effects of increased food items and an escalating oil price. Concerns about this are already noticeable in Botswana since only this morning I was listening to a debate on the radio about such issues and their impact on the supermarket shelves. And ironically also this week I head on SA radio of the bizarre situation of petrol pumps in the Republic not having enough digits on their scales to record the fact that fuel has now been raised over the P10.00 per litre mark!
With the drive to produce bio-fuels an important yardstick in food production globally it is clear that there will be less of it around for consumption. This has given the jitters to countries like India and Thailand who have traditionally exported large amounts of their surplus to feed the hungry world. Indeed such things are easily seen the supermarkets of Europe where, due to raising wheat prices, a loaf of ordinary sliced bread in a shop like Tesco's in Britain can be nearly the same as we buying it in Spar for about 12 pula per loaf!
Where all this is going to take us is unknown at the moment but there are concerns of a recession caused by both the credit crunch and fears of food safety. This has created confusion in many quarters and while the for example the UK is nowadays extremely conscious of global warming and environmental degradation and recycling of everything is the norm, the ordinary voter is likewise perplexed at having to deal with such things as a rubbish tax trying to stop ordinary folks from generating too much domestic waste! We are not there yet but while the Uk is still coming to terms with a ban on free plastic bags we can hold our heads up and declare we have already faced this consumer hurdle!
Anyway, on a brighter note I should add that while its nice to take a break its always good to come home and this time I was surprised to see who was queuing with us at the Air Botswana desk in Joburg. Interestingly, Botswana has not seen much of the Orthodox Jewish Community in our land so it was rather refreshing to see a bunch of guys with skull caps long drape coats and black homburg hats all busy on their cell phones. Presumably still doing deals as they made there way to Gabs. Hebrew is just another different language to our ears and is clearly associated with the rapidly expanding diamond trade within the country. It somehow reminded me of the Hasimite community of New York where it use to be so common to see Orthodox Jews doing deals with diamonds literally on the street as they exchanged expensive gems in small paper bags tucked in their frockcoats. Botswana is changing eh?
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