The Pula is the national currency of Botswana and comes in both paper and coinage. Anything 1p or over is referred to as pula whereas anything less is considered a tebe. Pula in Botswana is to dollar in America, and the tebe is the same as our cent. Tebe comes in 5t, 10t, 25t, and 50t. Pula comes in 1p (coin), 2p (coin), 5p (coin), 10p, 20p, 50p, 100p and 200p (though I am sure there are larger bills in circulation, they are not used on a regular basis.)
"Pula" in Setswana means rain, because in a country that receives between 9.84inches-25.6inches of rain a year, rain is immensely important.
The 10p note has current President Ian Khama on the front. He is the son of Lady Khama and Sir Seretse Khama and is also the current Paramount chief of the Bamangwato people. A fun fact about the 10p note is that whatever current president is serving, is who appears on the note! The back of the note is the parliament building in Gaborone (the capital.)
The 50p note has former President Sir Seretse Khama on the front. President Khama was extremely important in Botswana because he helped lead Botswana's independence movement from England. He was both a Prime Minister of Bechuanaland (Botswana's previous name) and the first President of Botswana. He is the father of President Ian Khama who is on the 10p note. The back of the 50p note is the Okavango Delta. The Okavango is a huge body of water that is fed through rainfall in Angola that travels down. It is full of an amazing variety of wild life, and what is known as "Africa's Big 5" Lion, Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Leopard and Rhino.
The front of the 100p note has three Dikgosis on it: Sebele I of the Bangwato people, Bathoen I of the Bakwena people and, Khama III (great-grand father of Ian Khama) of Bamangwato people. These three chiefs traveled to Britain in 1885 to ask that Bechuanaland Protectorate become independent of South Africa and Zimbabwe. Their request was granted by Queen Victoria, and even though it didn't make Bechuanaland independent, it granted them separate lands. The back of the note shows a diamond sorter, as well as open pit diamond mines. About 40% of Botswana government revenues come from diamonds, and the industry continues to grow. There will be more on Botswana diamonds in lessons to come.
The 200p note has a teacher ("morutabana" in Setswana) and children to signify the importance of educating the youth of Botswana. The back has zebras, which are not only plentiful in the delta region but are also on the National seal and the mascot of the Botswana soccer team.
So that is a quick overview of the pula notes for Botswana! I hope you found this mini lesson interesting and please feel free to comment.
Rata Thata,
Claire
"Pula" in Setswana means rain, because in a country that receives between 9.84inches-25.6inches of rain a year, rain is immensely important.
The 20p note has Kgalemang Tumedisco Motsete, who wrote and composed the national anthem of Botswana. On the back of the note is a bunch of mining machines. Mining is a huge part of the Botswana economy and there are whole towns based around mining. My friend Christina, who is a fellow volunteer, works in Jwaneng which is a mining town. I am hoping to get her to put up a lesson plan on mining so everyone can learn more about it.
The 50p note has former President Sir Seretse Khama on the front. President Khama was extremely important in Botswana because he helped lead Botswana's independence movement from England. He was both a Prime Minister of Bechuanaland (Botswana's previous name) and the first President of Botswana. He is the father of President Ian Khama who is on the 10p note. The back of the 50p note is the Okavango Delta. The Okavango is a huge body of water that is fed through rainfall in Angola that travels down. It is full of an amazing variety of wild life, and what is known as "Africa's Big 5" Lion, Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Leopard and Rhino.The front of the 100p note has three Dikgosis on it: Sebele I of the Bangwato people, Bathoen I of the Bakwena people and, Khama III (great-grand father of Ian Khama) of Bamangwato people. These three chiefs traveled to Britain in 1885 to ask that Bechuanaland Protectorate become independent of South Africa and Zimbabwe. Their request was granted by Queen Victoria, and even though it didn't make Bechuanaland independent, it granted them separate lands. The back of the note shows a diamond sorter, as well as open pit diamond mines. About 40% of Botswana government revenues come from diamonds, and the industry continues to grow. There will be more on Botswana diamonds in lessons to come.
The 200p note has a teacher ("morutabana" in Setswana) and children to signify the importance of educating the youth of Botswana. The back has zebras, which are not only plentiful in the delta region but are also on the National seal and the mascot of the Botswana soccer team.
So that is a quick overview of the pula notes for Botswana! I hope you found this mini lesson interesting and please feel free to comment.
Rata Thata,
Claire
Dear Claire
ReplyDeleteThe game sounds really fun. Does the game take along time to play? Its interesting how they change the picture on the pula every time their is a new president.
Sophia
Dear Claire, I enjoyed reading your blog. I think the game is really cool. Why are the pieces called cows? I learned that it can be played with sticks when played outside.
ReplyDeleteThank You,
picklegirl
Dear Claire, I think the game sounds so fun! I think it is so cool that you make the game anywhere. I think it is also cool that the pieces are called cows. Nikhil
ReplyDeleteDear Claire,
ReplyDeleteI love this blog. I like this game because you don't need a gameboard or anything to play! You could use sticks rocks for cows and you can draw the board with your foot in the dirt.
(:Supriya:)
Dear Claire
ReplyDeleteI thought your post was incredibly absolutely amazing! It seems that the way that the people use the picture on the money is quite different than the way we use ours, wow a picture every day! That's a lot of printing! That game sounds superb to! The 13th century?!?!?! So it's fun and ancient.
Thanks, Will
Dear Brianna and Clair.
ReplyDeleteI thought those baskets were so cool!
How much do they sell those baskets for?
Have you woven a basket yet?
From your dear friend Josh