As a chief, she breaks ground in Botswana

RAMOTSWA, Botswana - Draped in a ceremonial leopard skin, a former bank manager was installed as the first female paramount chief in Botswana Saturday, one of the few women in traditional African society to hold such a high-ranking position.

Mosadi Seboko took over as the highest-ranking chief of the Balete people in a five-hour celebration attended by thousands, including some of the country's top political and religious figures.

One of eight such traditional leaders in the country, she will preside over community matters concerning Botswana's 30,000-strong Balete community.

"She is a born chief. She is calm, she is caring . . . she is intelligent," said Leabile Mokgosi, a Balete elder who is also her uncle.

Seboko is the daughter of the former paramount chief of the Balete people. She was appointed by Balete elders after her brother died in the office.

Female leaders in traditional society are rare on the continent, where throughout the generations men have tended to hold the reins of power. Botswana has never before had a female paramount chief, a position normally passed down from father to son.

Seboko, said by relatives to be about 50, is among two female chiefs in the country's 15-member House of Chiefs, where she has been appointed chairperson. The House of Chiefs advises the government on matters of Botswana custom and tribal property. It includes the paramount chiefs of Botswana's eight tribal groups.

Thousands gathered in the rural village of Ramotswa, about 20 miles south of the capital, Gaborone, to get a peek of the new paramount chief. The lucky had seats in the sandy courtyard of the thatched roof Kgotla, the traditional meeting place of the community.

Some sat in trees for a better view. Children scampered onto stone walls and leaned on one another during the five-hour ceremony attended by the president of Botswana, priests, chiefs, diplomats and the community.

Singers compared Seboko's power and strength to the symbol of the Balete, the buffalo. Dancers stomped in the sand, sending their animal-skin shawls whirling and the dust swirling.

The sound of cheers and the echoes of ululating women and choirs singing "She's the chief" thundered into a cloudless sky as Seboko, wearing a pale pink silk suit and a rope of pearls, waved from under the leopard skin, which signifies supreme authority.

In her hands she held a shield and a spear.

"Use it if troubles come, but it's best to use your mouth to fight," said one of her uncles, Mareko Mosiele, as he handed her the spear.

Seboko, speaking from the lectern, spoke of working within tradition while moving forward.

"I feel honored and humbled to be part of a tradition and history," she said. "Rally beside me with tolerance as we take the Balete forward."

She also spoke of the need to fight the scourge of AIDS. Botswana has the highest HIV infection rate in the world. About one in three adults carry the virus.

At a feast following the ceremony, 70-year-old Galatwe Kgari reflected on seeing a female paramount chief in his lifetime.

"Before the time had not yet come. Now the time has come for a woman to be leader," Kgari said.

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