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Three Dikgosi Monument

Gaborone, Botswana

Three Dikgosi Monument

The Three Dikgosi Monument is a bronze sculpture located in the Central Business District of Gaborone, Botswana. The monument features 5.4-metre (18 ft) tall statues of Khama III, Sebele I, and Bathoen I—three dikgosi (tribal chiefs) recognized as foundational figures in the nation's history. In 189

5, the three traveled to Great Britain and convinced the British government to not merge the Bechuanaland Protectorate and Cecil Rhodes's British South Africa Company following threats to merge the two entities. Permission was granted, giving the nation British protection until its independence in 1966. The three were eventually declared "Founders of the Nation" by the government-owned Kutlwano Magazine at the time of Botswana's independence. In 1990, the House of Chiefs proposed that the three dikgosi be commemorated through a public monument, and the project was awarded to the North Korean company Mansudae Overseas Projects to build the monument, which resulted in controversy among local sculptors. It was inaugurated on 29 September 2005 by former President Festus Mogae. The 7-metre (23 ft) tall monument features a coat of arms in front of the three statues. Six plinths at the feet of...

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