When Seretse Khama, first democratic president of Botswana and heir to the kingdom of the Bamangwato, was sent by his uncles to study law in the UK, they couldnt have foreseen that he would fall in love with an English girl, and force a politicalMoreWhen Seretse Khama, first democratic president of Botswana and heir to the kingdom of the Bamangwato, was sent by his uncles to study law in the UK, they couldnt have foreseen that he would fall in love with an English girl, and force a political crisis.
This book traces Ruth and Seretses story, through the protracted period when, thwarted by the machinations of the British and South African governments and the Bamangwato elders, the young couple struggled to obtain permission to marry and then to ascend the throne- through the time of exile- all the way to independence, Seretses triumphant inauguration as president and ultimately his ill health and death. A postscript brings the tale right up to date, outlining the lives of Seretses and Ruths children. This moving love story is also about the end of British rule and the coming of African democracy.
It details a political scandal in which the British government was intimately involved. Based on interviews, newly released documentation and archival material, with the full blessing of the Khama family, the authors have created a compelling account of one of the most dramatic love stories of our time.