Botswana’s Kgotla offers a lesson in rebuilding trust in democracy

As confidence in elections and political institutions declines across much of the world, Botswana is putting an old civic tradition at the center of a modern democratic debate.

The country’s kgotla – a community assembly where residents gather to discuss public issues, hear competing views and seek consensus – is being presented as a possible response to democratic backsliding. The message from Botswana is ambitious: Africa’s indigenous systems of governance may contain lessons that democracies elsewhere urgently need.

The 2026 Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy opened in Gaborone on Oct. 7, bringing together hundreds of policymakers, civil society leaders, researchers and democracy practitioners from around the world. Hosted by the University of Botswana through Oct. 10, the forum is being held in Southern Africa for the first time under the theme “Indigenous. Resilient. Empowering.”