Etymologies and Meanings of Botswana’s Town Names – Molepolole
Molepolole, the sprawling administrative heart of Botswana’s Kweneng District, is officially the largest traditional village in Botswana and the home of the Bakwena tribe. Most etymological accounts state that the village takes its name directly from the Molepolole River. However, the history of the Bakwena – a history defined by movement, conflict, and a tireless quest for lasting stability – lends itself to a much more evocative, if speculative, linguistic interpretation: that the name signifies a place of ultimate release,…