The Influence of Archives in Conflict Resolution: A Case Study of Botswana and Namibia

Abstract

Archival materials are repeatedly consulted to settle disputes before the courts of law. The main purpose of the paper is to examine the use of archival  materials in the ultimate settlement of the border dispute between Botswana and Namibia over the disputed ownership of the Sedudu/Kasikili Island.  This paper took a qualitative approach where documentary review of archival materials and other documentary sources were used to answer the  research questions. The findings indicate that archival materials in their various forms such as drawings, maps, plans, reports, scientific documents, and correspondence by colonial authorities played a significant role as evidence that informed the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to legally settle the  boundary dispute between Botswana and Namibia. This paper also established the need for archivists to preserve the reliability and authenticity of  records overtime for them to be trusted as evidence. The fact that the case was solved with access to archival materials among other evidence presented,  is an indication of the importance of archives in the society. Although this paper contributes to literature on the role of archives in the  resolution of boundary conflicts, it is limited in that the findings are restricted to a review of archival materials in the holdings of the Botswana National  Archives and Records Service (BNARS) exclusive of archival materials from the Namibia National archives.