In 1967, the year after Botswana gained its independence from Britain, a huge diamond mine was discovered in a remote area called Orapa, about 250 miles from the capital city of Gaborone.
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The company that found the mine was De Beers, which was then — as it is now — the dominant seller of “rough stones” in the world. Four years and $33 million later, the mine was ready for production. The country’s president, Seretse Khama, officiated at the opening.
In the early years of its nationhood, Botswana was one of the poorest countries in the world, with a per capita income of about $80 a year. Today, it is among the most prosperous countries in Africa, with a real middle class, and a per capita income approaching $6,000 a year....