What I Don't Know About Botswana

I think they dance in Botswana

What I don't know about Botswana could fill a book. A series of books, actually. I believe it already has. It's called the "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series. If I want to know about Botswana, I guess I'll have to read those books.

I attended an international cultural festival yesterday featuring Botswana. I had hoped to learn more about their culture and perhaps be inspired to write something about it. But after spending a day at the festival, I still know nothing about this African nation.
Here's what I didn't get to experience:

I didn't get to eat typical Botswana dishes. The only offering at the Botswana food booth was vegetable stew, but it was being manned by a little girl who wasn't allowed to take the cover off the dish because it was too hot and would burn her.

The World Bazaar of Botswana goods was filled with jewelry, woolen caps, and wooden carvings stamped with 'Made in Kenya' and 'Made in China'. I bought earrings anyway.

My daughter and I went to listen to a speakers' panel about "Growing Up In Botswana". The "panel" was one man named Christopher, whose last name was so difficult that it was not shared with us. Christopher was very quiet and very.. sullen. I can't think of a better word to describe his lack of enthusiasm for telling us anything, and I mean ANYTHING, about his childhood in Botswana. The moderator asked him questions about his family. "There were six of us," he answered.

Q:  What kind of games did you play?
Chris: We used our imaginations.

Pause.

Q: Did you live in a village, or a city?
Chris: A village.

Pause.

Q:  How many people were in your village?
Chris: I don't know.

Q:  I saw a documentary that showed hippos in Botswana. Did you have to worry about dangerous animals?
Chris: No.

After 20 minutes of monosyllabic answers, I felt I'd subjected my daughter to enough non-culture. We left. Naturally, as we walked out, we saw the very end of a Botswana dance performance.

To sum up what I learned about Botswana today:  they eat stew, and they dance. Guess I'm going to have to read the books.