Botswana

by Michael Main

Whether your customers are traveling in luxury or with just a pack on their back, it's important that they have a safe, fun, and easy-going trip. Bad etiquette and a misunderstanding about customs can put an otherwise very exciting trip on hold faster than a bad case of food poisoning. Readers are going to want to know about the CULTURE SMART! customs and etiquette series and will find them as indispensable as their passports. The CULTURE SMART! titles are not your basic travel they are consistently updated customs and etiquette references for more than 25 countries, with six new titles available this fall. Now more than ever, travelers are more than just sightseers and tourists; they're ambassadors making impressions of the United States wherever they go. Readers will find these to be invaluable for pointing them on their way to a safe and fun trip abroad.

Genres: Botswana, Nonfiction, Cultural, Africa

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Petra X]

I'm thinking maybe this would enhance my (remembered) pleasure in The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Volume 6 series, set in Botswana as they were. Or if I would get all nit-picky saying the author, Alexander McCall Smith didn't it was like that? However, Botswana has a very interesting history.

Sir Seretse Khama, who would have been king, renounced his royalty on Botswana becoming independent in order to become the first President. He was married to a white, English clerk. And the British government, the Botswana government, the apartheid government of South Africa were up in arms about this interracial relationship.

Britain was developing an atomic bomb and needed uranium. The South Africans would only supply it if the British stopped the marriage. Although both Seretse and Ruth were Anglicans, Bishop of London, Bishop of London, William Wand, not what you call an exemplary Christian more a racist asslicker said they would only be allowed a church wedding if the government agreed. They didn't. They got married in a registry office.

Botswana has two distinctions. It is one of the richest countries in Africa and also one of the most affected by AIDS in the world.

[Lily Wieland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful guide! Doesn’t go as much into detail on the history of various religions in Botswana as I would like, but it serves its purpose and is brief, which is nice.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The information was helpful and accurate, although sometimes overly optimistic. It's nice to have a real Motswana to talk to about the stuff in this book, however, because the book is rather confusing in some places. The sentence structure was quite awkward in many places. I had trouble decoding what exactly the author was trying to communicate sometimes.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's difficult to review this one since I haven't traveled to Botswana yet, but I appreciated the short-yet-thorough overview of Batswana history and culture. I think it will be helpful for me when I get there. I wish they had an updated edition, though - this one is almost 10 years old, so I imagine that the sections on technology and economy are rather outdated.

[Maree Dyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful

This was a very helpful guide to local manners and protocols. Technology information is not up to date but this is hardly surprising.

[Cathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated how frank this author was regarding the country. Really interesting bits of info.

[Deborah Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend this handy paperback as a quick introduction to the history, culture, and customs of Botswana for first-time travelers to the country.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read that gives a surprisingly good review of Botswana culture for a travel book. Would be useful to anyone traveling to the country with a desire to have a general understanding of the history, politics, and cultural aspects of the country and its people.

[Torry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice read, learned something new...