Gaborone

Depending on your perspective, low-key Gaborone (or Gabs to its friends) is either terribly unexciting or one of Africa's more tranquil capital cities. There aren’t that many concrete reasons to come here – it’s a world of government ministries, shopping malls and a seemingly endless urban sprawl – and most travellers can fly to Maun or cross overland elsewhere. Yet, it can be an interesting place to take the pulse of the nation.

The city is largely a modern creation, with little sense of history to provide interest. Indeed, ask Batswana who were born and raised in Gaborone where they’re from, and they may well tell you the name of a family village or cattle post they’ve never seen. So while the local Batswana may not see Gaborone as a traditional family ‘home’, they do see it as the place where their future, and that of their nation, is forged.