the Man with Stick and Other Tales from a Bar in Botswana

The Man with the Stick and Other Tales from a Bar in Botswana is a vibrant collection of interconnected short stories set around the now-legendary Flamingo Bar in Tonota. Drawing on his years as a teacher in Botswana, David Hughes crafts vivid portraits of villagers, expatriates and wanderers whose lives intersect in this unlikely social hub. Blending irony, warmth and cultural insight, the stories explore themes of identity, migration, superstition, love, loss and moral complexity. Echoing the spirit of Bessie Head and Alexander McCall Smith while retaining a distinctive voice of its own, this collection offers readers an intimate and often humorous window into contemporary village life in Botswana. Ideal for readers of African literature, short fiction and character-driven storytelling.