A Synoptical Appreciation of Moteane Melamu’s Botswana Short Stories

Abstract

This article is an appreciation of five of Melamu’s short fictional pieces. It shows how the selected
stories depict life in Botswana. All the stories discussed are set in Gaborone. They offer glimpses of
urban life in domestic spaces, political arenas, the streets and neighbourhoods. The stories feature a
variety of fallible characters with different traits, anxieties and foibles. The discussion shows how
the characters act and interact in the particular circumstances they find themselves in. The stories
attest to Melamu’s prowess as a storyteller.