‘I want you to have your own business,’ he said to her on his death bed. ‘You’ll get a good price for the cattle now. Sell them and buy a business. A butchery maybe. A bottle store. Whatever you like.’ (From The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency)

Botswana’s coat of arms features two kinds of animals, zebras and cows, and thus places them above all others. The ever-alert and busy zebras are found throughout the country, and will mingle with wildebeests, ostriches, and antelope while they graze. The country’s national “football” (soccer) team is The Zebras, and people collect and trade cards for team members much as Americans collect cards for baseball teams. Fans of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency books set in Botswana know the star of the series, Precious Ramotswe, lives on Zebra Drive, which, yes, is a real street in Gaborone, the capital city. And speaking of the series, even a casual reader or viewers of the HBO series which was inspired by Alexander McCall Smith’s books can’t escape the importance the Batswana place on cattle. They are critical to the economy. Beef is a staple of the diet, and much attention is paid to the purity of the meat. Even people who live in urban areas own cattle, which are tended to at cattle posts in the country. The more cattle you have, the more secure your future.