African Writers
8 total works
The Collector of Treasures and Other Botswana Village Tales
by Bessie Head
An examination of Serowe's recent past - seen through the words and memories of the village inhabitants.
Published 17 October 1977
It is never clear to Elizabeth whether the mission principal's cruel revelations of her origins is at the bottom of her mental breakdown, but in the dark loneliness of the Botswanan night, the frightened South African refugee slips in and out of sanity.
The poverty-striken village of Golema Mmidi, in the heart of rural Botswana, is a haven to the exiles gathered there. When a political refugee from South Africa joins forces with an English agricultural expert, the time-honoured subsistence farming is challenged.
This is an anthology of stories, personal observations and historic legends. It reflects the author's fascination with Africa's people and their history as well as her identification with individuals and their conflicting emotions.
Margaret, an orphaned Masarwa girl, comes to Dilepe to teach, only to discover that in this Botswana village her people are treated as outcasts. In the love story and intrigue that follows, the book combines a portrait of loneliness with an affirmation of the mystery and spirituality of life.
A collection of autobiographical writings, sketches and essays which covers the entire span of Bessie Head's creative life
In the heart of rural Botswana, the poverty stricken village of Golema Mmidi is a haven to exiles from far and wide. A South African political refugee and an Englishman join forces to revolutionise the villagers traditional farming methods, but their task is fraught with hazards as the pressures of tradition, opposition from the local chief and the unrelenting climate threaten to divide and devastate the fragile community.