The woman says she wishes to help him, gives him five instead of the promised 50 different ways by which he could ditch her, and tells him that she really doesn’t want to intrude in his affairs. I think the point being made in the song is that in ditching a lover, there is angst, and even with those several ways, it still remains a hard thing to do. What connects this song and an attempt to show love for a country through its intellectual archive, are these two traits: anxiety and difficulty. Yet, the connection can also be this: love is of quick counsel. It is also of quick sincerity.
Given that this country celebrates 60 years of independence this year, consistent with that three score number, below I propose the sixty ways by which Botswana has been loved in print. Some of the “love missives” or “epistolary” texts are not necessarily affectionate writings. Yet, because they address how Botswana could be a better place, they are written with sincerity and affection as ends to be pursued. Over the course of a long period of time, I have read all of those writings, and for most of them, I have also read reviews of them. There is a simple reason I have taken this particular route. A snippet about Botswana, such as a television show, or a news item, or a social media post or a travel or tourism blog or a podcast will tell the reader or listener or show the viewer what Botswana has, what it lacks, and the controversies it may be grappling with. No such snippet will tell the reader or listener or viewer “why” and “how” anything “means” to this country and its people. This is because reading about a place and its people (especially in a book or article or essay) requires an engagement of the intellect, sustained attention, and an empathy of the mind.
