Botswana - Botswana and Namibia - page 103

ens go to behave badly. The dance floor gets hot, the beer is cold and all in all this can be
a hell of a fun place. Sundays are more mellow with live jazz.

Entertainment
To find out what's going on in Gaborone and where, check the Arts & Culture Review lift-
out in the Mmegi/Reporter newspaper, and the What's On section of the Botswana Advert-
iser . Another excellent resource is whatsoningabs.com .
As Gabs gets richer, nightclubs become more popular, although we're yet to find any
that are popular enough to last more than a season or two. They tend to be a cross between
enormous disco-ball funhouses and Southern African shebeens. Expect to pay around P50
cover on weekend nights.

PERFORMING ARTS

Maitisong Cultural Centre
Offline map Google map
( 397 1809; http://maitisong.org ; Maruapula Way; ticket office 8.30am-1pm &
2-4.30pm Mon-Fri) Maitisong ('Place of Entertainment') puts on some excellent shows in
its large theatre, with events ranging from Shakespearean plays to Batswana music most
weeks. You'd be remiss not to check this spot out if you're in Gabs for longer than a few
days.

No.1 Ladies' Opera House
Offline map
( 7291 4876; [e-mail] ; off Lobatse Rd; ticket office
10.30am-3.30pm Tue-Fri, 9.30am-2pm Sat) Located a few kilometres south of Gaborone
(take the Lobatse Rd and turn left at the satellite dishes), this collaboration between author
Alexander McCall Smith and the local arts scene showcases Setswana singing, commu-
nity theatre performances and even full-scale opera shows. There's also the cute Bean
Bag Café ( 7702 0477; breakfast/lunch from P35/60; 9am-4pm Tue-Fri, to 3pm
Sat & Sun) that does good coffee, cakes and light meals.

PERFORMING ARTS

Shopping
Gaborone is home to a number of Western-style malls that contain bars, restaurants,
shops, supermarkets, takeaways, banks, office parks and petrol stations. The main malls
are the African Mall, Broadhurst Mall, Riverwalk Mall, Rail Park Mall, Game City Mall
and South Ring Mall.