For people with a passion for food, and a preference not to be rushed when they are eating, it could be a feast like no other. Next month 5 000 foodies from 150 different countries will gather in the northern Italian city of Turin to swap experiences, cooking methods and recipes.

The smart money is on Botswana going to the polls on October 16. President Festus Mogae made this the stuff of wagers by dissolving his country’s Parliament recently without actually naming an election date. In most African countries this would be seen as ominous. But Botswana is the continent’s longest continuous multi-party democracy. At least a dozen parties will contest the general election.

The Traditional Health Practitioners Bill, which gives formal recognition to the about 200 000 traditional healers in South Africa, has been approved in the National Assembly. South Africa is not alone in recognising that traditional medicine has a value long neglected by formal health systems.