Stick held by African explorer (4)
I believe the answer is:
cane
'stick' is the definition.
(I know that cane is a type of stick)
'held by african explorer' is the wordplay.
'held by' indicates a hidden word.
'CANE' is hidden within 'african explorer'.
(Other definitions for cane that I've seen before include "Beat - bamboo - stick" , "African country formerly called Gold Coast" , "Strong, flexible stem" , "Slender support for a plant" , "Slender support, for 32 across say" .)