Mma Ramotswe Blog

Mma Ramotswe movie buttresses South African dominance

2010-01-27T07:34:00.000+02:00

source: Mmegi
LAWRENCE OOKEDITSE
Correspondent

The perception that Botswana is a province of South Africa is not likely to be debunked any time soon after the release of the well acclaimed No.1 Ladies Detective Agency movie series - better known as Mma Ramotswe.

For some film reviewers and locals, the fact that the actors are mostly South African is a cause of concern. "Despite being produced entirely in Botswana, however, it is surprising that certain words have been pronounced differently from local usage.

For instance, in Setswana the common address of a man as 'Rra' is pronounced 'Rae' rather than the usual form which uses a short 'a'. Also, the Setswana name Mmapula is pronounced in the series with emphasis on the short 'a', rather than on the long 'u' which most Batswana would use," the United Kingdom's Guardian film critic, Sam Wollaston wrote. The cast of [continue reading]

MmaRamotswe finally airs

2010-01-09T10:50:00.001+02:00

source: BOPA

08 January, 2010 GABORONE - Finally, the long awaited No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series is now showing on Botswana Television (Btv) for an hour from 9:30pm on Mondays and Wednesdays.

According to Btv General Manager Molefhe Sejoe, the station would only broadcast seven episodes and the first one was broadcast on December 30.

Sejoe noted that it took them a while to obtain the movie despite the fact that it was filmed locally. The movie shows at night because Btv has moved its drama slot to after the 9pm news.

He said after its release those who had the financial muscle got the chance to broadcast it first while Btv had to wait and follow normal procurement processes.

However, he explained that this time around Btv was showing the movie as per the goodwill of the company that produced it.

Meanwhile, some Batswana are not happy with the long wait and the time slot.

Thato Mosipidi noted that government had not been fair to give preference to outsiders as they benefitted from the movie at the expense of [continue reading]

`The No. 1 Ladies` Detective Agency` Puts Spotlight on Botswana

2009-10-19T12:11:00.001+02:00

source: Voice of America
By Bart Childs
Gaborone, Botswana
13 October 2009

In Gaborone, Botswana, the joint production of the HBO/BBC series "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" caused a sensation, both locally and internationally. It's the story of a young woman chasing her dreams to be a detective, the first in Botswana. But it also was a catalyst to a young film industry just getting started.

It's a story about a dream, about starting from scratch.

But it's about not Mma Ramotswe in the wildly popular books, film and TV series called the "No. 1 First Ladies' Detective Agency." It's about the film industry in Botswana itself explained Alexander McCall Smith, the author of [continue reading]

Mmaramotswe Airs On M-Net Today

2009-08-04T07:55:00.002+02:00

source: Mmegi
Monkagedi Gaotlhobogwe

Staff Writer

DStv viewers across Africa including in Botswana have the opportunity to watch one of the most acclaimed television series, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency on M-Net to night.

The pan African channel has beaten Botswana Television (Btv) to the television series, after the local channel failed to create an enabling environment for the series to be broadcast locally. The producers of the movie had requested Btv to limit its spectrum to Botswana only to ensure the series is not watched by external viewers. Btv was given that task soon after the first series was aired on BBC United Kingdom (UK), early last year.

The producers of the movie have since arranged with a [continue reading]

McCall Smith heroine writes cookbook

2009-06-30T12:48:00.001+02:00

source: Bookseller.com
30.06.09

The heroine of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels is to challenge celebrity food writers like Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson by launching her own cookbook, reports the Telegraph. Mma Ramotswe's Cookbook will be published by Polygon in November.

The cookbook, supposedly written by Precious Ramotswe, is the brainchild of Stuart Brown, a charity worker and [continue reading]

It's a Boy for Jill Scott!

2009-04-22T09:30:00.000+02:00

source: People.com
By Tiffany McGee and Jessica Herndon
Originally posted Tuesday April 21, 2009 08:00 PM EDT

R&B singer and actress Jill Scott and her fiancé, drummer Lil John Roberts, have welcomed their first child, a boy, her manager confirms to PEOPLE.

Jett Hamilton Roberts was born at 4:20 p.m. on April 20. He weighed in at 7 lbs., 8 oz.

Scott, who stars on HBO's new series The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, based on the popular novels by Alexander McCall Smith, discovered she was pregnant shortly before leaving for Botswana to film the show.

"At one point I was trying to gain weight for the role, and I noticed I had put on 7 lbs. in 7 days. And I thought, my god! What's going on here," she tells PEOPLE. "I thought something was wrong with me, and I found out I was [continue reading]

Agency` In best drama series at the Emmys

2009-03-28T10:53:00.001+02:00

source: Botswana Gazette

Written by Botswana Gazette online

Friday, 27 March 2009 00:00

There's been some confusion among Emmy-watchers over whether HBO's "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency," which debuts on March 29,
will compete at the Emmys as a miniseries or a drama series. HBO's Emmy gurus tell Gold Derby that it will qualify in the drama series lineup since the program has more than the requisite six episodes airing during the Emmy eligibility period - the network will air seven. "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" stars American R&B singer-actress Jill Scott as "fat and fabulous" Precious Ramotswe, who's devoted to solving crimes in Botswana, and Anika Noni Rose (Tony Award winner for "Caroline - Or Change" and star of the film version of "Dreamgirls") as her hyper, officious assistant.

The show had a successful launch on the BBC in the U.K. over the last week, drawing more than 5 million TV viewers. One reviewer for the London Times offered praise, as he put it, giving it three out of five stars.

Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly gives it a [continue reading]

Mma Ramotswe markets Botswana in the US

2009-03-23T11:44:00.000+02:00

source: Bostwana Press Agency
23 March, 2009

GABORONE - Batswana are proud and grateful for the tremendous extent to which Alexander McCall's Smith No.1 Ladies Detective Agency novel series has marketed and branded the country abroad.

Speaking at the launch of the movie in New York last week, Botswana's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Mr Charles Ntwaagae said almost every where one goes nowadays, "the moment people discover that you are from Botswana, they start saying how much they have enjoyed reading the series," he said.

Ambassador Ntwaagae said the novel series has made all citizens ambassadors for the country.

He thanked the organisers of the launch on behalf of the government and the Botswana Tourism Board, who were the hosts and sponsors of the event.

Mr Ntwaagae thanked Ms Leslee Hall, a director at Partner Concepts, particularly for taking the lead in organising the event on behalf of the Botswana Tourism Board.

He also thanked Botswana's Ambassador to the USA, Mr Caesar Lekoa and his staff together with his own staff at the Permanent Mission of Botswana to the United Nations in New York.

"I also wish to sincerely commend the lead actor in the movie, Jill Scott for her outstanding performance in [continue reading]

No.1 Ladies` Detective Agency kicks off with 5.2m viewers

2009-03-16T14:44:00.000+02:00

source: Brand Republic
by Nikki Sandison and Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic 16-Mar-09, 11:25

LONDON - BBC One adaptation 'The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency' returned for a six-part series following its successful pilot last Easter, with 5.2m viewers tuning in last night, but the series debut was handily beaten by ITV1's 'Dancing On Ice' skate-off, according to unofficial overnight figures.

Botswana's first lady detective Mma Precious Ramotswe, who uses her understanding of human nature rather than any forensic knowledge to solve mysteries, pulled in a 20.3% share of the 9pm-10pm audience for BBC One.

Based on Alexander McCall Smith's novels, the series stars Jill Scott as Mma Ramotswe and Desmond Dube as her irrepressible hairdressing neighbour BK.

Earlier in the evening, the series finale of 'Lark Rise to Candleford', which saw postman Thomas Brown finally marry his timid bride Miss Ellison, netted 5.8m viewers and a 21.5% share of the 8pm-9pm audience for BBC One.

ITV1's 'Dancing On Ice' ruled Sunday's night's ratings once again, attracting 9.2m viewers and a 36.6% share of the 7.15pm to 8pm audience for its first show of [continue reading]

Back to Botswana on BBC1 this Sunday

2009-03-10T09:52:00.001+02:00

source: Property Wire
Written by Limpopo Lipadi
Monday, 09 March 2009

Following the huge success of the first feature length drama broadcast on the BBC last March, the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency filmed entirely in Botswana will return to our screens this month as a six part series starting on Sunday 15th March 2009 at 9pm on BBC1.

Based on the best selling novels by Alexander McCall-Smith, the series chronicles the adventures of Precious Ramotswe, proprietor of the only female-owned detective agency in Botswana. And with an all star cast including Grammy Award winning singer Jill Scott and Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose the second series promises to continue the vision of the late Academy Award winning director, Anthony Minghella.

But it's not just the actors who are the stars of this show, with the series being entirely filmed on location in Botswana the stunning country in southern Africa and the Batswana people also play a starring role as producer Timothy Bricknell commented,

"Everyone involved is very pleased to be back in Botswana and capturing the essence of such a remarkable and extraordinary country."

This is a sentiment shared too by Alan Marneweck, founder and shareholder of the Limpopo-Lipadi Game & Wilderness reserve located in the malaria free Tuli block of eastern Botswana, who goes on to [continue reading]

Anika Noni Rose in Botswana

2009-01-14T12:49:00.002+02:00

source: Mmegi

Bloomfield's Anika Noni Rose went a long distance for her latest role, playing a co-starring role with Jill Scott in the HBO series The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, based on the books by Alexander McCall Smith. "I had read several of the books before I was cast, and I read the script," Rose said in a session at press tour. "For me, when something resonates with me, I can hear the voice as I'm reading the script. So for me, she came to life immediately from these pages."

Rose, who won a Tony for her role in Caroline, or Change and is best-known as a member of the trio in Dreamgirls, was not familiar with the accent in Botswana, where the series was set and shot. So she improvised.

"I auditioned with a South African accent, because it was one that I knew and I wanted them to be able to hear that this was something that could fit on my tongue," Rose said.

She got the role as Mma Makutsi, the strange secretary to Scott's character Precious Ramotswe in the series co-produced by[continue reading]

R&B Singer and Actress Jill Scott Is Pregnant

2009-01-10T06:53:00.002+02:00

source: People.com
By Lisa Ingrassia
Originally posted Friday January 09, 2009 07:25 PM EST

Jill Scott is pregnant with her first child, the R&B singer and actress revealed to reporters at the Television Critics Association conference in Los Angeles on Friday.

Promoting her new HBO series The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, based on the popular novels by Alexander McCall Smith, Scott said she discovered that she was pregnant just before leaving for Botswana where she filmed the show.

"The first trimester I spent in Botswana," said the star, who is due April 25. "That was one of the biggest challenges of my life. First trimester! You're sick every morning. It was seven hours time difference, the heat, the bugs, the 14 hour days."

Still, the actress, who is engaged to drummer Lil' John Roberts, says she's glad she went [continue reading]

NO 1 Ladies' Detective Agency movie coming soon

2008-12-12T07:17:00.003+02:00

source: Mmegi

CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer

The Producer of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Timothy Bricknell has revealed that he is making arrangements to screen the movie on Botswana Television (Btv).

Speaking to Mmegi yesterday, Bricknell said that they are trying to screen the movie at the same time that M-Net, which has the rights, will be screening it. Currently the movie is being shown free of charge to interested individuals at the No 1 Ladies Opera House in Gaborone until next week.

Bricknell disclosed that the movie has been well received in the United Kingdom (UK) where it was shown on BBC and watched by 6.7 million people. He said HBO Channel has also come on board to screen the movie, which was shot last year, followed by the six-part series being currently shot in Botswana.

"We want the six-part series to be shown in the UK by end of March at [continue reading]

BBC McCall Smith bonanza

2008-12-05T06:37:00.001+02:00

source: The Bookseller
04.12.08 Katie Allen

Alexander McCall Smith's The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series is returning to the BBC with TV and radio projects lined up for Christmas and the new year. The BBC1 series of six 60-minute episodes will be based on McCall Smith's novels (Abacus), and is being filmed on location in Botswana. It was written by Nicholas Wright and Robert Jones and directed by Charles Sturridge and Tim Fywell. It continues from the feature-length, one-off film production of the first novel, The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, which was directed by the late Anthony Minghella and broadcast in March, attracting 6.9 million viewers. Singer Jill Scott is returning to star in the new series, with "Survivors" star Paterson Joseph to join.

Producer Timothy Bricknell said: "We were thrilled with the reception to the film from critics and BBC viewers. Anthony was so proud of the project and would have been delighted to see it do so well." He added: "We are [continue reading]

Minghella, Pollack to receive posthumous credits

2008-12-02T06:17:00.001+02:00

source: Reuters

By Mimi Turner

LONDON (Hollywood Reporter) - Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack will receive posthumous executive producer credits as the BBC moves forward with its six-part TV series based on Alexander McCall-Smith's "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency."

The series, officially announced Monday, continues the vision of Minghella, whose feature-length adaptation of the first book premiered to huge success in the U.K. shortly after his death in March. Pollack, whose Mirage Enterprises -- a co-venture with Minghella -- co-produced the telefilm, died two months later.

Filming has begun on location in Botswana on six 60-minute episodes, which will chronicle the poignant and amusing adventures of Precious Ramotswe, proprietor of the only female-owned detective agency in Botswana.

Grammy winner Jill Scott will reprise her role as Botswana's first female sleuth and be joined by [continue reading]

Man behind lady detective

2008-11-30T05:09:00.001+02:00

source: The Telegraph (India)
caleidoscope

He is the man behind The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, located in modern-day Gaborone, Botswana and founded by Mma Precious Ramotswe. And he is coming to Calcutta.

The theme this book fair is Scotland. That’s the reason Alexander McCall Smith, the writer of the detective series featuring the rotund, wise, independent-minded, stew-making loveable Ms Ramotswe, will deliver the inaugural lecture.

McCall Smith, apart from being Scot, is a former professor of medical law and worked in universities in the UK and abroad. After the publication of his highly successful No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, which has sold over 15 million copies, he devoted his time to the writing of fiction. The various series he has written have been translated into over 45 languages and have become bestsellers through the world.

The various series are about different places. “In Botswana, we have [continue reading]

Mma Ramotswe series on track

2008-10-16T13:47:00.001+02:00

source: Botswana Press Agency
16 October, 2008

GABORONE - The shooting of the the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series has provided employment and experience for locals.

The movie, also known as Mma Ramotswe, generated a lot of publicity and excitement when it was shown locally early this year.

The shooting started six weeks ago and the episodes are expected to be ready next year. The series has 99 actors and 52 of them are locals.

The executive producer of the movie, Ms Amy Moore, said the filming of the movie has had a positive impact on Botswana and its people.

She said they employed 2 300 adding that they favoured women as an empowerment measure.

She also noted that they have given exposure to a number of local artists, hence promoting the Setswana culture.

She further noted that the filming of the series gave the country experience in [continue reading]

Traditional rest camp opens

2008-09-27T07:36:00.001+02:00

source: Botswana Press Agency
24 September, 2008

GABORONE - Officials of the Botswana Tourism Board, participants in the tourism industry and media practitioners had an experience of a life time at the Mokolodi Nature Reserve recently when they were taken on a game drive to coincide with the official opening of Alexander McCall Smith Traditional Rest Camp.

The traditional rest camp which is located in the south western part of the reserve comprises five thatched huts and a lolwapa amid esthetically placed lead wood and natural morula trees.

The building styles come directly from the neighbouring community and only natural attributes were used in the structures.

Officially opening the Rest Camp, the Chief Executive Officer of the Botswana Tourism Board, Ms Myra Sekgororoane, described the development as an additional facility which adds value to the tourism industry.

She said Alexander McCall Smith is not a stranger to Botswana and his footprints from his renowned book series and financing the rest camp, are felt all over Botswana.

Book number seven of the Alexander Mc Call Smith's series titled Blue Shoes and Happiness has prominently featured Mokolodi Nature Reserve and the park manager who appeared as a real life character.

Sekgororoane added that the mention of the place in the book on its own provided some unprecedented publicity which if well used would push [continue reading]

No. 1 Ladies' Detective movie continues?

2008-09-26T08:59:00.000+02:00

source: Mmegi
MEEKAEEL SIPHAMBILI
Correspondent

The first movie ever to be filmed in Botswana is being continued on a location near Gaborone.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency movie, starring American songbird, Jill Scott, as the main actor and the lady detective, is being continued in Gabane, four kilometres from Gaborone. Jill Scott stars as Mma Ramotswe, a lady detective.

The first part of the movie was filmed in 2007 on a location built especially for the movie at Kgale View in Gaborone. However, this time around, the movie producers have taken over an old abandoned and dilapidated school in Gabane.

The script for the first part of the movie was from a book by author Alexander McCall Smith, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. The director of the [continue reading]

Mma Ramotswe`s opera and couscous

2008-07-10T07:40:00.001+02:00

source: Mail & Guardian
SELLO MOTSETA - Jul 09 2008 06:00

About 5km outside the central business district of Gaborone, set in the subdued tranquility of the relatively untouched countryside overlooking the Kgale Mountains, sits the new Number One Ladies Opera House.

The official opening was attended by Alexander McCall Smith, the author famous for his detective books, who is also a co-owner of the new opera house. The opening event was held on a wobbly makeshift stage in a small hall able to accommodate 60 appreciative classical music lovers.

"Precious Ramotswe had never been to an opera. In fact, her only contact with music other than Botswana's rich traditional music was through her first husband, Note Makote, a jazz trumpeter," said David Slater, the director of the opera house.

He noted: "Of course she heard Jimmy Molefhe's Sunday evening programme of [continue reading]

The Botswana opening of the No 1 Ladies` Opera House

2008-06-29T07:52:00.002+02:00

source: Times Online

The baritone paused as a train rattled by on the first night of Botswana’s new opera house

It was by far Botswana’s biggest musical event of the year – in fact, ever. Attending the official opening of the No 1 Ladies’ Opera House was Precious Ramotswe, Africa’s most famous detective – in the shape of Sheila Tlou, a former Minister of Health, who claims to be the person on whom the character in the book is based – and her creator, the Rhodesian-born Alexander McCall Smith.

The tiny “opera house”, a converted garage which served as the inspiration for J. L. B. Maketoni’s Speedy Motors in the detective stories, seats a mere 60 people. It may be no Covent Garden or La Scala, but in the capital, Gaborone, which has no other classical music venue, its arrival has been welcomed with enthusiasm.

The best of the country’s small, but growing band of classical music singers was on display. Gape Motswaledi, at 33 Botswana’s only professional (semi-professional actually) baritone, had been practising for months. He had to wait for a train to rumble past before launching into his first solo, Di Provenza il mar, from La traviata. For a maths teacher who taught himself to [continue reading]

An enemy in the heart of the No 1 Ladies` Detective Agency

2008-06-17T06:18:00.001+02:00

source: Mmegi
Reviewed by SHERIDAN GRISWOLD
Correspondent

Alexander McCall Smith (2008)

The ninth volume in the series, No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith was released by the Penguin Group in South Africa in April this year. It is already in to its sixth reprinting, sales probably stimulated by the release of the TV film of Precious Ramotswe and her friends (Mmegi, 25 April 2008).

The Miracle at Speedy Motors takes the various adventures of the main characters forward, including: Grace Makutsi, assistant detective who would like to advance to associate detective, and her betrothed Mr Phuti Radiphuti of the Double Comfort Furniture Store - they are not yet married; Mr Polopetsi the obsequious part-time detective who also works at the Speedy Motors garage; the matron at the [continue reading]

No. 1 Ladies` Opera House to bring arias to Botswana`s bushland

2008-06-01T08:10:00.001+02:00

source: The Independent
By Lynne Walker
Sunday, 1 June 2008

It may only be a matter of time before Precious Ramotswe is operatically trilling her way through her private investigations. Alexander McCall Smith, the author of The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, has founded Botswana's first opera house, The No. 1 Ladies' Opera House. But the writer, who is himself no mean bassoonist, is keeping his plans for a future world premiere at the new venue firmly under wraps. He's brimming with enthusiasm, however, over immediate plans for his latest project which opens with "a grand-ish concert" on 21 June, sponsored by the Edinburgh-based author.

The building has been transformed from a 1940s recruitment station for miners to an extraordinary performing arts centre cum café in the African bush, about 10 minutes from the capital, Gaborone. McCall Smith first spotted its potential during the making of a BBC documentary about his novels, struck by its resemblance to his fictional Speedy Motors garage, and discovered it was available for lease. In collaboration with the former director of [continue reading]

No 1 Ladies` Opera House is open

2008-04-28T10:51:00.000+02:00

source: Mmegi

A new restaurant, music centre and opera house is now open to the public. It is located at Kgale Siding beyond St Joseph's Senior Secondary School and open from 7 am to 4 pm (except Sundays) for breakfast, bush tea, lunch and afternoon coffee and cakes.

Meals offered include, in the morning, Alexander McCall Smith's favourite breakfast, Mr J L B Matekoni's breakfast, Mma Makutsi's pancakes with a Mma Ramotswe's pot of bush tea. In the afternoon dishes like a Speedy Motors trusted lunch or an Angelika Orford special are on offer. They are well cooked by John and Alphonce, served by Smokey the waiter and with Vivian for backup.

The No 1 Ladies' Opera House is the brainchild of David Slater, formally of Maitisong and Alexander McCall Smith, formerly of the University of Botswana, but now a professor emeritus at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, where he was teaching medical ethics until the success of his over 55 books changed his life. He is best known for his series of novels, "The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency", that have sold [continue reading]

Mma-ramotswe in NZ

2008-04-21T13:24:00.001+02:00

source: Mmegi (Botswana)

Mma-ramotswe in NZ Alexander McCall Smith's novels about The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency have captured imaginations around the world and prompted a BBC TV series. BOB MADDAMS follows in Precious Ramotswe's footsteps around Gaborone before investigating the real Botswana.

It wasn't your typical stake-out. We had parked right outside the suspect's house, which stood in a wide tree-lined street in a quiet residential part of Gaborone, Botswana's capital. "OK," whispered Tim, "this is the place."

But Tim Race is no private eye. He's the boss of Africa Insight, which runs the official No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Tour. "You don't need to be an expert on the whole series of books," he reassured me. "So long as you've at least read the first one you'll get a lot out of it."

However, those who sign up for the tour often have more than a passing acquaintance with the adventures of [continue reading]

The irony of Mma ramotswe

2008-04-21T13:22:00.000+02:00

source: Mmegi (Botswana)

I had the wonderful privilege ofattending the premiere of our so long-awaited-for picture of "The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency", commonly known around households as Mma Ramotswe, courtesy of the Botswana Tourism Board.

Popular as it seems to have become, I am still tempted to contemplate whether the Government of Botswana still holds that this concept is worth the financial muscle it commanded because I personally reckon it leaves a lot to be desired.

Mma Ramotswe is definitely not the first picture to be produced in Botswana and exported to the outside world. We boast of "Thokolosi" and 'Re Bina Mmogo" which were screened on Btv and South African Broadcasting Corporation. The only notable difference between such pictures and Mma Ramotswe is that the likes of [continue reading]

It`s A Night Of Celebration For Mma Ramotswe

2008-04-16T16:51:00.002+02:00

source: Mmegi

BY CHIPPA LEGODIMO
CORRESPONDENT

The movie No 1 Ladies' Detective or Mma Ramotswe premiered last weekend in different locations including the New Capitol Cinema, Riverwalk and the Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC) and on Friday night the British Council hosted an evening of cultural entertainment at the Botswana Craft Marketing to honour movie participants.

All the local artistes whose songs were used in the movie's sound track were invited to perform at the show. It was a cool night of live music featuring Botswana's cream of the top, Maxy Mogwana, Vee, Stampore, Shanti Lo, Chris Manto 7 and Gogo jazz band. But as they say class is permanent while form is only temporary. One of Botswana's pioneer musicians, the respected Mmashoro vocalist Gaotwesepe Robalang proved her mettle against a young generation of artistes who are regarded as celebrities.

Patrons had raised over P2,000 for the aging singer whose song, Gokatweng dominated the airwaves during the [continue reading]

MmaRamotswe promotes Botswana

2008-04-16T15:07:00.000+02:00

source: Botswana Press Agency
15 April, 2008

GABORONE: - The making of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency movies has raised Botswanas international profile and attracted an increased interest in Botswana, Director of British Council, Mr Stephen Forbes says.

He was speaking at an event to commemorate Anthony Minghella and celebrate artists in the film. The event dubbed No 1 Ladies Detective Agency -The Music was held at BotswanaCraft on Friday Mr Forbes said that when the film was screened in the UK on BBC TV recently, it attracted an audience of over 6 million.

He said this has already attracted an increased interest in Botswana. He said that before the film, they had to persuade British partners to visit the country and had to do a lot of background explaining about the situation in Botswana.

He said that British organisations are now phoning and suggesting projects they can do and are asking to be invited to Botswana.

This presents us with the opportunity to build on the successful collaboration of the film to enhance links in film and film production He said the No 1 Ladies Detective could also help in [continue reading]

Botswana: Mma-Ramotswe gets warm reception

2008-04-15T11:19:00.001+02:00

source: Botswana Press Agency
14 April, 2008

GABORONE - The much talked about movie No.1 Ladies Detective Agency popularly known as Mma-Ramotswe has already generated more than P18 million since its first premiere in London, UK, on March 14 this year, says Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism Mr Kitso Mokaila.

Speaking at the first screening of the movie locally, Mr Mokaila said the television adapted movie, based on the series of books by the Scottish author, Alexander Mc Call Smith, is a significant effort by the government in its quest to sell the country internationally.

He said the movie, which tells a story about Botswana and the Batswana culture and values through humor has so far not disappointed.

Mr Mokaila said the media reviews that have followed the London premiering have been phenomenal.

He said positive testimonies from the international stars that participated in the movie, among them the lead actress Jill Scott have sold Botswana to the international market.

The Minister said the movie scored yet another achievement during Easter Sunday by attracting more than six million viewers on the UK local channel BBC 1 BBC producers acknowledged that this was the biggest television show over the Easter weekend, he said.

He said for the local market negotiations are at an advanced stage for a [continue reading]

GICC hosts Mma-Ramotswe premiere on Saturday

2008-04-10T15:40:00.000+02:00

source: Botswana Press Agency
09 April, 2008
GABORONE - The long awaited local premiere of the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency movie popularly known as Mma-Ramotswe is scheduled for Saturday at GICC.

According to a release from the Botswana Tourism Board The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency movie is the first major film to be undertaken in the country after a P30 Million contribution by the government towards the production of the movie.

The movie whose theme is centered on a Motswana woman, features US singer Jill Scott in the lead role of Precious Ramotswe, who is the owner of a Botswana Detective Agency.

The part of Grace Makutsi, Mma Ramotswes secretary is played by singer and actress Anika Noni Rose, who starred in the film Dreamgirls.

Locals benefited by playing supporting characters in the movie.The series is filmed in Botswana.

The first premier of the movie was held twice in London hosted by Botswana Tourism Board in association with British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and [continue reading]

Weinsteins Launch International TV Distribution Unit

2008-04-10T07:59:00.001+02:00

source: WorldScreen.com

NEW YORK, April 7: The Weinstein Company has created a new international television division, which is making its debut at MIPTV with The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, based on Alexander McCall Smith’s novel of the same name.

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency launched to 6.3 million viewers in the U.K. on the BBC. HBO has already ordered 13 one-hour episodes that will begin filming this summer, with HBO obtaining the U.S. and Canadian television and home-video rights, and the BBC taking [continue reading]

The No.1 ladies left us hungry for more

2008-03-27T10:17:00.000+02:00

source: getworkingham
By Mike Jennings
26/ 3/2008

After storming best-seller lists as a series of nine successful books, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency has made the transition to the small-screen, with a feature-length pilot aired on Easter Sunday and a 13-part series that begins production in the summer.

The plot is similar to the book: after losing her wise, kind father, Precious Ramotswe travels to the Botswanan capital, Gaborone, and establishes herself as the best female private detective in the whole country – because she’s the only female detective in Botswana.

What follows is a charming mix of light-hearted detective work and the kind of [continue reading]

Minghella`s No 1 Ladies` Detective Agency pulls in 6.3m

2008-03-25T17:09:00.001+02:00

source: BrandRepublic

by Darren Davidson Brand Republic 25-Mar-08, 11:10

LONDON - The late Anthony Minghella's feature-length version of 'The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency' pulled in an impressive 6.3m viewers for BBC One on Easter Sunday, condemning the launch of ITV1's new drama 'He Kills Coppers' to only 3.8m.

The BBC drama, based on Alexander McCall Smith's bestselling novel, attracted a 27% share of [continue reading]

Mma Ramotswe attracts international press

2008-03-22T08:48:00.000+02:00

source: Botswana Press Agency
20 March, 2008

LONDON - The producer of the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency movie Anthony Minghella died in London on Tuesday as the second private screening of the movie was held at the British Film Auditorium in Southbanks.

Minghella, who was the director and writer of many television movies, was born on Jan. 6, 1954 on the Isle of Wight, England.

He graduated from the University of Hull where he studied English and Drama, and began his career in television in the 1980s.

He has in the past scripted childrens shows for the BBC and for Jim Hensons The Storyteller.

He first attracted international attention with his first big screen film in 1990. In 1996, he tackled the screenplay adaptation of Michael Ondaatjes novel The English Patient.

He has won a Best Director Academy Award for the beautifully filmed epic starring Ralph Fiennes, Kristin Scott Thomas and Juliette Binoche.

Minghella was set for an anthology film with a title New York, I Love You. The British writer, director and producer was well respected in the film industry, and in 2003 he wrote and directed the blockbuster Cold Mountain, an adapted movie from Charles Fraziers best selling book.

He was also a theatrical and TV director who staged many productions including [continue reading]

How a U.S. soul singer became Africa's No.1 Lady Detective ... with a little help from a padded behind

2008-03-22T08:28:00.001+02:00

Source: Daily Mail

By NICOLE LAMPERT and TIM OGLETHORPE
01:26am on 21st March 2008

On the first day of filming the BBC drama The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency in hot and dusty Botswana, southern Africa, the show's leading lady, Jill Scott, could be forgiven for having her thoughts elsewhere.

For one thing, there's her mother to be concerned about. She is in the USA, 8,000 miles away from the film's location, recovering — successfully, thankfully — from cancer.

And then there's the pain of Jill's recent divorce from her husband of seven years and partner of 12, Lyzel Williams, to play on her mind.

Most pressingly, there's the [continue reading]

Jill Scott treasures local experience

2008-03-21T10:11:00.000+02:00

source: Botswana Press Agency
19 March, 2008

LONDON - The immensely successful advertisement for the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency-Mma Ramotswe movie has put Botswana on the international map.

The London daily newspaper, The Independent has already interviewed the movies leading actress Jill Scott.

The American singer told the paper that she had not visited Africa before she came to Botswana for the film, and that she will forever treasure the experience.

She said before her visit she had plenty of questions in her mind and had no idea what to expect.

But after a few days of looking for what they didnt have, I noticed all the things they have. My eyes suddenly opened, and everything was new and wonderful, she told the paper.

Scott said Africa does not leap on you immediately, but it seeps slowly and its incredibly important to be respectful and humble there.

She mentioned a couple of places in Botswana that took her breath away. One of the things she talked about was the Safari experience in the Kalahari Desert.

I was stuck by the pure silence and the stillness. I looked around [continue reading]

Jill Scott Mourns Loss Of Anthony Minghella

2008-03-20T06:41:00.002+02:00

source: HippHopp Elements
Posted on: March 19, 2008 08:04 PDT

British filmmaker Anthony Minghella, who directed the upcoming two-hour HBO pilot "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" starring Jill Scott and Anika Noni Rose, died in a London hospital on Tuesday after a short illness, reports the AP. He was 54.

"Much more than a TRUE artist who thrilled in offering his divine gift with the world, Anthony Minghella was a dear, dear trusted friend," said Scott in a statement. "My heart aches with grief. Words can not express how deeply he will be missed or [continue reading]

Oscar-winning film man Anthony Minghella dies aged 54

2008-03-19T07:35:00.001+02:00

source: AdelaideNow
March 18, 2008 09:00am

OSCAR-winning director Anthony Minghella, who turned literary works "The English Patient," and "Cold Mountain" into acclaimed movies, has died aged 54.

Minghella died yesterday of a hemorrhage following surgery.

Minghella's publicist, Jonathan Rutter, said the filmmaker died at London's Charing Cross Hospital. He said Minghella was operated on last week for a growth in his neck, "and the operation seemed to have gone well. At 5 a.m. today he had a fatal hemorrhage."

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who became friends with Minghella after the filmmaker directed a [continue reading]

see also: Director Anthony Minghella, 1954-2008 (Time)

HBO enlists Minghella's `Agency`

2008-03-10T15:56:00.001+02:00

source: The Hollywood Reporter
By Kimberly Nordyke

March 10, 2008
HBO has retained the services of "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency."

It had been rumored for months that Anthony Minghella's adaptation of the best-selling books by Alexander McCall Smith could wind up as a TV series, though nothing was official until now.

HBO has partnered with the Weinstein Co. and the BBC on the drama series, ordering 13 hourlong episodes to begin filming in the summer. That's in addition to the two-hour pilot that Minghella recently shot in Botswana from a script he wrote with Richard Curtis ("Four Weddings and a Funeral").

HBO has obtained U.S. and Canadian television and home video rights, and the BBC
has taken U.K. television distribution. TWC, which controls all other international territories, is planning to take the project to MIP in April.

"Agency" stars Jill Scott as Precious Ramotswe, the proprietor of the only female-owned [continue reading]

Mma Ramotswe to be aired on BBC

2008-03-08T16:03:00.000+02:00

source: Mmegi

The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency film, otherwise known as the Mma Ramotswe is scheduled for airing on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) UK Channel One on Easter Monday - March 24.

Before this, the film is expected to premiere at the British Film Institute's Southbank's Auditoriums in London on March 14. The screening is organised by the [continue reading]

Opera house in the bush is author`s musical miracle

2008-03-01T08:13:00.002+02:00

source: The Scotsman
By DAVID ROBINSON
BOOKS EDITOR

IF YOU drive south from Gabarone, the capital of Botswana, until the houses stop and the bush begins, you'll find yourself passing a building that used to be a garage.
When Edinburgh author Alexander McCall Smith used to drive past it, he was reminded of the fictional Speedy Motors garage in his No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, which has been translated into 44 languages and sold 15 million copies in English alone.

The writer has now taken over the building, and in June it will get a new lease of life – as Botswana's first opera house.

The signs for the No 1 Ladies Opera House have already been designed by Iain McIntosh, who illustrates McCall Smith's 44 Scotland Street series in The Scotsman.

A new floor has been put in, the roof repaired, the walls [continue reading]

Anthony Daniels reviews The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith

2008-02-23T07:10:00.001+02:00

The lost world of Mma Ramotswe
source: Telegraph UK

Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 24/02/2008

Anthony Daniels reviews The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith

There are few more difficult tasks in literature than to create a character who is both morally good and interesting. In Precious Ramotswe, the traditionally built proprietress of the Number One Ladies' Detective Agency of Gaborone, Botswana, Africa, Alexander McCall Smith has succeeded triumphantly: so triumphantly, in fact, that Mma Ramotswe's favourite beverage, redbush tea, is now sold in our supermarkets.

The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith

A large part of the charm of the Mma Ramotswe books, and the [continue reading]

Tourism board to use Mma Ramotswe movie set

2008-02-13T18:35:00.001+02:00

source: Botswana Press Agency

13 February, 2008

GABORONE - The Botswana Tourism Board is negotiating with producers of the No1. Ladies Detective Agency to use the movie set for tourism purposes.

The boards public relations and communications manager Keitumetse Setlang says the producers have agreed in principle to the set being used for tourism purposes.

She said they are very optimistic that the ongoing negotiations will be successful. The set, which is nestled at the foot of the Kgale Hill, has been closed to the public except for a few authorised tours since the filming wrapped up last year.

Setlang said although no feasibility study has been done yet, it is very likely that a lot of interest will be generated once the tours of the set are commissioned. Currently there are a growing number of Mma Ramotswe tours being carried out by [continue reading]

What chance of a film industry in Botswana?

2008-01-21T08:02:00.000+02:00

source: Mmegi

NEIL PARSONS

Last year saw the first production of a big drama movie in Botswana-The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, directed by the internationally-renowned Anthony Minghella.

More recently we have had news of two satellite television content-providers, SABIDO (holding company of etv) and Munhumutape Pay-TV, setting up shop in transmission or production facilities in Gaborone. Over the past 10 or 20 years, digital cameras and computer editing have dramatically opened up filmmaking possibilities in "remote" places. Things are looking up for drama films and documentaries made in Botswana.

Botswana already has one of the world's major wildlife film industries, based in Maun and Chobe. Dereck and Beverly Joubert have made prize-winning films for international television channels, and a full-length elephant drama called Whispers for Hollywood (Buena Vista). Tim and June Liversedge have rivalled them in producing wildlife documentaries, and are building on the success of their lion documentary Roar! being shown on giant Imax screens in major cities around the world.

Maun-Chobe wildlife films took off in the late 1980s, as a spin-off from safari industries moving into Botswana from East Africa. By comparison, Gaborone's film industry is small and still struggling. The oldest established Gaborone firm is Dipolelo/Storyline (Renee Gilbert & John Clement), set up in 1994, which made its name in human documentaries and is about to flight 26 half hour episodes of its drama "soapie" Lelia & Co on Botswana Television (BTV) in 2008. Two other Gaborone filmmakers, with reputations made prior to or separate from BTV, are the documentarist Billy Kokorwe and Moabi Mogorosi famous for his short drama film Hot Chillie.

The big buzz seven or eight years ago was the [continue reading]

Mma Ramotswe movies due in Easter

2007-12-24T13:25:00.000+02:00

source: Botswana Press Agency
24 December, 2007

GABORONE - The release of the Hollywood movie that was filmed in Botswana, The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, has been rescheduled from Christmas Day to Easter Holidays.

The National Tourism Board says in a press statement the release date was pushed to the Easter weekend to ensure that it was adequately promoted.

This, it says, has to be done for the movie to gain maximum benefit for Botswana and for [continue reading]

Alexander McCall Smith on The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (Video)

2007-12-05T07:23:00.000+02:00

BBC1 unveils new line-up

2007-12-05T07:17:00.000+02:00

source: The Guardian

The first novel in Alexander McCall Smith's bestselling series of No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books will be transformed next year into a BBC1 drama, it was announced yesterday. A one-off 90-minute television film of the book will be a key part of the 2008 winter season, which will also include a new version of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility.

The eight books in McCall Smith's Ladies Detective Agency series - which follows Botswana-based private investigator Precious Ramotswe - have sold more than 14m copies worldwide and have been translated into 39 languages. If the television version of the first book is successful, more adaptations from the series - which first hit bookshelves in 1998 - could follow, BBC1 said.

Singer Jill Scott will take the lead role of Precious, with Anika Noni Rose as Mma Makutsi and Lucian Msamati as JLB Matekoni.

The drama, which BBC1 bills as "poignant and amusing", will be directed and written by Anthony Minghella - who directed the Oscar winning film the English Patient - and co-written by Richard Curtis, who is [continue reading]

Mma Ramotswe's agency may close

2007-10-18T05:56:00.000+02:00

source: News24
2007-10-17 14:49

New York - Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith has shot to fame in the past five years with his series The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency but the future of amateur sleuth Mma Precious Ramotswe is uncertain.

While working on the ninth book in the series, McCall Smith is also pursuing about three other projects with Love Over Scotland, the third instalment in his 44 Scotland Street series, being released in the United States shortly.

He is continuing to write this in series form in The Scotsman newspaper, with volume five starting this month with about 1 100 words published daily for about 100 days.

McCall Smith, 59, who was born in what is [continue reading and find an interview with Alexander McCall Smith]

Jill Scott finds herself with Words and Sounds

2007-10-12T05:45:00.000+02:00

source: msnbc

The singer and actress is flourishing with release of her new album, films
Seth Wenig / AP
NEW YORK - While some artists choose to keep their private life cloaked in mystery, Jill Scott’s music was so rich with details about her most intimate thoughts, even a casual listener could tell that she was madly in love with her man.

From “He Loves Me (Lyzell in E Flat)” to “Bedda at Home,” much of Scott’s first two albums detailed her relationship with her husband and manager, Lyzell Williams. The songs were passionate, sensual, emotional and spoke of a love, while not perfect, so enduring that it seemed almost too good to be true.

As it turns out, it was — Scott’s soundtrack was a lot rosier than real life.

“Sometimes I think I try to hold on [continue reading]

Jill Scott: New Single 'Hate on me' (video)

2007-10-04T08:46:00.000+02:00

The No. 1 Botswana Movie Shoot

2007-09-23T06:50:00.000+02:00

source: The New York Times

AS Alexander McCall Smith writes in the opening of his best-selling novel “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency,” “Mma Ramotswe had a detective agency in Botswana, at the foot of Kgale Hill.” Though her cases tend to dwell on sins like philandering and low-level insurance scams, her greatest mystery these days is whether her story can translate to film.

Precious Ramotswe has no blue steel pistol, just two desks, two chairs, a telephone and an old typewriter. Her tiny white van is incapable of high-speed chases and fiery stunts. Then there is Mma Ramotswe herself. (Mma is a local honorific.) Film sleuths usually exude chiseled sexiness and a noir persona. But as Mr. McCall Smith puts it, Precious Ramotswe is “the fat lady detective”: rounded, not chiseled; softhearted, not dark.

Would anyone watch a film about a “traditionally built” (as she puts it) shamus whose main preoccupation is contemplating her cases under an acacia tree?

The director Anthony Minghella allows that it [continue reading]

CNN reports from Mma Ramotswe set: video

2007-09-09T14:53:00.000+02:00

Watch the CNN video!

Mma Ramotswe Movie: Boom for Botswana?

2007-09-06T10:51:00.000+02:00

source: travel.iAfrica.com

Monkagedi Gaotlhobogwe
Thu, 06 Sep 2007

Its sleepy nature was an essential ingredient to the book but tourist bosses are hoping a film version of "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" will provide a shot in the arm to Botswana's laidback capital.

Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella has brought a rare bustle to Gaborone since he and his crew arrived 10 weeks ago to bring Alexander McCall Smith's best-selling novel to an even wider audience.

As well as filming in the capital, Minghella of "The English Patient" fame is planning to shoot scenes in the stunning Makgadikgadi Pans, huge salt flats in northern Botswana, and has roped in locals for a funeral scene at a village on the outskirts of Gaborone.

Although one of the wealthiest countries in Africa, Botswana is keen to drum up alternative sources of income apart from its diamond mines and spectacular wildlife, which draws in hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors each year.

Gaborone a must-see destination

Tourism is now the [continue reading]

Mma-Ramotswe Scenes Shift To Salt Pans, Okavango

2007-09-04T13:53:00.000+02:00

source: Mmegi (Botswana)

MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
CORRESPONDENT

The Hollywood euphoria that engulfed Gaborone for the last 10 weeks has finally ended after the Mma-Ramotswe movie crew wrapped up the filming at their Gaborone West Industrial production base last Thursday.

By late Thursday afternoon and the next morning, the big vehicles used by the crew were streaming out of the city to the north of the country where they will be shooting for 10 days at the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans and the Okavango Delta. Movie producer Amy-J Moore says the Delta and the pans scenes, which do not appear in Alexander Mcall Smith's book, are meant to showcase Botswana's natural beauty.

Although there are no hotels in Gweta, where the film crew and the actors will be based, Moore says accommodation is not a hindrance. " We will be using tents. We are setting up hundreds of tents at Gweta, that's where we will be staying for the next few days," she said as the team prepared to decamp.

The nation's capital may be quiet for now as far as [continue reading]

Mma Ramotswe: Tourism Boom Offering

2007-08-21T19:43:00.000+02:00

source: allAfrica
The Voice (Francistown)

21 August 2007
Posted to the web 21 August 2007

Chedza Simon

When filming of the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency (MmaRamotswe) movie is complete, Botswana may become a tourist hub, resembling setting areas where the Da Vince Code was filmed in Rome.

Johnny Breedt, Head of Production Design, who is responsible for setting up model villages, market areas and infrastructure where certain sets of the movie are shot, said when the movie is complete, the infrastructure shall be protected so that tourists from all over the world could visit and generate revenue for the country.

"After the movie is complete, the infrastructure shall be kept and protected for tourist attraction. The plan is to have the No.1 Ladies tour and in the future, the locations will be able to take in a lot of people who visit the country. This film has generated a lot of interest for Botswana and from my knowledge, tourists are already coming here to view the sites. Botswana will be like Rome, where a lot of people are visiting to see the Da Vince Code movie setting locations," said Breedt.

He said they invested around P5 million to set up the 25 locations around the country. According to him, most of the locations are in Gaborone and the northern part of the country. "Some of these locations are bars, villages with huts and other buildings. There is a hospital model facility at Ben Thema School, Eros Bar and the Speedy Motors in Tlokweng. Some of the sets will be made at Gweta, the Makgadikgadi Pans and Maun. These settings shall be maintained for a number of series, may be until next year because they are made to last between 4 to 5 years," said the Head of production design.

The areas, he said, will be [continue reading]

Mma Ramotswe Movie: The Funeral is Fake, But the Tears Are Real

2007-08-21T14:20:00.000+02:00

source: Time
Monday, Aug. 20, 2007 By ALEX PERRY

By my count, we've mourned Obed Ramotswe 12 times this morning, and I'm not the only one feeling slightly overcome. His daughter, Precious, has cried her way through 12 renditions of the Botswanan funeral spiritual "Your Yoke Is Light To Carry," and when I approach her, she tearfully waves me away, saying: "I have to stay where I am." Several members of the congregation also look like they can't go on. Even the Western PR executive next to me, a veteran of hundreds of scenes like this, tells me she's finding the whole thing "really quite moving."

It's Day 30 on the 50-day shoot of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, based on the best-selling novel series by Alexander McCall Smith. One of the watchwords of the production is authenticity, which has led director Anthony Minghella to shoot the film in Botswana — a first for this tiny southern African nation — and to involve its people as much as possible. Today's scene is the culmination of months of talks with the villagers of Gabane, 15km (10 miles) outside the capital, Gaborone. First they had to be asked for permission for a film to be made on their land. Then they needed to be told that the particular scene Minghella wanted to shoot there was a funeral. And then, of course, they had to be persuaded to show up as extras.

The negotiations were handled by Bakang "B.K." Bala, a molecular biologist and sometime safari guide who is acting as cultural advisor to Minghella. According to the traditional Batswana khotla system, he made a presentation to the village chiefs, then [continue reading]

Interview: On The Road with Alexander McCall Smith

2007-08-21T06:42:00.000+02:00

By Craig Morgan Teicher -- Publishers Weekly, 8/20/2007 1:53:00 AM

Having been born in what is now Zimbabwe and worked as a law professor in Botswana, and now living in Scotland, Alexander McCall Smith is no stranger to far away places. His bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency mystery series, set in Botswana, has inspired worldwide loyalty among fans, and huge sales. To promote the eighth book in the series, The Good Husband of Zebra Drive, Smith is doing several tours this year, which are taking him all over the world. PW caught up with Smith in New York City to talk about book tours in many nations, the salvation of the novel, and the similarities between Sweden and Boston.

You’ve done this a number of times before and have a huge fan base made up of people who know a lot about the series. What are the events like?

I think it certainly helps if [continue reading]

Alexander McCall Smith: The day the No1 Ladies' Detective Agency came to life

2007-08-19T13:13:00.000+02:00

source: Daily Mail UK

By Alexander McCall Smith
Last updated at 22:54pm on 18th August 2007

I suppose it's a sign of travelling too much to wake up in a static bed and think: 'We must be flying through an area of smooth air – no turbulence.'

That's what I think now, on coming to, and then I hear the cooing of doves in the jacaranda tree outside.

Through the window comes the bright sunlight that fills the air of this African winter morning. The morning air is cool, but has the quality of champagne: sharp, exhilarating, intoxicating.
Read full post

Mogae visits Mma Ramotswe set

2007-08-17T16:09:00.000+02:00

source: Botswana Press Agency
16 August, 2007
GABORONE - President Festus Mogae visited the production set of the The No1. Ladies Detective Agency film to briefly witness the shooting first hand.

Mr Mogae met with local and foreign actors who are bringing McCall Smiths enchanting characters to life.

Among them was Jill Scott who stars as Mma Ramotswe, the series heroine, Desmond Dube, Anika Noni Rose who play quirky secretary Mma Makutsi and film director, Anthony Minghella.

He was taken on a tour of the set by Production Set Designer, Johnny Breedt, who explained that the buildings were inspired by existing establishments in Lobatse, Serowe, Mahalapye and Gaborone.

Breedt said he used the worn out paint to give the buildings the 1960s and 70s look. President Mogae expressed optimism that the film will be successful and enlighten people about Botswana.

He also expressed hope that it will go a long way to repair the countrys image, which has been tarnished by the CKGR issue.

A local film producer Moabi Mogorosi of Hot Chilli said being part of the film production is a learning experience not only for him but for the country and all Batswana who are involved.

He said what he has realised is the broadness of film making, which pays attention to coordination of all the aspect involved, including set designing, costumes, props, lighting and music.

Every day is a learning experience. One gets to realise that film making is not only about how one captures the action into film but the best coordination involved to achieve the desired result.

Mr Mogorosi has been engaged to make a documentary of how the film was made, experiences of [continue reading]

Batswana Find Right Niche in Film Production

2007-08-09T06:43:00.000+02:00

source: allAfrica
Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)

8 August 2007
Posted to the web 8 August 2007

Maureen Odubeng

Contrary to views held by many about the No1 Ladies Detective Agency film currently being shot in the country that locals have been given a raw deal, the cast and crew include many Batswana.

Following an invitation by film publicist Joy Sapieka, Showbiz has discovered that the film producers have involved quite a number of locals in the project. While the film is being directed by renowned director Anthony Minghella, many Batswana are getting first hand training in film making through their active involvement in production. At the same time, a good number of local actors/actresses have found themselves a suitable niche in both speaking roles and extras (non-speaking roles).

Speaking to Mma-Ramotswe producer Amy Moore, Showbiz learnt that [continue reading]

Jill Ain`t the Only One

2007-08-07T19:50:00.000+02:00

source: allAfrica

The Voice (Francistown)

OPINION
7 August 2007
Posted to the web 7 August 2007

Naledi Mokgwathi

By now we all know Hollywood is in town. The screen adaptation of Alexander McCall Smith's No.1 Lady Detective is currently being shot.

In fact the shooting of the movie, Ma Ramotswe, which set the Botswana taxpayer about P30 million, is about to fold.

Also, by now, Jill Scot is the name many are familiar with. We know she is not only the American pop star, but Ma Ramotswe in person, on the screen in fact.

We also know there is a white lady from Hollywood, Amy Moore, who when she arrived here, told all those who cared to listen that she "loves" Botswana, and still reminisces of the Peace Corps days in Mahalapye, Maun and wherever else she has been. And of course, though many of us have little or no trust in the sangoma powers, the film producer has told all and sundry that she consulted some matwetwe about the prospect of the movie when she arrived. Strange world!

And yes, we have had hints there and there of who of the aspiring Hollywood stars from GC are. But who are they really, and what are they doing there.

There are many, some having gotten some nice little contracts, while some are just happy to know their backs will whiz through our screens once the movie is out. We hear the likes of our own Kgosi Goodwill (of the Fashion Twinz) and his beautiful wife, former editor Morongwa Phala, are busy with something there. And of course the music producer, media activist, former Gabz FM morning show host, Mudhut director, Solomon "Solo B" Monyame, is fiddling with some music equipment.

We know there are there, but we will know what they were doing there for sure when Amy Moore and company show their product on screen.

The Voice sneaked in, dug and found three individuals ready to spill the beans on their roles.

Talented radio and television presenter, Gloria Kgosi is continuing her journey by spreading her wings in [continue reading]

Movie Shooting, a Memorable Experience

2007-08-07T12:01:00.000+02:00

source: Filmmaker South Africa

Making a movie, a far away experience for most locals has been brought right to our doorstep. The Hollywood production Mma Ramotswe, which is currently being shot in Botswana, is a whole new experience for many locals and indeed a good development in the country's movie industry. by Maureen Odubeng
The crew members have set up their areas of shooting, the most prominent probably being the small village/semi town built just as you enter Kgale View. The buildings simulate the African Mall in the olden days.

To someone who does not know, the buildings look like they have been standing for a long time yet they were built only recently. Only Mma Ramotswe's office has some fresh paint.

Seeing scenes being shot is quite an exciting experience. In a nutshell, the cast and crew are always as busy as a bee, as theirs is a race against time. Movement of visitors during the time of shooting is restricted to avoid disturbances.

The preparation for the shooting is intense, and has to be done only by professionals. While actors prepare themselves, getting into the right costumes and make-up, the production crew are arranging their equipment to make sure everything is in order before the actual shooting begins.

The current location is dusty and with a lot of movement, the dust can be choking but that does not deter the committed crew. The lead actress, Jill Scott, has people they call stand-ins, who include local musician/rapper Desma Basson, musically known as Ice Queen. Her role is to test microphones, camera lighting, for the star (Jill Scott). The role of stand-in ends there - and she does not appear anywhere in the movie. As we watched the shooting, publicist Joey Sapieka explained that a stand-in in movies should not be confused with theatrical understudies as they cannot sit in for the actor in case the actor is not feeling well or should anything happen to the actor or actress.

As everything has to be perfect, the stand-in is dressed in [continue reading]

Film to boost Morwaanares business

2007-08-06T13:51:00.000+02:00

source: Botswana Press Agency
06 August, 2007

GABORONE - Being an extra in the film and television series The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency is more than just acting but a business opportunity for Barati Morwaanare.

The 32-year-old plays the part of a street food vendor in the movie. What gives her an added edge is the fact that the role she plays is what she does in real life.

She confessed in an interview that being engaged for nine days to be part of the film provides a lifetime opportunity for her.

She sees her appearance in the film not only as monetary benefit but a marketing opportunity for her business. I consider this as a business opportunity as I will be paid P2400 for all the nine days, she said.

Asked how she intends to invest the money, she said her plan is to use part of the money to buy a Hotdog machine, adding, My idea is to expand business wise.

Ms Morwaanare said she does not usually make that much within nine days because when most of her customers have ran short of cash, she usually offers meals on credit. In real life she has been running her business for three years at a blue and white caravan nicknamed Ngalaoboe Tuck-shop. It is located at Gaborone West Industrial near Mega Tyre.

Her presence at the set as a food street vendor gives the simulated Kgale Shopping Centre a fascinating aspect of urban social life.

Her dark green painted caravan located just by [continue reading]

Scott relishes Mma Ramotswe

2007-08-03T06:40:00.000+02:00

source: Mmegi

MAUREEN ODUBENG
STAFF WRITER

Jill Scott, the star playing the lead role in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, does not take the role as a character. She has made the character she is playing a part of her. In an interview, Scott, who is currently in the middle of filming, said she talked to the director of the movie and award winner Anthony Mingella that Mma Ramotswe should be a regular person.

Scott, who felt she was lucky to have beaten all those who auditioned to play the role of Mma Ramotswe is more than passionate about her character in the movie.
"Mma Ramotswe is great, she is a strong brave woman," Scott said excitedly.

Mma Ramotswe, the character, apart from being a strong and brave woman, is doing something out of the ordinary, and Scott notes that anyone would be happy to play such a character. When talking about the character, one can see that Scott really enjoys playing the role. She said while Mma Ramotswe was doing something out of the ordinary, she was at the same a very gentle being.

"I don't know if I have done [continue reading]

Lead Actress Checks in At Marina

2007-08-02T07:30:00.000+02:00

source: allAfrica
Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)

1 August 2007
Posted to the web 1 August 2007

Monkagedi Gaotlhobogwe

Jill Scott, the US R&B singer who is in Botswana for the shooting of the No.1 Lady's Detective Agency, had a taste of Botswana hospital facilities after being admitted to Princess Marina Hospital last week.

The filming of Mma-Ramotswe suffered a setback when the lead actress was bed-ridden, according to unit publicist Joy Sapieka.

Scott spent a few days at Princess Marina after a chest infection last Thursday, forcing her to temporarily halt her shooting. Sapieka told Showbiz that Scott, who plays the famous character in Alexander McCall Smith's novel, was one of the worst hit by flu that also affected other members of the film crew.

"She returned Monday morning for the shooting, she had not been too well, and was in hospital. A lot of crew members, including myself, had bouts of flu from last week," Sapieka said.

The publicist suspects the dusty environment was responsible for the infection. "It is dusty here all the time, she must have got it because of the dust," Sapieka said. She however would not indicate to what extent the bug had affected their filming schedule.

The movie is scheduled for [continue reading]

`Ladies` Detective` film brings Tinsel Town to tiny Botswana

2007-08-01T08:47:00.000+02:00

source: The Christian Science Monitor

Alexander McCall Smith's hit book series set in Botswana is bringing big-screen money the African country.

By Stephanie Hanes | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
from the August 1, 2007 edition

Page 1 of 4

Gaborone, Botswana - Until Hollywood came to town, work was scarce for Botswana film producer Portia Molebedi Sorinyane. Her home country of dust and diamonds was her inspiration; but if she wanted a job, she had to cross the border into South Africa.

"There is no film industry here, so if you want to eat you need to move somewhere else," she says from behind a pair of trendy, oversized sunglasses.

But that, she hopes, is changing. This month, filming started on the first international movie ever to be shot in Botswana – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, a movie based on Alexander McCall Smith's hit book series of the same name.

This means that Ms. Sorinyane has a gig as an assistant producer. It also means that her country of 1.7 million, whose economy is almost entirely dependent on diamond mining, may be the latest nation to cash in on Tinseltown's Africa fad and launch a lucrative new industry.

In many ways, it is fitting that the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency should be the launch of a film industry here. Mr. McCall Smith's series is set in Botswana, and focuses on the character Precious Ramotswe, a plucky, "traditionally-built" detective who solves fraud and misdeeds in Gabarone, the capital city.

The feel-good books exploded in popularity after Sept. 11, 2001 – they have been translated into 40 different languages and sold more than 15 million copies.

If all goes as planned, the movie will expand into a BBC series.

Seven years ago, when McCall Smith talked to producer Amy J. Moore about turning the series into a movie, both assumed that it would be shot in Botswana – the country that gives the story its flavor.

"We'd always talked about wanting to [continue reading]

McCall Smith assists Botswana Red Cross

2007-07-30T13:16:00.000+02:00

source: Daily News, Botswana
By Lorato Okaile

GABORONE - About P25 000 was raised for the Botswana Red Cross Society during a fund-raising event dubbed “An evening with Alexander McCall Smith”.
The event featured Alexander McCall Smith of the best selling ‘The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency’ serialised novels.

Secretary General of the Botswana Red Cross Society, Ms Mabel Rammekwa, said in an interview that the funds would be used for various programmes implemented by the society.

The progammes she highlighted included disaster preparedness and relief, refugee health and psych-social support, Community Based Rehabilitation and the First Aid Programme.

Botswana Red Cross Society, as an impartial, neutral and independent organisation, aims to identify, prevent, and alleviate human suffering as well as to foster human dignity in all communities.
The evening also provided people who have interest in McCall Smith books an opportunity to interact with him.

McCall Smith whose books are set in Botswana shared his experiences on the popularity of the novels with the audience during a humorous interview with Mr Barolong Seboni, a poet and English lecturer at the University of Botswana.

He said Mma Ramotswe’s personality was characterised by kindness, intelligence, decency and patience is influenced by the warm nature found in most local people.
“The character is present in Botswana among the people,” he said.

He told the audience how some readers were fascinated by Precious Ramotswe the fictional central character in the series of eight novels. She is a Motswana, and the first female private detective in Botswana.

Her preferred method of travel is her [continue reading]

Batswana Writers Get McCall-Smith Tips

2007-07-27T12:35:00.001+02:00

source: allAfrica
Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)

25 July 2007
Posted to the web 26 July 2007

Gasebalwe Seretse
Gaborone

Renowned Scottish author of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series Alexander McCall-Smith sat with young aspiring writers at Maruapula's AV Centre in Gaborone yesterday and gave them tips on writing.

The Scot, who has sold millions of copies worldwide, said that before he became a well-known writer, he wrote children's books on a part-time basis.

He disclosed that he started the Mma Ramotswe Series by accident.

"I wrote what I thought would be a short story, but I ended up liking the Mma Ramotswe character so much and off she went and became a series," he said.

The series made the Scot a household name, but the author explains that although the Mma Ramotswe books are regarded as detective books, they are not 'real' detective books.

"In most detective books, characters don't die of natural cases, but in my books you would note that there are no autopsies at all," he said jokingly.

McCall-Smith asked aspiring writers not to be overly confident about their works and encouraged them to start by writing short stories before moving on to novels. He said if they started by writing short stories it would help them hone their skills and eventually write bigger volumes.

Despite his international stature, McCall-Smith comes across as a humble man who spices his talk with jokes.He joked that some people go around saying "they have stories" yet do nothing about it."Everyone has a story. If you think you have got a book inside you, have an x-ray," he joked amid laughter.

The author encouraged his listeners to fantasize when [continue reading]

Film settings use 10 000 pictures

2007-07-25T13:01:00.000+02:00

source: Daily News
25. July 2007

The old Kgale Post Office is one of the buildings in the set. The author of The No 1. Ladies Detective Agency Alexander McCall Smith poses in front of the building.

By Lorato Okaile

GABORONE - Production Set Designers are responsible for giving the film or television production a definite and appropriate reality.
Their main task is to ensure that the set captures the period and style of the production.
This requires imagination, creativity, interest in cultures, lifestyles, and historical periods.
Therefore, Production Set Designer of the film and television series The No 1. Ladies Detective Agency Johnny Breedt describes the task he has been assigned as a big challenge and yet wonderful experience.
Breedt said he had to embark on intense touring of villages across Botswana, interacting with Batswana so as to get an understanding of how Botswana feels like.
Among the places he visited include Serowe, the Delta, Mahalapye, Mochudi and Lobatse.
He also visited old shopping complex such African Mall and [continue reading]

Mma Ramotswe: Shooting of movie makes Kgale Hill busy

2007-07-23T12:21:00.000+02:00

source: Botswana Press Agency
23 July, 2007

GABORONE - A simulated real-life shopping centre at the foot of Kgale Hill is currently a beehive of activity as the setting for the shooting of the movie and the television series The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. This follows the decision by the film directors and producers to choose Kgale View as the central setting to the shooting of the movie which began on July 9 2007.

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency is a passionate story chronicling the adventures of Precious Ramotswe, the traditionally built, sensible and wise proprietor of the only female -owned detective agency in Botswana.

Her agency is located in a small store-front at the foot of Kgale Hill. The character of Mma Ramotswe is played by international celebrity Jill Scott.

The simulated shopping centre draws inspiration from Alexander McCall Smiths serialised novels to bring to life the kind of environment under which Mma Ramotswe works as she investigates cases and helps people solve problems in their lives.

The set designed by Johnny Breedt, draws inspiration from existing establishments in Gaborone, Lobatse, Mahalapye and Serowe.

The directors have simulated, among other buildings, familiar places such a double storey building located at the shopping complex commonly referred to as Dabuthas mall and a popular chemist in the African Mall.

The mall buildings in the set include Double Joy, The Humble Pharmacy, Meat Great & Butchery, Sepadupa Spares and Repairs, Patels Comfort Store, Sorinyane Hi Tek Electricals, Kgale Post Office and Blue and Red General Dealer and, Last Chance Hair Saloon The set becomes even more familiar due to the existence of informal sector activities as vegetable stalls, iron roof barber shops, cellular phone and Kwik Recharge cubicles for street vendors.

Film Publicist Joy Sapieka highlighted in an interview that the set has a potential of becoming a tourist attraction in the future.

She said they have signed for a ten year lease with the Government and after the shooting of the film and the series the buildings will stay.

It will be a lovely idea to put it as a tourist attraction. In most countries, film sets eventually become big tourist attractions, she said.

Ms Sapieka said that in most cases after watching the movie or film people want to visit the actual set where the film was shot. She said there is a possibility of a television series for all the other series books by McCall Smith to be shot at the set.

Ms Sapieka said because of the set being closer to real-life buildings they have already received [continue reading]

Mma Ramotswe everywhere on the Internet - links

2007-07-12T08:47:00.000+02:00

Here are the links of the last 4 days, starting on the 8.7, found through Google Alerts. We are getting a lot of publicity through the shooting of the movie.

8. July 2007

LOOK ON LOCK EDITION: ANIKA VS JANE
By Chi(Chi)
[source 1, source 2, source 3, source 4]. Same dress, different pose:. which LOOK is on LOCK? more at twiigs.com... In related news, Anika will next star in the Anthony Minghella telefilm, "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" with ...
URBAN-HOOPLA.COM - http://platformlaunchaction.blogspot.com/

Piracy is Potter's biggest foe as movie opens Wednesday
By film
The film based on the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Harry Potter might die, predicts Radcliffe Daily Telegraph - In his interview with the MSN website, Radcliffe said that the highlight of the fifth and latest film, ...
Film - http://film.xcentrix.com

Tea and Mma Ramotswe
By Fausta(Fausta)
I have enjoyed Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency book series for several years, and just finished reading the latest installment, The Good Husband of Zebra Drive. ...
Fausta's blog - http://faustasblog.com/

9. July 2007

July 2007 Week 2
By Cindy Orr
No surprise here, but Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency will be made into a movie. And speaking of unusual detectives, how about a flock of sheep who solve the mystery? And it's actually good enough for a Booklist ...
The Reader's Advisor Online Blog - http://www.readersadvisoronline.com/blog

FEATURE - Botswana pins Hollywood hopes on 'Detective' film
Reuters India - Mumbai,India
One is Mma Ramotswe and the other is Botswana as a whole. It tries to tell a story of what is wonderful, what is magical, about Botswana and about the rest ...
See all stories on this topic

Botswana pins Hollywood hopes on "Detective" film (Reuters)
By bdh
... recipient of the John Schlesinger Britannia Award for Artistic Excellence in Directing, Reuters - Botswana is pinning its Hollywood hopes on a new film based on the best-selling fiction series "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency."
Black Financial News Network... - http://bfnnetwork.com

10.July 2007

Can McCall Smith's sleuth crack case for Botswana?
Scotsman - United Kingdom
AN AFRICAN country is gambling £2.5 million that a new film based on the best-selling books about The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency will be a hit. ...
See all stories on this topic

The World According to Bertie
Sydney Morning Herald - Sydney,New South Wales,Australia
... McCall Smith's readers seem to find his tales of 44 Scotland Street marginally less engaging than his novels about the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency. ...
See all stories on this topic

7/10/2007: Focus: Hollywood takes McCall Smith's No 1 lady ...
BOTSWANA is pinning its Hollywood hopes on a film based on the best-selling No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. The government has gambled $5m (£2.5m) to promote the southern African country's star power. Work on the film, ...
The Herald - http://theherald.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx?newspaper=the+herald&cid=1130

Botswana pins Hollywood hopes on "Detective" film - Reuters
By glog
Botswana is pinning its Hollywood hopes on a new film based on the best-selling fiction series "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency."... Read more... blink it.
Botswana - http://www.blinkbits.com/blinks/botswana

Big Names for Mma Ramotswe Movie
South African Film News (press release) - South Africa
Dreamgirls' actress, Anika Noni Rose, will play Mma Ramotswe's secretary. Another main actor in the movie to be directed by award winning British actor ...
See all stories on this topic

Reuters Entertainment Sum mary
Washington Post - United States... Botswana (Reuters) - Botswana is pinning its Hollywood hopes on a new film based on the best-selling fiction series "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. ...See all stories on this topic

Singer Jill Scott to star in 'Detective' film
RTE.ie - Ireland
American R&B singer Jill Scott will star in a film based on Alexander McCall Smith's bestselling 'The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency' series. ...
See all stories on this topic

Why are real African women so scary?
By Melissa Wall
Why is a white guy getting noticed by the Booker Prize for assuming the persona of his so-called "lady detective" Mma Precious Ramotswe? The Botswana government is aglow over the whole thing with the LA Times quoting their tourism ...
Africa Media - http://africamedia.typepad.com/my_weblog/

11.July 2007

Botswana pins Hollywood hopes on "Detective" film
GABORONE, Botswana (Reuters) - Botswana is pinning its Hollywood hopes on a new film based on the best-selling fiction series "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency." Aucun mot clé.
International News Portal - http://news.ameriquebec.net

Mma Ramotswe says . . .
By angela
I enjoy reading the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series of books by Alexander McCall Smith set in Botswana. Of all the books I've read in the past few years, these are the most "un-stressful" in feel. I love the perspective and simple ...
one wild and precious life - http://angelan.homeschooljournal.net /

Minghella shoots in Botswana
Screen Africa - Johannesburg,Gauteng,South Africa
On 9 July shooting began in Botswana on "The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency", directed by Academy Award(r) winning filmmaker Anthony Minghella ("Cold Mountain ...
See all stories on this topic

Two tales, two cities
Scotsman - United Kingdom
AMcS: That's exactly my experience in reverse with Mma Ramotswe books [The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency]. It was New York who discovered them, ...
See all stories on this topic

I actually finished a book?!
By sleepy jeanne(sleepy jeanne)
Mma Ramotswe on pumpkin:. She stopped. It was time to take the pumpkin out of the pot and eat it. In the final analysis, that was what solved these big problems of life. You could think and think and get nowhere, but you still had to ...
Livin' in a Blue Hick Town - http://bluehicktown.blogspot.com/

There goes the sleep
By Laura(Laura)
Go to the library. I started the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series on vacation, and I still need to read the last three books. I know that everyone read these, oh, gosh, about eighteen years ago. I think they are darling, ...
My Quotidian Mysteries - http://myquotidianmysteries.blogspot.com/

In brief: Botswana stumps up cash for Detective Agency
Staff and agencies Tuesday July 3, 2007 Guardian Unlimited The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency: soon in filmic form! Botswana is putting up $5m for The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency , the silver screen adaptation ... via Guardian ...
Botswana - http://www.rssmicro.com/?f=1&q=Botswana

Is'n it incredible?

The Locations and Info about the Actors

2007-07-10T13:12:00.000+02:00

found @ Filmmaker South Africa

Moore said part of the movie will be shot in the popular Okavango Delta, the salt pans, and in the Kalahari Desert. The other parts would be shot in Gaborone and the surrounding areas.

and

The actor, along with the director will not talk to the media until the movie publicists have cleared the matter with their respective agencies in the US, Showbiz was told. The movie will see some 1,500 locals benefiting in support roles. About 12 local producers have been hired, as well as 111 interns, nine musicians, traditional dancers and eight Btv camera crew will take part in the movie, revealed Moore. He said 46 percent of the actors in the movie will be locals.

You find the article on Filmmaker South Africa.

The Actors

2007-07-07T14:13:00.000+02:00

Actors & Roles

2007-07-07T12:03:00.000+02:00

Jill Scott	Precious Ramotswe
Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls)	Grace Makutsi Secretary / Assistant of Mma Ramotswe
Lucian Msamati	JLB Matekoni Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors
David Oyelowo (The Last King of Scottland)
Idris Elba (28 Weeks Later)
Colin Salmon (Die Another Day)
Winston Ntshona
John Kani
?

Singer Scott on the case as `perfect` choice for Botswana detective role

2007-07-04T19:58:00.001+02:00

source: Scotsman.com News
TIM CORNWELL ARTS CORRESPONDENT (tcornwell@scotsman.com)

SHE was voted one of the world's most beautiful women and her extraordinary vocal skills have won her two coveted Grammy awards.

Now the American jazz and blues singer Jill Scott, 35, faces the challenge of playing the "traditionally built" Botswana heroine of The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

Scott has won the central role in the television series of the adventures of Precious Ramotswe, penned by the Edinburgh author Alexander McCall Smith, it was confirmed yesterday.

A 90-minute pilot costing £20 million is being filmed in Botswana, where the stories of Mma Ramotswe, the philosophical but persistent lady detective, are set. It is directed by Anthony Minghella, who made The English Patient.

The shortlist for the role is said to have included the rap star and actress Queen Latifah, as well as the former Botswanan minister of health, after a sustained effort to find a Botswanan actress.

But a publicist for author Alexander McCall Smith confirmed Ms Scott's selection after the news began leaking out.

The screenwriter Richard Curtis, who co-wrote the script with Minghella, told The Scotsman: "I'm delighted and think she'll be great - but I'll know more after I've been to the read through in Botswana next week.

"It was Anthony Minghella who found her, and told me to check her out on the web, where she does indeed look perfect."

Jill Scott grew up in Pennsylvania and studied to be a teacher before she began performing poetry readings.

She became a singer after [continue reading]

Jill Scott`s very nice website !

2007-07-04T19:23:00.000+02:00

Jill Scott - Golden

2007-07-04T18:09:00.000+02:00