Mma Ramotswe movie buttresses South African dominance

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

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]