THE NO 1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY
By Ronke Adeyemi
Monday, March 23, 2009.
Not many people can make the transition from singer to actor successfully, but Jill Scott does it with ease and splendour. She shined like a light in the film, Why Did I Get Married ,where she played an emotional abused wife. Now in her role as Mma Precious Ramotswe, the owner of the only lady detective agency in Botswana she is absolute dynamite.
On the quest to help the people of her beloved Botswana, Mma Ramotswe finds herself embroiled in various wheelings and dealings. She occasionally enlists the help her hairdresser pal, BK, played by Desmond Dube, and a local mechanic, JLB Matekoni played by Lucian Msamati who is secretly in love with Mma Ramotswe. Then there is her loyal secretary, Mma Matuksi played by Anika Noni Rose who keeps things at the office running smoothly.
The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency made its debut last year in a 105 minutes pilot and it was very well received. The series is based on a series of novels written by Alexander McCall Smith and the script has been adapted for TV by Richard Curtis who is responsible for the British hit films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Bridget Jones’ Diary, as well as the late Anthony Minghella who brought us The English Patient and The Talented Mr Ripley.
With notable talents such as Curtis and Minghella on board combined with the investment by movie mogul, Harvey Weinstein, the result is a captivating show with tremendous production values. I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to see an African country presented in a realistic light where the focus is not on kids dying from famine or AIDS, corruption or civil wars. Also the cinematography is to die for with marvellous images of the Botswanan landscape. The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency is a charming and heart warming programme that reflects the fantastic qualities of a Southern African country.The success of The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency has had an amazing impact on the film scene in Botswana, as well as on the country’s tourism sector, with tours based on the series becoming popular.
Mma Precious Ramotswe
Voluptuous and vivacious, Mma Ramotswe has been obsessed with solving mysteries since she was a child. After the death of her father she decides to fulfill her dream and set up a detective agency. She has great intuition and is not afraid to follow her instinct in order to crack a mystery. However, despite her maverick methods she has an aversion to technology. Her style consists of gorgeous printed Kaftan dresses which accentuate her curvaceous figure, and which is topped off with a matching Alice-band and funky earrings.
Mma Matuksi
She graduated from Botswana College of Business and Secretarial School with 97%, the highest mark ever. She is secretary to Mma Ramotswe and proves to be an invaluable asset to her and the agency. However, behind her prim and proper demeanor lies a woman who is very feisty, temperamental and who is not afraid to speak her mind. Her style consists of short sleeve shirts worn with a knee length skirt that is topped with cute cardigans and medium pumps.The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency is on Sundays at 9.00pm on BBC 1.
Ronke Adeyemi is a fashion writer with a background in journalism, marketing and PR. She blogs at The Musings of Ondo Lady.
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