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Botswana: The Irony of Mma Ramotswe
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Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)
OPINION
18 April 2008
Posted to the web 21 April 2008
Gaborone
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 "Thokolosi" and "Re Bina Mmogo" more consciously informative and are "Proudly Botswana" in the sense that they employ to a greater extent, and in the forefront, the artistic talent of Batswana.
I do not totally think it is a 'whack' idea to have a reputable international actor/musician like Jill Scott, who is accidentally a typical Motswana look-alike starring in our culture and tourism oriented movie. Jill Scott plays her role immaculately, of course with a few noticeable exceptions.
Doubtlessly, the directors could have spent extra time training her to flawlessly twist her tongue and lips so that her Setswana lines would come out precisely the way it would from the mouth of any Motswana. Naturally, it evokes goose pimples to hear Setswana being "americanised" when the script implies the character is a native Motswana born, bred and fed.
This similarly applies to most of the characters in the movie, including Mma Ramotswe's secretary. The irony of this picture is that major roles that often require that the actors speak Setswana are enacted by foreigners.
I do not want to subscribe to the ideology that we do not have adequate trained or congenitally endowed Batswana who cannot perfectly demonstrate the artistic acumen required of such roles.
Perhaps the directors had a dim opinion of our own local talent who in fact could have saved us the linguistics shame the movie is going to stir.
Furthermore, it's pathetic to bring in heavily salaried foreign actors, though popular, into even minor roles and then not derive the sought-after benefit of such a move.
Desmond Dube, Jack Mabaso ( of Generations), and the "Top Billing" co-presenter, Tumisho Masha, could be outclassed ( if not emulated) by the capable actors we have in Botswana, such as Ntsoro, our Maitisong favourites and a lot more uncovered.
Initially, I had a belief this movie would be a citizen empowerment strategy to extract and expose local actors to international screens and raise their capabilities up to par and in sync with international appeal.
Unfortunately, most of our local actors just come in to display ignorance, conflict, witchcraft, illiteracy, and primitive conscience in scenes of frivolous clubbing and fun, Kgotla confrontations, kidnappings and mutilations, inability to distinguish a renovated agency office and still confuse it for a post office, and the pitiful display of a mother city with donkeys (politicians worst gifts), crowded streets and pre dominantly pre colonial utilities and occupations. In comparison to comedic movies that I think are more inclined towards showcasing the similar aspects embedded in Mma Ramotswe, particularly tourism, like Leon Schuster's "The Gods must be crazy", "Mr. Bones" and the New Zealand's "Lord of the Rings", Mma Ramotswe gives marginal utility because it merely caresses, in fast paced snap shots, the beauty of our land and shines more on the vices I have highlighted above.
It matches, though with acute degrees, these pictures in terms of humor, but worse still, you will spontaneously leave the cinema with a lumpy throat and bitter mouth taste because Botswana is not by any means being elevated to a relatively advantageous position.
It acutely falls short of branding us in a positive light.
Nonetheless and hopefully, we are yet to see tourism resorts and the Ministry report an increase in the number of tourists savoring the beauty of our land that the movie endeavors to expose.
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Or alternatively, see more ladies becoming private detectives!
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