The HBO miniseries The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency has been a boon toward helping the people of Botswana launch a fledging film industry in that southern Africa country, the Anglican bishop of Botswana says.
The series, based on Alexander McCall Smith’s book of the same title and nine subsequent novels, is being shown Sunday nights on HBO. All episodes are available on HBO on Demand.
Bishop Musonda T.S. Mwamba, who has a role in the series, said he hoped it would open viewers’ minds and change attitudes about how people regard Africa. His comments appear in a 30-minute program, Botswana: The Gem of Africa, that introduces the series to viewers, explaining the history of the country that gained its independence from Great Britain in 1966. Interviewed with the bishop were politicians, artists, singers, musicians and dancers, as well as the cast members, all of whom are black.