Does Alexander McCall Smith depict Botswana and it’s culture accurately?

Submitted by Capable-Catch4433 t3_10nw34o in books

Hello everyone! I’ve restarted reading the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by AMS and have grown an appreciation of Botswana and its culture. Now, I’m wondering, did he represent the culture well? Given that he’s a white man who has lived in the country, how do women from Botswana feel about the characters and how culture and society are reflected or represented in the books? Just curious because I enjoyed the books so much. I hope there are people from Botswana here who can respond! ☺️

Update: I just read a comment on Goodreads from a Batswana woman who has studied his work as part of her MA thesis in the University of Botswana. She said that there are significant gaps in how he represented the culture and his books shouldn’t be taken or sold as a representation of Batswana culture. The characters are also seem to be based on colonial stereotypes. I’d love to hear more from Batswana people as these books are about them and they’d be in a better position to say if they are accurate representations of the culture. The stories are cute, and I get that he grew up in a similar culture and know more about it than a regular English bloke. I know also know that his works are fictional, but I think it can be problematic that the stories are told from the perspective of Batswana women, which can send the message that that’s how real Batswana women think or perceive things.

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Ihavestufftosay t1_j6cko75 wrote

My friend who grew up in Botswana once told me that the books perfectly depict the joy at the centre of life in Botswana. And the grief. I can’t answer directly though - I have never set foot in the place. One day!

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casadecarol t1_j6be94j wrote

I don't know. I know he was born in and grew up in Zimbabwe so there's probably some influence there.

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Capable-Catch4433 OP t1_j6c7aij wrote

I read in his profile in one of the books that he also taught in the University of Botswana.

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leela_martell t1_j6c16h6 wrote

I’ve been wanting to read literature from Botswana, it’s got a pretty interesting recent history as far as good leadership, social policies and economic growth go. But all my library has is Alexander McCall Smith, plus a few nature books, nothing by authors actually from Botswana.

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Capable-Catch4433 OP t1_j6d0e1h wrote

Me too. I’m a bit horrified thinking about how most of my perspective of the country is from a white man, belonging to a culture that colonized the culture he’s writing about. 😬 I guess it’s part of our responsibility as readers to explore more and read literature by Batswana.

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TNPossum t1_j6ddxzf wrote

I would give him a little more credit than that. I'm not going as far as to say he's an expert on the culture, but he grew up around it and interacted with it. I would assume it's mostly accurate unless told otherwise. He probably knows more about the local culture than a lot of anthropologists do on the subject.

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Capable-Catch4433 OP t1_j6gl4np wrote

I just read a comment on Goodreads from a Batswana woman who has studied his work as part of her MA thesis in the University of Botswana. She said that there are significant gaps in how he represented the culture and his books shouldn’t be taken or sold as a representation of Batswana culture. The characters are also seem to be based on colonial stereotypes. I’d love to hear more from Batswana people as these books are about them and they’d be in a better position to say if they are accurate representations of the culture. The stories are cute, and I get that he grew up in that culture and know more about it than a regular English bloke. But I think it can be problematic that the stories are told from the perspective of Batswana women, which can send the message that that’s how real Batswana women think or perceive things.

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TNPossum t1_j6gzx3h wrote

>Batswana woman who has studied his work as part of her MA thesis in the University of Botswana. She said that there are significant gaps in how he represented the culture

So see. There you go. It was reasonable to think that he had a good understanding of the culture. Now it's reasonable to think that he doesn't. I'd be a little cautious to take a goodsread comment as law, but it's unlikely she'd make up studying it as an MA.

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boxer_dogs_dance t1_j6d0ixq wrote

It's not exactly literature, but I enjoyed the memoir Whatever you do don't run. However, there is no content outside of his work life, including colleagues, tourists and animals.

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mobsofgeese t1_j6gmik9 wrote

I found this quote in an article from a newspaper in Botswana, from an interview with Sheila Tlou, the Health Minister, who played Mma. Ramotswe in a local theater production:

>“I believe in a lot of things that Mma Ramotswe believes in. She embodies all that I believe about Botswana; that it is a great place to live in. She stands for the nurturing of values such as botho, compassion, and caring for other humans.

>
>She captures our appreciative and thankful nature. She is the kind of humble character that even expresses a lot of happiness for having been bought a second hand radio,” she says.

https://www.sundaystandard.info/tlou-oco-camera-lights-shoot/

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ComeScoglio t1_j6dh52y wrote

Good question. I just popped in to say that I like that series more than his 44 Scotland Street one...

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Capable-Catch4433 OP t1_j6glq4c wrote

Me too! I like this series more! It’s a lighter read and more entertaining for me

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