Singer Jill Scott is the main character in a new HBO series shot in Botswana. The series premiers on March 29th.
Will Precious Ramotswe put the Southern African nation of
That’s one of the hopes harbored by
The series, adapted from the book by Alexander McCall Smith was shot entirely in
The reception and screening was hosted by HBO in their building at 1100 Avenue of the
The screening allowed
“It’s one way in which we get introduced to the international community,” he said. The
The ambassador said he was also very impressed by talented musician Jill Scott’s performance as the main character, Precious Ramotswe, the female detective who cracks cases using her own version of Sherlock Holmes-like techniques. She is assisted by other intrepid female detectives.
“She is a very popular figure here in the
It’s a small country of 1.9 million people but due to its diamond industry, the country has enjoyed one of the fastest economic growth rates in the world. In 2007 total GDP was $ 12,3 billion. The economy is expected to slowdown and grow 5% next year and the inflation which hovers at 7% is also expected to decline.
Tourism is the third largest sector of the economy and represents 11.2 % of over all GDP. Officials are determined to see this figure grow as more Americans learn of the country as an emerging destination. For a long time, its potential has been dwarfed by its larger, more powerful and better known neighbor,
Botswana Tourism Board’s representative in North America, Partner Concepts, has partnered with HBO on a promotional campaign.
Smith, whose best-selling book was adapted for the HBO series says he hopes the The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, will change people’s perception not only of
“It’s a very unfortunate thing that the picture that people get of Sub-Saharan African countries is problems,” he said. “The problems exist but that is not the whole story,” he added. “There are stories where people are leading good lives and doing positive things.”
Smith said he was inspired to write the book after living in
He said he was also very happy with the way Academy winner Anthony Minghella had directed the film.
The popularity of the HBO series and
Economic Statistics:
The OECD Country Report