Botswana's plea for No 1 lesson on Africa

Published on Sunday 11 February 2007 00:18

HIS African tales of Precious Ramotswe have been bestsellers across the globe.

Now the brainchild of Alexander McCall Smith is being championed as a vital school text.

One of Africa's leading bishops has blessed the idea of putting McCall Smith's No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series on the curriculum in both Britain and Africa in order to show people that there is "more to Africa than poverty and disease".

The seven bestselling titles in the series have sold 15 million copies and been translated into 40 languages.

But last night, Musonda Trevor Selwyn Mwamba, the Bishop of Botswana, where the books are set, said he wanted to take the message in McCall Smith's work a step further and make them an educational tool.

He said: "I like the idea of putting Sandy's wonderful books on the British curriculum, the African curriculum as well.

"His books - and I'm honoured that I make an appearance in several of them - reveal to a huge audience all over the world that there is another side of Africa, a peaceful, a loving, a humanistic and above all Christian side which is, I'm sad to say, so often ignored by the media."

Bishop Mwamba, who was born in Zambia and is now one of the most senior Anglicans in Africa, continued: "One of the things I find so fascinating about the adventures of his wonderful hero Precious Ramotswe is that she is first and foremost a Christian. It is her belief in God and Christ that sustains her and which, for the most part, sustains all Africans.

"Sandy paints a picture of an Africa that is very positive, very real. In spite of all the wars, all the disease, all the poverty and suffering - and this is generally how Africa is depicted in the British and American media - he gives us always this 'other side' of a peaceful Africa, a caring Africa, a compassionate Africa, and this is all tied up with the heroine.

"I think his books should be put on the British curriculum. They're teaching us all about how to become beautiful human beings and talking about issues of manners because we all need good manners in life. We have to be decent to one another and we're losing this and the sense of empathy and understanding that is so vital. We need it so much."

Precious Ramotswe is the first female private detective in Botswana. The books capture her as a witty, intelligent and humble person and critics have praised McCall Smith's character for offering an "appealing" view of Botswanan life.

Bishop Mwamba said that he hoped that McCall Smith's books would project a human side to the continent. He said: "There are many Africans like Precious. They are understanding people, caring people and they get so little publicity.

"Let's face it, we Africans are extremely tolerant and forgiving people and almost all of our 38 million Anglicans in Africa know the real enemies of Africa are disease, poverty, drought - not gays and lesbians, what people do in bed with each other, what colour pyjamas they wear."

Bishop Mwamba spoke to Scotland on Sunday just days before a Primates Meeting in Africa where feelings are strong about "liberal" churches allowing gay men and lesbian women to play a full part in the 70-million-strong Anglican Communion.

McCall Smith and Bishop Mwamba met some years ago. Born in Zimbabwe, Edinburgh-based McCall Smith is a respected academic in Botswana and has often provided himself as a spokesperson.

McCall Smith has previously said of the series in relation to Africa: "I very much hope that... readers will get a glimpse of the remarkable qualities of Botswana. I hope that readers will see in these portrayals of Botswana some of the great traditional virtues in Africa - in particular, courtesy and a striking natural dignity. I was recently in Botswana and I was delighted to find that people there liked the books. I was worried that they might have reservations about an outsider writing about their society. No. They appear to like the way in which their world is portrayed. I believe that they recognise themselves in them."

McCall Smith, who is famous for eschewing technology such as mobile phones, was last week on a boat in Australia and unavailable for comment.

A spokeswoman from the Scottish Executive said: "

These books are immensely popular and show a side of Africa that is often ignored." But she added: "We don't tell Scottish schools which materials they can use. They are free to study these books if they feel it's right for their pupils."