No. 1

I don't have HBO*... I really don't want to spend the money that will simply result in me never leaving the house. I love good movies, good stories, beautiful film. I would LOVE it. But I would never leave.



So that's why I haven't see the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency yet. I have the book that its based on, but I haven't read that yet, either (I'm using the been-studying-endlessly excuse for that one). But I am so, so keen to see it. Especially after seeing a fantastic interview with the set designer, Melinda Launspach, over on design*sponge. I was somewhat apprehensive that American expectations had been placed onto the book in its making into a TV show, but it seems that the transformation has been done well. Grace even noted in her intro that, "what i most love hearing about is the way the show worked with hand-painted signage and supported local industry by using artwork from local artists working at a nonprofit cultural village."

Here are a few more pics and quotes from the interview, about working on location and staying true to the Botswana culture, but for more of the details, head over here.



ML:"There is definitely an essence own to each African culture and its people. We all got to live and share a little in the life here; this was a huge advantage in capturing the essence and beauty of Botswana. Of course research is done, from books etc. but mostly at the beginning of a project to lay a basis for what we are planning. Living amongst and working with local people gave that extra bit of closeness and reality to what we were doing, learning about what is important to the people here. All of the sourcing and buying was done in Botswana, which means that everything used in the sets are authentic."



ML: "The color of the walls in the detective agency was a choice as per many discussions amongst all of us, and was not my decision-making alone. Blue does represent calmness and security, a feeling of home, which is what Mma Ramotswe offers her clients, but the fact that it’s almost luminous brings to the picture the vibrance always evident in Botswana and the zest in her personality. Blue is also one of the colors in the Botswana flag and can be seen somewhere on every street block anywhere, as all the Batswana are extremely patriotic and respectful towards their country, and decorate a lot of things in the colors of the country’s flag."



So, if you've read the book, or watched the TV show... even if you've done neither, I hope you'll enjoy the interview as much as I did.

*Cable channel with great shows like Entourage, Flight of the Conchords, and some good movies.