Mma Ramotswe movie buttresses South African dominance

LAWRENCE OOKEDITSE
Correspondent | Friday January 22, 2010 00:00

For some film reviewers and locals, the fact that the actors are mostly South African is a cause of concern. 'Despite being produced entirely in Botswana, however, it is surprising that certain words have been pronounced differently from local usage.

For instance, in Setswana the common address of a man as 'Rra' is pronounced 'Rae' rather than the usual form which uses a short 'a'. Also, the Setswana name Mmapula is pronounced in the series with emphasis on the short 'a', rather than on the long 'u' which most Batswana would use,' the United Kingdom's Guardian film critic, Sam Wollaston wrote. The cast of Brenda Nxoli (who plays Florence), Desmond Dube (BK), Tumisho Masha (Lucky Sesana), Harriet Lenabe (Mmanotshi), Lindani Nkosi (Hector Lepodisi), Vusi Kunene (Doctor Gulubane) makes one feel they are watching a South African movie or soapie.

And there is Keketso Semoko (Mma Potokwane) who plays Agnes Matabane in South African soapie, Isidingo.

There are more South African actors in the list. This makes a number of Batswana feel aggrieved, more so that some roles do not require much that Batswana cannot offer.

Raised in Zimbabwe by Tanzanian parents, UK-based, Lucian Msamati, plays the role of JLB Matekoni, a car mechanic who falls in love with Mma Ramotswe.

British actors Colin Salmon, Idris Elba, and David Oyelowo feature with Elba playing Charlie Gotso, an adversary to Mma Ramotswe. Salmon plays Mma Ramotswe's abusive ex-husband and trumpet player Note Mokoti. Oyelowo plays cheating husband Kremlin Busang. Renowned South African actor John Kani appears as dubious Daddy Bapetsi, while Nikki Amuka Bird plays jealous wife Alice Busang.

'It has got as many South African actors it is like we have got no talent here. At first, I bumped into it and thought it was a South African movie until I was told its Mma Ramotswe,' Segolame Machaba says, arguing that more roles could have been played by local actors. She is not a lone voice as Ame Charles shares the same sentiment. 'It is a good thing it is here and could sell Botswana but they should have done more to give local actors some lead roles.

These South African actors in the film are not playing any roles that locals cannot play. Where will our own actors gain experience if all things are South African? Even for small roles such as that played by Desmond Dube and that girl who plays Meiki in Muvhango,' she says.  

For Ronald Badubi, it is a travesty of some kind to have all these South African actors in the movie. 'I thought some roles would be domesticated. I don't think it sits well with Batswana as it is. Some roles like being a bar tender don't need experience. We are concerned because this film can be mistaken for a South African movie.

Who will develop local actors for us if we import? We are very displeased. We know it is Hollywood stuff but we need our people in there. They have done it in Mexico and used Mexicans and I do not see why they cannot do the same here,' he says. 

Botswana did not have much leverage in the cast of the film and if not for government intervention, the film would have been shot in South Africa. The government offered the filmmakers $5 million - enough to offset the costs of importing equipment and crew from South Africa. This ought to have been a great bargaining chip were it not for the tendencies of not only us as Batswana but Africans to constantly under-sell ourselves.

Demands or conditions were made. But it appears they were demands made by people who believed they did not have much clout. The demands were: at least a third of the cast had to be from Botswana and that the entire film had to be shot here.

After all, with one of the highest literacy rates in Africa, the government pointed out, the country was able to provide the staff. Why not half of the cast or even more with the exception of a few lead roles for purposes of selling the movie to Western audiences as producers often argue though movies such as Tsotsi have shown a good product need not have some vastly experienced Hollywood actors to win an award.

Such musings aside, hopes are that it has laid the foundations for future productions by training local cast and crew members to generate a local film industry. Let us hope the tourism industry and Botswana diamonds do receive some goodwill from the series.

Otherwise it is too bad that they did not use Batswana actors for one or two of the main roles. But I guess that is Western television -- and money. And in any case, the series is a pleasure to watch such that if our actors were doing it one would feel we have come of age. The South African link and domination continues as once again, we see ourselves living under its shadow - even in what is supposed to be a local film.