Scott relishes Mma Ramotswe

MAUREEN ODUBENG
Staff Writer | Thursday August 2, 2007 00:00

 

Scott, who felt she was lucky to have beaten all those who auditioned to play the role of Mma Ramotswe is more than passionate about her character in the movie.
'Mma Ramotswe is great, she is a strong brave woman,' Scott said excitedly.

Mma Ramotswe, the character, apart from being a strong and brave woman, is doing something out of the ordinary, and Scott notes that anyone would be happy to play such a character. When talking about the character, one can see that Scott really enjoys playing the role. She said while Mma Ramotswe was doing something out of the ordinary, she was at the same a very gentle being.

 
'I don't know if I have done anything out of the unknown, or am I doing anything out of the ordinary, but it's great to play the strong character of Mma-Ramotswe,' she said.
Scott, however, said she had not read Alaxander McCall-Smith's books before auditioning for the part. Her interest in McCall Smith's books sparked after she auditioned to play Mma Ramotswe.

The modest songbird and movie star however said she knew plenty about Botswana before setting foot here. She said she has a lot of friends who travel the world and some of them had been as far as Botswana and that she had learnt much about the country from them. Scott advised that the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency is a movie, and not a documentary and as such people should take it lightly, and enjoy it as a movie.

 
Scott said when she arrived in the country, people would scream 'Jill Scott' whenever they saw her on the streets but of late, she has been so impressed as everyone who sees her calls her Mma Ramotswe.
Scott hinted that she is enjoying her stay in the country but said she is a little homesick, missing her family, her children, and her cat-stacy, which she affectionately called her best friend.

'I am brown and she is grey, we are a match,' she said jokingly.  Amongst the things that Scott talked affectionately about, as some of the things that touched her, is a letter she received from the Anglican Bishop Trevor Mwamba detailing the spirit of Mma Ramotswe. While she is more than ecstatic about landing the leading role in the movie, Scott has indeed been a busy woman, she said her schedule has been tight for the past few months, explaining that she finished filming a movie in April, 'Why Did I Get Married' directed by Tyler Perry.

She said after finishing with the movie she immediately embarked on a music tour, and had just returned hardly two days before boarding a plane to come and assume her role as Mma Ramotswe. While she is a big star, considering at the popularity of her R&B music and as an upcoming movie star, Scott is a humble, down to earth woman, who is very charming to talk to.

She has been very busy since she arrived in Botswana, she noted that it is taking a toll on her. Scott is taking dialect coaching, and at the same time studying her script every evening. Scott is being coached to speak English with an a Setswana accent, and impressively, Scott has done remarkably well as she has learnt a few Setswana words, and pronounces them well. Scott can confidently say 'Kealeboga', 'Dumela Rra' 'Dumela Mma' just to mention a few  Scott said with her busy schedule she does not have time for a nice relaxed dinner and so she has resorted to enjoying Nandos chicken, stressing that she is not complaining but she really enjoys the chicken.

Scott, who is appearing in every scene, meaning she shoots everyday, said when she has 'a little bit of time spare', she goes sight-seeing with her driver and some of the people she has made friends with on the set.
'We sometimes go shopping at Game City,' she said.

Scott's schedule this year is extremely tight. She is releasing an album titled The Real Thing on September 18, after which she will embark on a number of tours to promote the album. Commenting on her timetable, she said it was so action-packed 'I will only be able to rest in December'.

Scott said, while going around, she has noticed that her music is not so visible in Botswana and promised to do something about it.
Scott said finances permitting she might come back to the country to launch her music, like most local musicians, she noted that she does not believe in borrowing money from record labels, As such she would rather seek sponsorship for her music, or finance it from her own resources.