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Monthly media and arts columnNo. 1 Ladies Detective AgencyIf you were as unhappy as I was about the end of the Larkrise to Candleford series, you will be very pleased at the new arrival of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency on BBC TV. This is because the programmes have much in common, even though they are set on different continents and in different centuries. There is in each setting the strong single female, pillar of the community, with her careful use of words, her considerate adherence to etiquette and the desire to do what is right in every situation. Dorcas Lane and Mma Ramotswe would agree on many things, but, having said that, a small town probably wouldn’t be big enough for both of them. Redeemable featuresBoth programmes are concerned with the redeemable features of troublesome mankind and the virtues of choosing the better path. McCall Smith himself says on the back of his latest novel, Teatime for the Traditionally Built, that, rather than being satisfied with judging purely on the strength of what we see, ‘we must dig deep to uncover the goodness of the human heart’. The focus of each of the novels, which have been rearranged to produce the stories of the series, seems to be the enduring goodness and charm of the African people. Born in Zimbabwe and having spent time teaching at university in Botswana, McCall Smith has great experience of Africa. ‘When you go there, you have this strange feeling, a very strong feeling, that you are in a place which is just thoroughly good’, he says. ‘And I wanted to get across something of that sweetness, that kindness, that courtesy, all of those characteristics that you find in Botswana.’ Sense of responsibilityProducer Anthony Bricknell feels the same, envisaging that the series will have a key part to play in the context of most recent Africa news, showing Botswana as an African country that is a social and economic success story. He says: ‘People have talked about the responsibility of doing justice to Alexander McCall Smith’s novel, but, with this production, we also felt a strong sense of responsibility as white people making the first motion picture filmed entirely in Botswana, and presenting modern Botswana to the rest of the world’. There is not the tragic edge of the war torn and exploitative episodes in African history that we’ve seen in Hotel Rwanda, Last King of Scotland, Goodbye Bifana and Blood Diamond. There are no white saviours (usually US forces) coming in to save the day, such as in Tears of the Sun, Black Hawk Down or Rules of Engagement. This series almost forces you to ask yourself if you have seen any representation of Africa that does not involve tragic circumstances. It is, indeed, wonderful that this set of programmes gives us something new. It is exciting that this is the first production filmed entirely on location in Botswana and that the production company has committed to using local talent and resources in its filming for ten years. There will doubtless be other spin-offs, such as tourism, local filmmaking and further international investment in Botswana. So what benefit does watching one of these programmes bring? Co-producer Amy Moore considers that the stories teach us that ‘leading a good life is possible; that being a good person is possible; that being a good neighbour is possible; that truth can exist alongside beauty. This African book can teach the Western world a lot’. Jesus would not agreeIt is, however, an inconvenient truth that Jesus would not agree with this assessment. He told his followers that it is out of the human heart that all sorts of evil behaviour come. Paul explains this further in his letter to the Roman Christians in chapter 3: ‘There is no one who does good, not even one’, he tells them, ‘no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one’. The Bible distinctly teaches that inherent goodness is impossible outside a relationship with God made possible through Jesus’s death on the cross. Although there are many references to the supernatural in the books, and, indeed, in the first episode of this series, which shows a Christian baptism in full swing, it is a removed and wistful spirituality rather than anything concrete. Beliefs about restless spirits, the wisdom of the old and references to deep mysteries of the land that we cannot understand are all part of this other culture that we are observing. We are not invited to relate to it as something useful for ourselves. At Easter we need to remember once more that we cannot be complacent with just good works and charm. It is wonderful to see good people do good things in a land from which we hear so much bad news, but we need the most charming feature of Christ’s sacrifice to show us what true goodness really is. Eleanor Margesson© Evangelicals Now - May 2009 |