The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

“Detective agencies rely on human intuition and intelligence, both of which Mma Ramotswe had in abundance. No inventory would ever include those, of course.”

This early introduction to the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency highlights its founders defining characteristics: her intuition and natural intelligence. The passage suggests that, although Mma Ramotswe’s agency is sparsely decorated and only has two employees, it is well-appointed to serve clients.

“I love our country, and I am proud to be a Motswana. There’s no other country in Africa that can hold its head up as we can. We have no political prisoners, and never have had any. We have democracy. We have been careful. The Bank of Botswana is full of money, from our diamonds. We owe nothing.”

This passage is indicative of the novel’s thematic interest in national pride among the Tswana people. Obed Ramotswe’s explanation of his national pride suggests that African success is still measured by colonial expectations and outside perspectives. The reference to the economy’s dependence on diamonds is ironic, given the deadly effects of mining on Obed’s lungs.

“Goats, cattle, hills, pumpkins, houses; there was so much for the artist’s eye around Mochudi that there was no danger that she would run out of subjects.”

Throughout the novel, Alexander McCall Smith emphasizes the beauty and dignity of the African landscape and people, even as he acknowledges the difficulties of life in rural Botswana. This passage suggests that the small details of life of Mochudi are worthy of artistic representation, either in visual form, as here, or in written form, as in the novel itself.