There are many ways to approach the cultures of the countries. Traveling, meeting people, watching documentaries, and, of course, reading.
One day, many years ago, I fell into my hands a book with a curious title The 
 No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency in Botswana by the Scottish writer Alexander McCall Smith.
It was love at first sight. Suddenly, the Motswana culture began to spread before my eyes. Its protagonist Precious Ramotswe, turned into the first detective woman of Botswana leads us towards her adventures, a mixture between a naive vision of the world and a culture that is beginning to see itself involved in the changes of the cycle of life.
Another of the key personalities is Mma Grace Makutsi, assistant secretary, who represents, in a way, how reality has to adapt to the new times. And of course, the Classic man, represented in Mr. JLB Matekon, mechanic, pretender of Mma Ramotswe.
All this, wrapped in a masterful way of exposing the daily life of the botswanese society. Of the relations between man and women, their perspective of future, and their present.
Botswana, like many African societies in the world, is debating in this process of change that represents giving way to the new, through the new generations, to the detriment of the traditional, with the consequent despair of the old generations. Finding a middle ground is not always easy.
The societies of all countries tend to be more and more homogenous, they are governed by the same patterns of consumption and this is especially reflected in the wishes of their inhabitants. Nothing new, nothing that has not happened before in European or Western societies.
In this process of change is where the adventures of Mma Ramotswe develop.
Botswana is a vibrant, complex society with important capabilities for the future, especially a well-educated and prepared youth. A society that feels privileged, and that demonstrates a high capacity to be a hub of development in southern Africa.
However, the medium-term future is Africa, and that is something that we must accept and understand from the West. And that is something that African societies must also understand.
You can consult the file of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency in Botswana, with the contact details, in ProdAfrica Business Directory here.