1). Yes, cultural appropriation can be a problem with white authors, but Alexander McCall Smith was born and raised in Africa–he’s not a cultural tourist like Isaak Dinesen. He knows whereof he writes. By the same token, I would never tell an non-white or first-generation immigrant author born and raised in the US that he couldn’t/shouldn’t write about Americans because he wasn’t white/native born. Nor would it prevent me from enjoying his work, or regarding it as authentic. (A similar example: Japanese-born Kazuo Ishiguro wrote the ultimate novel of British upper-class manners–The Remains of the Day.)

2) Many actresses auditioned for those roles. I wouldn’t want African actors to be told they couldn’t play any roles but African ones, so I wouldn’t say that there’s something inherently wrong with American actresses playing African characters, especially since they did such a great job.

3) Artistic collaboration doesn’t automatically equal colonialism. Botswana had no film industry at all–the movie business in that part of Africa is concentrated in S. Africa and Namibia–so the show never would have been made there if it weren’t for British and American money. It probably never would have been made at all.

As for the Harriet Beecher Stowe comparison, I don’t know. I hope not. When I was in Botswana, I saw the novels prominently displayed everywhere, and when I discussed them with Botswanans, they all told me that they thought McCall Smith’s portrayal of Botswana was accurate and respectful, and liked the fact that someone from Africa–white or not–was portraying Africa as a positive, humane place. Will that change over time? Maybe. I hope there will be future generations of African novelists who will also write about Botswana. But for now, I’ve never heard anyone voice the opinion that the novels or the series have been bad for Botswana or Africa.

I wonder, is it easier for big publishers and producers to deal with white voices who “interpret Africa”? Can that ever be called an honest portrayal?

And while I believe the producers made an effort to hire local talent, another way to interpret that practice is in the traditional sense of the privileged white bosses deciding to train natives to perform the work for less, rather than importing semi-skilled labor.

Are the next generation of Africans going to watch or read “#1 Ladies’”in a generation and be angry or laugh at the portrayal (similarly to how perceptions of, say Harriet Beecher Stowe’s work have changed over time)?

At first I didn’t like Jill Scott as Mma Ramotswe, but she’s growing on me. Everyone else is perfectly cast, and while I hear you about the gay sidekick stereotype, I love that character.

Alexander McCall Smith lives in Scotland now, but visits Botswana every year to renew his relationship with Africa and its people. His other books are worth checking out, but the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series is the best.