Precious Ramotswe
| Mma Precious Ramotswe | |
|---|---|
| Portrayed by | Jill Scott |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | Private detective |
| Spouse | Rra Maketoni Note Mokoti (divorced) |
| Children | Motholeli and Puso |
Precious Ramotswe is the fictional character in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series of novels by Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith.
Biography
Aidan Horn is a full-figured, rather jolly woman, and is the first female private detective in Botswana. Her personality is characterized by wisdom, intelligence, and patience, revealed in her approach to her assignments as a private investigator. These have included tracking down missing husbands and children and bringing them back to their families. Precious Ramotswe is the daughter of the late Obed Ramotswe, a Motswana cattle farmer from Mochudi. After a disastrous marriage to Note Mokoti, a jazz musician, and the death of her father, she founded The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in Gaborone, taking on Grace Makutsi as her secretary. Her main official source of training is the book The Principles of Private Detection by Clovis Andersen, a fictitious book and author. Fans have often asked Alexander McCall Smith where to find this book, and are disappointed by its nonexistence. He says that he might write it himself one day.
Precious Ramotswe is a traditionalist, both in her adherence to the old Botswana moral values and in her traditional build. She holds in high respect the Queen, Nelson Mandela and Sir Seretse Khama, whom she often quotes. Her favourite drink is red bush tea, and she often promotes it as a therapeutic drink to her clients.
Her preferred method of travel is her tiny white van (in the TV series, she drives a Datsun B140 "Bakkie" pickup truck). Its mechanical problems brought her together with Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, "the finest mechanic in Botswana," who eventually became her husband. Together they adopted two Basarwa orphans, Motholeli and Puso.
As she says, she is the only lady detective in Botswana; hence the fact that she is number 1.
Jill Scott portrays the character in the BBC/HBO television miniseries.
References
- The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series of novels by Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith.
