'Miss Marple' of Botswana reflects growing pains

From her small, whitewashed office in the shadow of Kgale Hill, where chickens wander in as often as clients, Botswana's only female private eye has plenty of time for contemplation.

Gaborone's police handle what little crime there is, and the occasional case - tracking an itinerant spouse or finding a long-lost relative - is usually wrapped up in a day or two.

So Precious Ramotswe spends her time watching the 21st century race down her capital's sleepy streets. As the only woman in a field dominated by men, she may be rev-olutionary, but she's steeped in tradition - pining for the days when children respected their elders, firm discipline was the norm, and a verbal agreement was currency.

Though fictional, she echoes the feelings of many people in the real Botswana.

The founder of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and protagonist in the eponymous five-book series is the creation of author Alexander McCall Smith. Since her debut in 1998, the "African Miss Marple" has developed a global following, selling more than 1 million copies in the United States alone.

But she is much more than a good read for people here. The series has become a cultural touchstone, crystallizing the swirl of economic forces and emotions in a nation figuring out how to join the global village while preserving the values of its traditional village.

"He's captured the soul of our experience of living in Botswana," says Miriam Shanahan, an Irish expat who has lived here for 20 years. Ms. Shanahan, who has read four of the five books (the fifth arrives in the US in April 2004), says Ms. Ramotswe's charm and Mr. McCall Smith's breezy style, warm as the desert air, reflect the feel of life here.

But changes are afoot. The real capital of Botswana could be mistaken for Bavaria, with all the German luxury cars. Business deals on cellphones have replaced village meetings under the shade of a thorn tree, and two sleek malls with cappuccino bars have sprung from the city's red soil over the past 18 months.

Diamonds have fueled this boom. At the time of independence from Britain in 1966, the Southern African nation ranked among the world's poorest countries. Two years later, the precious gems were discovered and for the next three decades, Botswana was Africa's fastest-growing economy.

While the standard of living is among the highest on the continent and is likely only to improve as the economy diversifies, some here want to make sure the past is not forgotten.

"Our economy has grown too fast," says Imelda Mishodzi Molokomme, who, aside from the detective part, could be Ramotswe's archetype. "We used to have a slow pace, where you had time to sit down and reiterate to children our value systems."

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