It was by far Botswana’s biggest musical event of the year – in fact, ever. Attending the official opening of the No 1 Ladies’ Opera House was Precious Ramotswe, Africa’s most famous detective – in the shape of Sheila Tlou, a former Minister of Health, who claims to be the person on whom the character in the book is based – and her creator, the Rhodesian-born Alexander McCall Smith.

The tiny “opera house”, a converted garage which served as the inspiration for J. L. B. Maketoni’s Speedy Motors in the detective stories, seats a mere 60 people. It may be no Covent Garden or La Scala, but in the capital, Gaborone, which has no other classical music venue, its arrival has been welcomed with enthusiasm.

The best of the country’s small, but growing band of classical music singers was on display. Gape Motswaledi, at 33 Botswana’s only professional (semi-professional actually) baritone, had been practising for months. He had to wait for a train to rumble past before launching into his first solo, Di Provenza il mar, from La traviata. For a maths teacher who taught himself to sing listening to classical CDs while posted to a school deep in the bush, such small distractions were child’s play. The audience applauded appreciatively. Motswaledi moved on to pieces from Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute. A group of traditional dancers peered in through the windows, clapping with glee as the Three Tswana Tenors – Botswana’s most famous classical group – took the stage.

The opera house is the dreamchild of McCall Smith, whose bestselling No 1 Ladies Detective Agency novels have made Botswana a household name, and a friend, David Slater, who has lived and taught music in the country for 32 years. Slater will put on two operas a year and stage the occasional music soirée. The first opera will be Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors in December.

McCall Smith, who is also an amateur bassoonist and classical music enthusiast at home in Edinburgh, was there for the gala opening last weekend. “Botswanans love singing and love music,” he notes. “What would be great is if, through this place, we find people whose voices can be trained. My dream is to see someone start here and end up at La Scala.”

He had also managed to secure the support of Scottish Opera for the venture. “They will act as mentors,” he explained. They will come over now and again and hold workshops. It is a ludicrous idea, but could be fabulous. There is amazing talent in this country.”

Slater has single-handedly discovered and taught every budding opera singer in the country. Botswanans, he said, had a great affinity to classical music. “The choral traditions of Botswana traditional music are very similar to what we can call generally Western music. Botswanans love it, but give it their own interpretation,” he said.

Until the opera house came along, Gaborone with a population of some 200,000, had just one theatre linked to a local school. It occasionally put on musical evenings. It was during auditions for one of these that Slater first became aware of local people’s interest in classical music. “It comes out of the missionary influence,” he said. “They all sing in church choirs and sometimes village choirs and had come across the classics and wanted to be taught how to sing them properly.”

Boyce Batlang, 25, one of the Three Tswana Tenors, who now earn money singing at corporate events, was one of the first to arrive at Slater’s door. Batlang had no idea that he was a tenor, but he and his two friends had sung together since childhood. The only classical song they knew was O Sole Mio. “They sang it with such gusto and enthusiasm,” Slater said, “that I thought there was something there to develop. I’m amazed how far they have gone.”

However, it is the deep baritone voice of Motswaledi, a character straight out of one the detective novels, that is winning most plaudits. The country is on tenterhooks to see if he can obtain a concert in neighbouring South Africa.

Sheila Tlou has no doubt that his talent will be recognised. “He is a great man, and a great singer,” she said. “People will come from all over once word gets around.”

To become a Friend of the No 1 Ladies’ Opera House, supporting young singers in Botswana, go to alexandermccallsmith.co.uk, Opera House

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