Nkashi - Race for the Okavango is a groundbreaking feature documentary film in Setswana that inspires Africans to take pride in sharing more of their important stories about climate change, nature and culture preservation, in their own language.
The documentary premiered in Gaborone’s New Capitol Cinema Riverwalk on Thursday where Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Eric Masisi was joined by his wife Neo Masisi in attendance.
The National Geographic Society Impact Story Lab, in close collaboration with a team of filmmakers from Botswana, and other artists saw the project, which celebrates local culture, community building and ecosystem education, come to fruition.
The Okavango Basin spans three countries; Angola, Namibia and Botswana and is made up of the rivers that feed into the Okavango Delta.
Okavango Delta, based in northern Botswana, is one of the most unique wetlands in the world supporting Africa’s largest remaining elephant population, lions, and hundreds of species of birds.
It’s known for its ecotourism including a maze of sparkling lagoons, meandering channels that spread over the thirsty lands of the Kalahari, fertile islands teeming with wildlife and lodges.
While many stories about the landscape which has placed the country on the map have been shared, the voices of the indigenous communities who have conserved the area and their intrinsic connection with the river have been overlooked.
Some of the villages have still not benefited from the tourism sector.
However the narrative has now been changed, and Nkashi Race for the Okavango tells the story of triumph, challenges, and grief of three traditional mokoro, dugout canoe, polers Gobonamang “GB” Kgetho, Tjadza.
“Pretty” Tapologo and Nkeletsang “Ralf” Moshupa in their own language as the guardians of the river.
They prepare for the annual Nkashi Classic, a time-trial race founded in 2018 by the Botswana Wild Bird Trust (BWBT), that attracts the fastest mokoro polers in the Delta.
They also contend with grief when Kgetho’s father dies after his canoe capsizes and his body is found some two days later.
The documentary opens with indigenous Setswana music and traditional instruments and takes the audience into the dusty streets of Seronga village and the sunrise in the Okavango Delta.
The audience will see the daily life of locals using the traditional canoe ride into the glistening waterways of the Okavango Delta where they fish to feed their families and take tourists for rides to make ends meet.
“I was born a poler; this is our main way of life here. There are not many places in the world where you could find freshwater sources like here.
Sometimes the rivers run dry. That is why we cannot solely depend on the food we get from the water for livelihood,” said Kgetho.
“A poler is a male-dominated task because back in the day it was viewed as a job for men. Also, it requires strength, however over the years things have changed, women are also polers, and even the mokoro’s are no longer the wooden ones we used to have.
This film means a lot to me.
It shows what my father taught me that Nkashi and mokoro are our lives.
Also, the importance of preserving our traditions and nature for the next generation as our ancestors have done,” said Kgetho.
Tapologo encouraged more women to join and be educated about their environment.
Masisi said as a government they recognised the importance of conserving natural landscapes.
“This has been a key focus and has resulted in significant achievements over time such as the ongoing protection of some of our most precious creations of nature.
Needless to mention the fact that we have always integrated environmental sustainability into our development agenda, having reserved 40% of the nation’s land cover as protected areas.
I challenge you to show me another country that comes even close. Botswana is in a unique position to lead the way in conservation and set a true example to the rest of the world,” said Masisi.
Film producer and National Geographic Explorer Thalefang Charles said films previously made in the Okavango Delta rarely told the stories of its extraordinary people, who have been protecting water, wildlife, and traditions since the beginning of time.
“It’s incredibly powerful that Nkashi: Race for the Okavango celebrates mokoro polers and their stories, in their own language. Batswana, especially the people from Okavango, will finally see a film that was made in their own communities,” he said.
National Geographic Society Chief Executive Jill Tiefenthaler said they were deeply committed to helping protect the Okavango Basin, one of the most critical conservation efforts in Africa.
Cape Times