Page 92 - Discover Botswana 24th Edition 2024

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O KAVA N G O
The Okavango Delta is most famous for its beautiful waterways and majestic wildlife species like
elephant, buffalo and lion, but the people of the river have been part of this wilderness since ancient
times. These are the people still practising ancient traditions of cultural life alongside the wildlife, across
this unique wetland system. Botswana Wild Bird Trust and partners annually bring together these river
communities for a day of celebration of their culture, community, and sport at the Nkashi Classic.
Long before modern boats roared through the Okavango Delta
ferrying tourists to picturesque locations, the people of the
Okavango were using mekoro (dugout canoes) to quietly glide
through the shallow channels between the islands.
These river bushmen, mainly Wayei, who have been living in
the Okavango Delta for generations, used a long pole called an ‘nkashi’ to
propel their mekoro. This ancient mode of transport made it possible for
the people to travel through the waterways and thrive on islands amongst
the wildlife. Traditionally, a mokoro was carved from the trunk of a single
large tree, usually the Sausage tree, (Moporota in Setswana) while nkashi
were made from the Silver Terminalia tree (Mogonono).
Talented craftsmen used to make mekoro for the community to use. These
industrious carvers would identify a tree from small, let everyone in the
neighbourhood know that this particular tree was reserved for his mokoro,
and constantly check on its growth. When he eventually felt the trunk was
long enough, he would fell the tree, and then begin the meticulous carving
process over the next months, preparing and shaping the wood, until the
finished product could be launched onto the river. The carved mokoro
would serve the owners for many years as their only transport through the
wetlands, but sadly this ancient craft is slowly dying.
Wooden mekoro have now been replaced with fibreglass ones made in
factories and the traditional craftsmen are no longer using their skills.
Ngoma Ketshwaile, one of few master carvers still surviving, learnt the
craft from his father but he is unable to pass on this indigenous knowledge
to the next generation, and soon the last wooden mokoro will be pulled
up for ever.
Mokoro rides are now a popular tourist activity as more travellers from
around the world come and experience how the river bushmen used
to travel through the Delta. It is the most authentic and sustainable
method of travel in this pristine ecosystem. This is part of the reason why
Botswana Wild Bird Trust (BWBT) chooses to use mekoro as its transport
in the annual Wetland Bird Survey, a research expedition that has crossed
the Okavango Delta each August for the past 13 years. By mokoro, the
research team can silently follow historic trails and conduct challenging
biodiversity surveys like counting birds and monitoring water quality,
without disturbing the ecosystem they are studying.
With their vision of protecting the Okavango Delta by using research and
monitoring, education, storytelling and focusing on community-driven
systems of conservation and sustainable enterprise development, the
BWBT’s mission is to preserve this ancient mode of transport. In 2018
BWBT established the Nkashi Classic, an annual mokoro race supported
by Okavango Eternal – a partnership between National Geographic and De
Beers. The aim of Nkashi Classic is to create awareness of the importance
of the Okavango River System and to honour the traditional heritage of
the indigenous people living here.
Every year, strong polers from across the Okavango Delta battle it out in a
fierce race to be crowned the ‘Okavango Delta’s Fastest Poler’ - a coveted
title to which every poler aspires. Communities take great pride in having
a winner from their village. Weeks before the main race, qualifying heats
are held throughout the villages. The competitors then meet at the Nkashi
Classic main race in Maun to prove themselves by completing the course in
the shortest time! The 2023 winner, 25-year-old Lasty Kedisa, completed