Page 96 - Discover Botswana 24th Edition 2024

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C U LT U R E
Above: The organisers, Botswana Wild Bird
Trust, commissioned local artists around
Maun to create trophies which where aptly
carved from wood for the winners of the
Nkashi Classic categories
THALEFANG CHARLES
Thalefang Charles is National
Geographic Explorer, photographer,
journalist, producer, storyteller, and
arts lover based in Botswana. He is the
author of Botswana’s Top 50 Ultimate
Experiences – a photographic coffee
table guidebook about Botswana.
After 16 years of an illustrious career in
journalism, he is now using the power of
storytelling to help in the protection of
the Okavango Delta as the Storytelling
Manager for National Geographic
Okavango Wilderness Project.
ABOUT THE BOTSWANA WILD BIRD TRUST
The Botswana Wild Bird Trust was founded in 2016 to conserve wild
birds and their habitat through exploration, research and monitoring,
conservation action, partnerships, awareness-raising, and support for
local citizen-led organisations. Research expeditions undertaken have
always included Wayei guides, and mekoro as a means to explore the
narrow and winding waterways of the Delta. The footprint we leave on
the environments we traverse, as well as what we leave on the world as a
whole, governs our decisions on everything we do, including selecting a
self-propelled mode of transport.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC OKAVANGO WILDERNESS
PROJECT
Since 2015, The National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project has
been working with communities and governments to secure permanent,
sustainable protection for the greater Okavango Basin, which spans
Angola, Namibia, and Botswana. A team of National Geographic
Explorers, local and regional experts, and partners at the Wild Bird Trust
are working to accomplish this through rigorous scientific research,
impactful conservation education projects, establishment of community-
driven systems of protection, and storytelling about the ecosystem and
people who live there.
ABOUT OKAVANGO ETERNAL
Okavango Eternal is a partnership between National Geographic and De
Beers to help address one of Africa’s most critical conservation challenges:
protecting the source waters of the Okavango Delta. Over the course of
five years, De Beers is working together with National Geographic by
providing support, expertise, and funding to expand and accelerate work
already underway, helping to establish sustainable local livelihoods in
harmony with the Okavango’s ongoing conservation strategies. The five-
year partnership aims to help protect Africa’s endangered species, ensure
water and food security for more than one million people, and develop
livelihood opportunities for 10,000 people.