10 Aug 2016

Kgosi Gokgathang Moalosi of Sankoyo in Ngamiland has urged the Cross Okavango Expedition team to involve more locals in future so that they can benefit from their indigenous knowledge about the Okavango Delta.

Kgosi Moalosi made the call at the end of the team’s expedition over the weekend.

 He said locals were rich in the knowledge about their environment.

He said, after traversing the delta, the team was in a position to appreciate its beauty and well-placed to share their experiences with the nation.

He also had an opportunity to share information on the historical significance of mokoro to the people of Okavango.

Kgosi Moalosi described mokoro as a traditional wooden canoe commonly used in the delta as a mode of transport and originally the only form of transport available for goods and people. He further revealed that mokoro was carved out of tree trunks and that the vessels were environmentally friendly.

He said wooden boats were driven by polers using a long pole called ‘ngashi’ to push the mokoro forward.

Kgosi Moalosi explained that they had never experienced any crash because the polers understood how to maneuver and dodge dangerous animals in the water.

“Our people are well knowledgeable about the use of mokoro and they know where hippos or crocodiles are; as such they are always able to safely change directions,” he added.

Kgosi Moalosi appealed to Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) to allocate the open areas along the Okavango River to trusts that reside within them so that they could benefit from the delta.

He cited the example of the confluence of the Thamalakane and Okavango Rivers at Matlapana saying the trust could generate funds by charging tourists and residents use the spots for leisure time.

Tlhalefang Charles and his colleague, Pako Lesejane, together with some local artists started a 14-day traditional mokoro trip to explore the Okavango Delta on July 24 from Seronga to Maun.

They arrived in Maun on August 7.

BTO partnered with the two adventure photojournalists who led the expedition after realising the potential of the project.

The team leader, Charles told kgosi they normally informed the traditional leaders about the expedition before they could start.

He said last year they started at Shakawe and they paid a courtesy call to the village chief who game them permission and this year they did the same at Seronga.

He believes that the expedition has the potential to expose the Okavango Delta and tourism in Botswana and grow appreciation of the country’s tourism product and encourage local travel. Ends