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13 Mar 2023

The recently premiered feature length documentary Nkashi: Race for the Okavango is a must watch.

 The documentary captures the essence of the people of the Okavango Delta and clears misconceptions about life in the delta such as the idea that the delta is a wildlife area only. It shows that the Okavango Delta is not just a wildlife tourism destination but a place filled with love and memories of its community which co-exists with animals.

Nkashi: Race for the Okavango cinematography takes one to a place of tranquil, a haven that is the Okavango Delta and the passion and resilience of its people.

 Nkashi is a pole used by the polers who traverse the waters of the Okavango Basin using mokoro.

The film, a documentary by the National Geographic Society’s Impact Story Lab was created in Botswana by a team of Batswana filmmakers, composers, artists and other creatives.

The story is told from a perspective of the people living in the Delta, with narration by Gobonamang ‘GB’ Kgetho, a poler and National Geographic explorer.

Filmed in Seronga, a village of Bayei at the beginning of the Delta, Nkashi: Race for the Okavango depicts the lifestyle of the people in the Delta with much focus on preserving their environment.

Good narration, great use of settings, the film brings out the various dynamics of the Bayei community; social activities, societal struggles, food, heritage culture, and a quest for family, love and just simply surviving in an animal infested area.

It also safeguards the Seyei lifestyle, the use of the mokoro and nkashi and to some extent the carving of the mokoro and nkashi.

It further shows how the mokoro is used as a mode of transport in such communities.

Of course, as the name of the film suggests, it goes on to celebrate the Nkashi Race Classic, which the Bayei people pride themselves in.

The race, held annually around August is of historical importance to the Delta people as it has been passed on by the yester year generations.

The Nkashi Classic Race brings with it small socio-economic benefits as the community engage in it mostly for leisure and not commercial purposes.

The value of tradition is also one element in this film which stands out, as the people not only promote and preserve their culture, but continually share indigenous knowledge with  the next generation. Ends