“Mokoro wa Okavango,” a film honoring traditions from southern Africa’s Okavango Basin

More than one million people rely on southern Africa’s Okavango Basin for their food, water and livelihoods. To navigate this delta in Botswana, local communities rely on the “mokoro,” a traditional dugout canoe and the region’s unique mode of transportation. For hundreds of years, these canoes have allowed for travel across shallow waterways with little disturbance to the flora and fauna. It’s a symbol of innovation and resilience of the people of the Okavango.
This film “Mokoro wa Okavango” (“Canoe of the Okavango”) highlights the origins of the “mokoro” tradition - find out how it’s celebrated and how it continues to evolve to more efficient and sustainable construction practices for future generations.
Since 2015, National Geographic Explorer Steve Boyes has led the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project (NGOWP) in surveying all major rivers of the region. The multi-year project has explored 17 major rivers and channels covering a total of over 7,456 miles (12,000 kilometers), working in partnership with local communities, NGOs and the governments of Angola, Namibia and Botswana. In addition to Boyes, Gobonomang “GB” Kgetho and Tumeletso “Water” Setlabosha (both featured in the film) are also Nat Geo Explorers and have been using the mokoro - and their traditional knowledge - to lead the NGOWP team to advance their mission to secure permanent, sustainable protection of the greater Okavango Basin.
Narrated by Gaekgone Lesego, “Ms. Gee,” a Batswana musician/vocalist, this short film was produced by the National Geographic Society Impact Story Lab in close collaboration with a team of Batswana filmmakers. Learn more about our award-winning storytelling team and the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project:
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