Nkashi thrill in the delta
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Sunday May 15, 2022 06:00
The race, which is organised by the Botswana Wild Bird Trust (BWBT) in collaboration with the Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO), seeks to search the fastest mokoro poler of the delta as men from different villages along the delta compete for the ultimate crown. The race also aims to create awareness of the importance of the Okanvango Delta River System, the community it supports and its power to effect positive change for future generations.
The event, which is held annually, was first initially held in 2018. The Nkashi Classic did not take place in 2020 due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic but it returned in 2021. The inaugural Nkashi Classic, which was held along the Thamalakane River in Maun, was won by Nkeletsang 'Ralph' Moshupa from Jao Flats in the Okavango Delta.
“This year’s Nkashi will take place on Saturday May 28, 2022 in Seronga village in the heart of the Okavango Delta. The race will take the form of an individual time trial where each poler will race along a set course competing in male, female and veteran categories. The Delta’s fastest mokoro will be crowned at the end of the day,” read a statement from the BWBT marketing manager Lisa Matthews.
It is said that the Nkashi Classic was born out of discussions around campfires consisting of a team of scientists, explorers and the Bayei guides.
“It was decided that the mekoro should be celebrated with a race. The Nkashi Classic was launched as a celebration of the mekoro and the nkashi, which is used to propel it. The race aims to create awareness of the importance of the Okavango River System, the community it supports, and its power to affect positive change for future generations,” the statement said.
BWBT, in partnership with the National Geographic Society, run the National Geographic Okanvango Wilderness Project (NGOWP). The NGOWP, launched in 2016, seeks to explore and research the upper catchment of the Okavango River Basin to better understand how to protect the sources of the river and thereby the system as a whole and the delta in particular.
Since its inception, NGOWP has conducted several expeditions in and around the Angolan sources of the River Basin, surveying thousands of kilometres of rivers using only the traditional fiberglass mekoro. Polers from Botswana, Namibian Angola and even Zambia have accompanied the team as river guides, all using one typical watercraft; mekoro poled with a nkashi of one form or another.