Batho Ba Metsi gives voice to Okavango people
Laone Choeunyane | Friday August 7, 2026 12:03
Produced through a collaboration between the Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) and The Nkashi Trust, the documentary brings into focus the lives, challenges and resilience of communities whose existence is closely tied to one of Botswana’s most important natural landscapes.
The premiere, which drew an audience that included President Duma Boko and Minister of Sport and Arts Jacob Kelebeng, marked a significant moment for Botswana’s film industry. It celebrated the country’s rich cultural heritage while exploring the deep relationship between people, nature and conservation in the Okavango Delta through the power of storytelling.
Centred on everyday life in villages such as Shakawe, Eretsha, Boro 1 and Jao, the documentary follows the experiences of people whose lives remain closely tied to the delta. Guided by former Miss Botswana Palesa Molefe, who journeys through the region alongside local experts, Batho Ba Metsi offers a perspective rarely seen by visitors, revealing the human stories behind one of Botswana’s most celebrated natural landscapes.
Rather than focusing solely on the Okavango as a luxury tourism destination, the film takes viewers into homes, small local businesses and research stations, offering an intimate look at how people continue to adapt to environmental change while preserving their way of life. It also explores the effects of climate change alongside human-induced pressures such as pollution, while highlighting the resilience of those who depend on the delta for their livelihoods.
Among the documentary’s most compelling themes is the growing challenge of river blockages caused by marsh vegetation. These blockages leave parts of the delta dry, disrupt ecosystems and force families to relocate in search of land where they can continue farming and sustain their livelihoods. Despite years of manually clearing waterways, residents have struggled to keep pace with the problem. The film also examines the increasing human-elephant conflict that threatens agriculture, while highlighting scientific efforts to develop practical conservation solutions.
Speaking after the premiere, producer Dr Steve Boyes, an ecologist and long-time collaborator with Okavango communities, reflected on Botswana’s remarkable conservation journey while arguing that the next chapter must place people at the centre. “60 years ago there were just over 10,000 elephants in the whole country. There are130,000 elephants in Botswana today. The largest population anywhere on earth... Across Africa, and Botswana can be an example of this, we need to think about a paradigm shift in the way in which conservation works. These can’t be fortresses anymore, they have to be places for the people,” he said.
His remarks echoed the documentary’s central message: that the future of conservation depends on recognising local people as partners and custodians of the landscapes they have inhabited for generations.
Following its Botswana premiere, Batho Ba Metsi will begin its journey on the international film festival circuit, taking Botswana’s stories and conservation experiences to audiences around the world. More than a documentary about one of the world’s most important wetland ecosystems, the film is a compelling portrait of the people whose lives, livelihoods and future remain inseparable from the waters of the Okavango.