For decades the region bore the brunt of the country's two wars that lasted 25 years. The forests were the battlefield during the war of independence from Portugal from 1964-1974 and the civil war from 1976-1992. But 17 years after the rebel war, the district looks different. The splendour of nature has returned. Not to attract photographic safaris though.
The Majune story is not that of a young beauty who has just discovered her full potential and is beginning to attract the attention of adoring males. The area is yet to discover its full potential in terms of attractiveness. The residents have not even realised that it is a possible tourist destination. Perhaps it will never be. As it is, Majune has been identified as suitable for arable farming, to the chagrin of environmental conservationists and NGOs like Botswana's Kalahari Conservation Society (KCS) and the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission (OKACOM), made up of civil society organisations from Namibia, Angola and Botswana. Recently, Felix Monggae the chief executive officer of KCS and a member of the Botswana Tourism Board led a team from Botswana, Namibia and Angola on a week-long tour to share experiences with Mozambique on natural resources management. After the tour, there was a general observation that farming in Majune could wipe away the scenic beauty of the area even before it can realise its potential as a successful ecotourism product.
