Guardians of the River

A population of elephants in Angola lives in hiding, and only a few villages know their secret. But one big hint to their whereabouts stands tall in the main rotunda of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. If the NGOWP team can find them, these elephants might be the key to smoothening some of the human wildlife conflict in Southern Africa.

Show notes:

Due to civil conflicts, landmines, broken roads, and a decommissioned runway, a town called Tempué is cut off from the rest of Angola. As powers rise and fall, the town has guarded the rivers and lakes that run near it. Now facing an opportunity to reconnect to the rest of Angola -- and the world -- what will the people of Tempué decide to do? And who will they trust as their partner?

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In some Angolan traditions, magic is not just something people sit around campfires and talk about late at night, it lives in customs and day-to-day life. Owls are believed to see death. And snakes are agents of the devil. So what happens when a team of scientists and local Angolan guides embark on the largest wildlife survey in Angola’s recent history? And how will documenting local animal populations help protect the region?

To l...

The Okavango Delta is what happens when people pay attention to the environmental wealth of a place. It’s the world’s 1,000th UNESCO World Heritage site. And for its animals and its immeasurable feeling of wilderness, it is a major tourism destination. But not all residents have been included in its success. What starts with a hippo hunt continues with a journey through Botswana’s past to understand ...

Koketso Mookodi, also known as Koki, is a Motswana who didn’t learn about the Okavango Delta until she found herself living in the Delta in her 20’s, being stalked by a female lion and working in a luxury tourism lodge. As her journey through the region unfolds, Koki realizes what kind of change is possible for the people of Botswana; and what Kerllen and the team can learn for the work ahead in Ango...

In Eastern Angola, a group of lakes might occupy some of the least visited corners of the planet. They feel like a world without industrial development, proof that humans can’t be so bad if there are still places like this. It’s so good, that maybe...the best thing to do to protect it is stay out? For hundreds of years, the demon-like dragon Mukisi and its legends have guarded the lakes with great su...

In the final episode of this season, we ask the biggest question of all; the one that persists beneath many of the world’s most pressing headlines, and haunts us in the face of a global climate crisis.

How do we protect our home? And Is this question in and of itself — impossible? Utopian? Patronizing? Neo-colonial? An answer emerging from a place seemingly frozen in time could be the key to our future.

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Okavango Delta ke sekao sa gore go ka nna jang ha batho ba tsaa tsia dikhumo tsa tholego. Le thokometswe ka fa molaong ke legotla la UNESCO. It’s the world’s 1,000th UNESCO World Heritage site. Ke naga e tletseng diphologolo ka mehuta, jaanong seo se dira gore e nne sekgantshwane sa Bojanala lehatshe ka bophara. Mme gase banni bothe ba akolang katlego ya Okavango. Re simolola ka go utwa ka botshelo j...

Devido a conflitos civis, minas terrestres, estradas danificadas e uma pista de aterragem abandonada, uma vila com o nome de Tempué está desconectada do resto de Angola. Ao longo das mudanças de liderança, a vila protegeu os rios e lagos que correm ali próximo. Estando agora perante uma oportunidade de se reconectar com o resto de Angola – e com o mundo – o que escolherá o povo de Tempué fazer? E em ...