Somewhere on Earth: Botswana

What if paradise exists as a place on earth? In this 48 x 52 mins series, we travel to some of the most beautiful places in the world.

What if the Garden of Eden really existed Somewhere on Earth? Botswana, a land of Savannah and desert in southern Africa, is heir to a wealth of wildlife. The region of the Kalahari covers almost the entire country, and is a sanctuary for wild animals. From the desert sands to the oasis of a lush delta, the Okavango is the river that never reaches the ocean. It vanishes into the sands of the Kalahari. Botswana, with its 2 million inhabitants, has managed to preserve its magnificent wildlife. This is a safe haven for elephants. Someday, Botswana may be their last refuge.

Prince Wright is a son of the Kalahari. This region of southern Africa, beyond the horizon of bush and savannah, is where he was born 42 years ago. Prince is passing on his love of the bush to Nimrod, his 14-year old nephew. Now, he’s setting out with him on a voyage of initiation, a sort of “rite of passage.” It used to be that to become an adult a young adolescent had to venture out into the bush alone and not come back to the village until he had killed an antelope.

The Okavango Delta, in the northwest corner of Botswana, is a priceless jewel of Africa. This is where Tonic Dinonoka was born. Everyone knows him here in the village of Etsha. Tonic was orphaned very young, so he and his brothers had to learn how to make their own way. He is a generous, cheerful and resourceful man. Tonic is a skilled jack-of-all-trades, and is always willing to lend a helping hand. Right now, it’s Andrek, the village elder, who’s in need of help.

Tempe Adams, a young Australian biologist, has been studying African elephants and for the last 4 years she’s been living an adventure here in Botswana. Tempe prefers roughing it in the splendor of the bush to the comforts of a laboratory in Sydney. Tempe is completing her doctoral thesis in zoology and at the same time working for an NGO, Elephants Without Borders. For four years she has devoted herself to the cohabitation of humans and elephants, which presents certain problems.