Life at the edge of the (Botswana) map.

During the day, livestock roam the flood plains

A majority of the houses in Shakawe are made traditionally from mud and cement and have thatched reed roofs.

There is a strong aquaculture here that I have loved learning about. Whenever I am bored on the weekends, I wander down to the water which is just a stone’s throw out my back fence. There are always groups of people fishing and collecting lily tubers and bulbs. They collect everything from little minnow-sized fish to bigger ones that could take up the better part of a dinner plate. Interestingly, the free mosquito nets that my clinic distributes get used as fishing nets instead. They tie a brick in the center and then drag it through the water. There is also a large lily pond right out back that the women trudge through to pull up the lily roots. Hippos and crocs are a common thing here, but very few people seem to be concerned about them as they swim and wade uninhibitedly. Unfortunately there are reported cases of deaths from encounters with these animals. The hippos also like to wander inland during the rainy season….I was advised to keep my gate closed because they will wander into my yard otherwise!

 

The boys love to swim, despite the crocs and hippos

Afternoon fishing

Women wading through the lily pond collecting tubers and stems

 
 

Sorting through the lilies

 

 

 

Picking tiny fish out of the mosquito net/fishing net



All of the fish go into one big bucket. They fry up all of the little ones together and then the big ones are cooked separately.

"Mokoro," a traditional canoe carved from a single trunk

 

 One of my favorite times of the day is around sunrise, when there are no livestock or people out on the floodplains yet. The sun comes up right over the water, and it is beautiful. There is a pack of dogs that I have come to call the “delta dogs” that romp in the early hours of the morning and late in the evening. They are very friendly, and one day last week they all came running up to me and ambushed me (in a friendly way), muddy paws and all.

The delta dogs at sunrise

Sunrise over the delta in my backyard

 

 

One of the dogs likes to hang out at my house sometimes. Dogs in this country are never allowed inside the house, so she likes to get as close as she can, despite how much I try to lure her in :) 

 

 

 People in this area also harvest reeds from the delta to use for house construction, roofing, basket weaving, and other uses as well. This time of year is best to harvest because the water level is low. Women go out in pairs at the beginning of the day to harvest reeds. By going in pairs, they are able to talk to each other, and the sound of their voices wards off any hippos or other dangerous animals. I love to sit and watch them come home at the end of the day with large bundles of reeds balanced on the tops of their heads.

Reed collectors coming home after a day on the flood plains