By Green Heart Films – S.O.Taylor
Sioma Ngwezi is a remote corner of south western Zambia bordering Cuando Cubango a province of Angola a country presently recovering from over thirty years of civil war. To the south of Sioma Ngwezi lies the Caprivi Strip of Namibia and beyond this strip are to be found the Okavango swamps of Botswana. The previous civil conflict in Southern Angola had a catastrophic impact not only on this nations civilian population but also it wildlife was systematically hunted into virtual extinction. Lately landmines and other forms of unexploded munitions now pose serious life threatening dangers and as a result huge swathes of Southern Angola still remain largely uninhabited. During the liberation struggles in Namibia and the civil conflicts in Angola large populations of game and in particular elephants migrated south to the peaceful conservation reserves of Botswana as a result of these conflicts and migrations Botswana is now host to a population of over 130,000 elephants.
The five nations that share common borders are Botswana, Angola, Zambia, Namibia and finally Zimbabwe and it is the general interest of not only these African states but of global importance that a trans – national park ought to be created with the view that regions in Southern Angola now at peace may well attract returning populations of elephants and other migratory species
A potential trans-national park could resolve the serious issue of over populated conservation regions within this Southern African region.
My first journey to this region was to a safari camp run by a former Danish diplomat and it would be in Sioma Ngwezi that I was to begin to travel extensively for a period of four months across this part of Africa to learn more.
Sioma Ngwezi has over a period of thirty years been subjected to the impact of civil conflicts in Namibia a country formerly known as South West Africa which had previously been administered as a virtual South African protectorate, the other major conflict had been the civil war of Angola a protracted conflict which had raged for a period of over thirty years.
Due to these various conflicts much of Sioma Ngwezi wild life has been devastated and one unfortunate legacy of these various wars has been the flow of unlicensed weapons such as AK 47 which have also been used in poaching and cross border cattle rustling emanating from S.E.Angola.
One other major lasting problem from these conflicts has been the ongoing issue of land mines which had been laid by various combatants both defending and attacking territory. The presence of these land-mines and other unexploded military ordinances has prevented former civilian populations from returning to previous conflict zones.
During my time whilst at Sioma I was to visit the park extensively and was somewhat taken aback by the cattle rearing and farming community’s of the Lozi as expected the major problem of this park would be…
The full journal is included in the new book which will soon be for sale online and in select book stores.
