I'm too thirsty. I want you to help me to drink cold water. Monty must travel further and further
to find it each day. Even myself,
I don't have a borehole for water. This time,
he didn't take the distance into account. He was forced to make
a two-and-a-half-mile round trip. My car has stopped,
it's running short of petrol. Now, if you see me carrying
this five-liter container, it's petrol. Monty is a farmer. He has 1000 liters of water
stored in the back of his old pickup truck for his cattle. Once again,
drought is hitting Botswana this year. Do you see how it's clean? No grazing. Not even leaves. No grass. No water. Nothing. It's the first time
this thing has happened to me. We have a problem. That's why I'm feeling tired,
that's because of this. The farmer is determined to find water. He travels back and forth between his farm
and the various ponds of the region, but the country's resources are drying up
at a rapidly increasing rate. I have to have 10 liters
of petrol per day, so it costs me 100 dollars per day. One hundred dollars per day! The riverbed can be seen from a distance,
but when the farmer reaches the bank… The river water has gone down. It's dry, and it's finished. This waterhole is all that remains
of the once vast river. The water has disappeared,
or rather it never arrived in the first place. Over the last five years,
the landlocked nation of Botswana has been subject to severe drought. The seasonal flooding
of the Okavango River Delta no longer provides enough water
to the Kalahari Desert. Wild animals are left without food,
making them aggressive toward travelers. Travelers do that. Elephants are just there,
so with other people, we need a strategy. The elephants are ready to mate. Traveling the desert by car
is no easy feat. This old sand bushman
who usually walks this route is already regretting it. I hope that we will set off again soon,
so we arrive before nightfall. This rope is made from elk skin. I want to use this rope to tie this. A difficult journey awaits
all those who stray from the major highways,
and in some cases, it's truly terrible. It's extremely hot. It's unbearable. The blazing sun
transforms these lakes into mud traps. It's dead out here. If you don't go into the lake,
you won't eat. It's a battle between you and the fish. In Botswana,
global warming is a harsh reality, but no one is giving up
on the battle against it. Chidi works for a company as a janitor. He goes home every other weekend. Nineteen kilometers stand between him
and his village. It's not far,
but it sometimes takes two days to get home. Accidents are common on this road,
and the speed of the minibus does little to put Chidi at ease. It's bouncing around a lot!
-The road is full of potholes. Yes, it's annoying. You mustn't go too fast! We want to get there fast. We're going too slow. We're making too many stops. That's why we're not getting anywhere! If I go too fast, we'll crash. Yes, the car would get smashed to pieces. The road is poorly maintained. The wrecked cars strewn across the side
of the road are far from reassuring. This road was built by the devil. It keeps going up and down. Yes, and it's like that the whole way. Does that not break your dampers? Yes, it ruins them! Everything gives out eventually. Chidi gets out after five kilometers. He can't afford to cross
the remaining nine in the minibus. As for the rest of the journey,
he hitchhikes or walks. Chidi is not going to arrive
home anytime soon. The inhabitants of the Kalahari Desert
would like the right to travel around and live wherever they wish. The Bushmen or San
are some of the last hunter-gatherers in Africa. In Botswana, they are banned
from leaving their designated reserve. We used to live off hunting. We respected the animals. We found ways to survive. After a hunt, we would sleep on site. Sometimes lions would find us,
so we would climb up a tree, and the lions would devour
everything we had hunted. We were free to do whatever we wanted. Today, Sakari and his wife
live in a resettlement camp. The San Bushmen were banished
from their land on the same day that the government discovered it hid one
of the largest diamond deposits in the world. The government built this house for me. The problem is that it's very hot inside. My hut is much better because it's cool. I've lost my culture. The recently opened bar
on the reserve is proof of this. Sakari can't bear to see young people
getting drunk all day long. Behave like responsible adults and stop drinking alcohol. Why drink so young? Why smoke at your age? Explain why! The old hunter knows that alcohol
and laziness will gradually erase the memory of their people. In order to keep their culture alive,
Sakari and his wife are urging young people
not to forget their traditions. The couple is taking their nephew,
Bondo, to their ancestral lands for the first time. We want to stop where we came from. We want to retrace our roots. The culture
that our parents told us about, and we want to teach this culture
to our community. There's just one small setback,
the 70 kilometers of desert that stand between them
and the promised land is not kind to old
four-by-four like Titus' one. I lived there when I was young. I went to school there. It's a long trip to go there. This road is difficult to drive on
because the sand is dry. That's why it's very heavy. The car must drive with power,
but it's powerless if the sand is heavy, which overheats the vehicle. Let's see here. The engine is now overheating,
so we are cooling it down now. If we open it a little,
the water will heat and burn us, so let's cool it down outside. The old hunter and his wife
have sometimes spent days in the desert searching for something to eat. Patience has certainly become a virtue, and they're going to need it by the looks
of this pitiful old four-by-four. If the San Bushmen
and their millennia-old culture die out, Botswana will lose
a piece of its identity, and that's not
the only thing under threat. The Okavango River is unique
in that it doesn't empty into the ocean but instead flows out
onto the Kalahari Desert. It therefore makes up the
second-largest delta in the world. Thousands of animals gather
around these permanent swamps. That's not the only miracle. In July, at the peak of summer,
the desert floods, and the flooding
spreads across millions of acres. The water brings life to the whole region. We are people of the water. To work, we need water. To build, we need water. To swim,
to bathe ourselves, we need water. We drink it, and so do the animals. Every living thing on earth
depends on water. It's the most precious thing to us. The July floods often fill Lake Ngami,
but this year… Before, there was plenty of water,
and the cows could drink happily. All of this was once part of the lake,
but it has now disappeared. The water went up to here. Yes, up to here. Back when the lake was full,
we could live further away because there was water everywhere. Since the beginning of the 20th century,
lake Ngami has been drying out. The stream that fed it has evaporated,
and the Okavango River floods are no longer substantial
enough to fill it, to think that in 2011,
it measured 32 kilometers long and 11 kilometers wide. These days, this shrinking lake
is the size of a small waterhole, and its shores have become a death trap
for thirsty animals. It's too late for this herd
that has been stuck in the mud for several days. These five are patiently waiting
for the men to leave. However, for this cow,
there's still a glimmer of hope. Mariko is going to try and save it. He's already lost several cows in the mud. If we don't keep a close eye on them,
our cattle wander off all over the place. What will become of us in life? Will we still be able to keep our cows? Come on, keep pulling!
-Pull, we'll get her out! Stop!
-She's still alive. She's going to get up! It's a miracle. Lake Ngami is not completely dead. Incredibly, Mariko and his brother
have managed to find food deep in the mud. In the middle of the mire,
the mud is still thin enough for thousands of catfish to survive. There are so many catfish,
too many to count. We do this to make money for my children. If you don't go into the lake,
then you won't eat anything. We must fight to eat. It's a battle between the fish and us. God has given us a lot of hard work. It's difficult and tiring
to use this spear. My shoulders really hurt,
and I'm so cold in the mud. Right now, I'm numb all over. I'm hungry and thirsty,
and it's exhausting. Fishing doesn't come without its risks. Of the 100 or so hippopotamuses
that once inhabited the lake, only two adults and a baby
are still there. The others managed to reach
the Okavango River or starved to death. Hippos are dangerous
when they surprise you. You can stay all day
without catching anything. There's nothing we can do about it,
so we live with them. It's problematic
and causes a lot of stress. This is a hippopotamus. It died because there was nothing to eat. Also, because there was nothing to drink, so he drank this mud and died. We've caught 32 fish. Let's go. Let's push. Their work here is not yet done. Their camp is situated
on the former shores of the great lake. Lake Ngami was the source of work and food
for dozens of families. Mariko, his brother,
and their wives do not know how they're going to survive now. I cut up the fish. After, we put it in water, wash,
and salt it. Give me some more salt. I'll add more. You can put some here. Here, where there are gaps. Tomorrow we'll dry it. We're going to sell
these 100 fish in Zambia for 96 dollars, which will give us a small profit. However, salt is very expensive,
so we don't make enough money. Yes, in fact,
we don't make any money at all. In a matter of weeks or even days,
the mud will solidify and will mark the end
of the fisherman's work. Mariko does not want to accept this
and clings to an ancient legend. If it still hasn't rained,
we'll take a shovel and dig under the dried mud
where the fish are. At the gateway to the Kalahari Desert, this now dried-up river
has flowed just far enough to fill these water holes. Once they have evaporated,
farmers like Monti will have to pay for tankers to come
and give water to their livestock. In the meantime,
he's making numerous trips back and forth. I don't want to let them go down there. Crocodiles catch and kill them. This is not good water. It's contaminated or polluted. Dead water, this one. This is because it's stagnant water. The weakest animals can't resist it. My life is difficult
because there's no way to live without having cattle. You can see how the area looks. No grass, no grazing. We are in trouble
these coming three months. Animals will die. They will die! The situation is very bad. We are in trouble. There is certainly a lot
to be concerned about. It didn't go straight here. It's gone out. There's too much sand,
and it's soft, so it's stuck. The cattle are going down here,
so now they are making this place soft. Monti hurriedly digs away at the sand. Getting out of the car
is always risky in Botswana. The country has one
of the richest biodiversities in Africa. Especially in the dry season
when the Okavango River floods, the animals converge
on the oasis of the delta. Monti farms around 30 goats and 70 cows. This is my daily job. It's my daily work. Every now and then,
I try to feed them, but it doesn't help. The farmer does not have enough money
to buy fodder every day. Since the beginning of the year,
the drought has killed around 100 animals. This one is dying just because of hunger
because it didn't have any grass to eat. Up! Maybe it'll survive. I don't know. These are tanks keeping water. Yes, this is a reservoir for me. They drink 5000 liters per day. I need to go down to the river five times to make this tank full just for one day. Monti survives,
in part thanks to his wife's grocery store on the main highway. However, there too,
drought has affected business. This is my stock, drinks, and beers. Thanks to this, I can survive! Unfortunately, customers are scarce. The problem is that
the economy relies on cows, so because of this drought,
we're not sure whether we have a future. Thanks to income from our cows, our children could go to school,
but now the cows are dying. Her husband is completely exhausted,
but he has no other choice. Monti tirelessly returns to the river,
unaware that the wild animals have got a very unpleasant surprise
in store for him. On his return,
he's shocked to see his herd of goats frolicking outside of their enclosure. Do you see this? This is from an elephant. Look down here. It's an elephant's print. An elephant came here,
broke this down, and got in. This stuff is for last night. These were in a crowd. You see, this stuff is still wet. It's not food that attracted these giants. Monti does not stock any food
but something much more precious. These trees stood in their way. The elephants broke down these trees. They broke these down. Elephants come and stand here,
lift their trunks, put them into the water tank,
and drink water. You hear it's shouting too much,
which means there's no water here. Now they know
that they can drink water here. That's the problem. What do you do when the elephants come? When you go out? I have a rifle. I just shoot up. Did you kill a wild animal already? I didn't kill. We are not allowed to kill,
but if it's surging too much, then there we can shoot it to kill it. Monti hopes he never has to do it. He relies on his do-it-yourself alarm
to scare them off. Unfortunately,
elephants are not the only danger threatening his herd. Dogs are here looking after this. When the hyenas or jaguars come here,
the dogs chase them. The old man has to spend his nights out
in the open. It's really heavy because I'm alone. I have to fetch water from the river, come here and let the cattle, sheep,
and goats drink water. Man, I'm tired. Encounters between man and elephant
are inevitable in Botswana. The country is home
to more than 130,000 of them, making that a third of Africa's elephants. The world's largest population
of pachyderms plays a vital role
in the country's tourism. However, in these episodes
of severe drought, food is scarce, so these giant creatures
draw nearer the villages in their fields. The farmers no longer think twice
about opening fire. This elephant was the big boss. After I killed this one,
then those small ones ran away. They don't come again. The conflict between the villages
and the elephants is reaching an alarming level,
and this is only the beginning. The ever-increasing human population
eats away at the wild beasts' territory. In Botswana, travelers are very likely
to come face-to-face with an elephant, and sometimes, things get nasty. These are members of an organization that campaigns with the government
for better management of wild animals. Today, they're visiting the scene
of a serious accident. A man has been killed by an elephant. They want to find out what has happened,
but reaching the village is proving difficult. We're stuck, so let's push. We need to move. Otherwise, we get stuck,
and we'll sleep here. When I get rid of the sand,
it will be okay. I can attach it. I think we can put a branch
around the wheel since it's rolling on its side. I'll tie it. We'll surround the wheel with branches. They're stuck in the sand
just a few kilometers from the village. A man passing by gives them a heads-up. Yes, the elephants come
because there is a lake. They have no choice but to come to us
because they are looking for water here. We are trying to go to a place where there was an incident
with an elephant. Are there lots of elephants around here? Yes, there are loads. Even before coming here,
I encountered a few. The elephants are just there,
so with other people, we need a strategy. Even though it's not safe. What you need to do is work
because if we don't work, it's going to be late. Now it's almost five o'clock,
and if there's any wildlife like elephants, they'll start moving. There's no help here. Sometimes you get to the elephants,
and they are ready to mate, and they get angry over nothing. With small things, they get angry,
and when they see you, they don't know you or what's going on. They might charge at you
and start killing you. We can take it, lift it,
and put it on its side. Yes, I think it will move if we lift it. We don't want to be here till late. We need to start going and set off again. Are you ready? Hey, man, push. Let's go. It's no use, but luck is on their side. Maybe with numbers, we can push it. With the help of four more men,
the journey can resume. Once back in the village, the man tells us that he was present
on the day of the incident. He takes us to the place
where the body was discovered. There are still elephants in the area. He was just here a few moments ago. That's the back leg,
and this is the front leg. He's going in this direction. Now I am going to the place
where a man was found dead. We were on the road
when we saw two young kids. They told us:
"We were with our father." "We don't know where he is
because we were attacked by elephants." Yes, it was here. The person died here. They were crushed! The villages are being terrorized,
and they cannot bear to see their crops being destroyed. Elephant sightings in the area
are extremely common. Yesterday, there were seven. Look, there they are! Today, there were eight of them
right here! We can't plant anything anymore. We've had to abandon our fields
over there. They can no longer be used
for cultivation. We are starving to death. You go looking for your goat. You walk for just two minutes,
and all of a sudden, you come across an elephant. It comes after you,
and you lose your goat. They scare us off,
and we run away as fast as we can. They can easily trap you and kill you. You can't escape them. Poaching, lack of food and water,
and the ever-growing presence of man unsettles these large creatures. They completely lose their bearings
and sometimes go berserk. Even on this road,
Chidi is not safe from elephants. Unable to afford a taxi,
he returns home on foot. He's already walked six kilometers
in stifling heat, but there are
still eight kilometers to go. The ferry that crosses the Okavango River
offers him some respite, at least as long as it doesn't break down. The ferry is very old. It dates back to 1988. This year,
the water levels are at their lowest. The propellers scrape along the bottom,
causing the engines to take their last breath. The boat has gone adrift. On the banks, Chidi isn't surprised. It's not the first time this has happened. The problem is that the ferry is stuck. Maybe the engine has fallen on its side. Maybe the other engine
isn't working so well. Yes.
-Yes. The ferry has washed up. Hours go by, and anger is brewing. What are you waiting for? We can't stay here all night! Back on dry land, a long queue is forming. At this time, I'm supposed to be back home
to go and do some other jobs like fetching water
and fetching firewood as well. You see, just because of the ferry. We can queue for almost half a day,
and sometimes we spend the night. It's an inconvenience at your job. Once again, the travelers
have to spend the night under the stars. Early the next morning,
the ferry is rescued, and a new one carries out the job. Chidi is happy. It could have been worse. If you have faith
and believe in the powers of water, everything will be fine! Sadly, faith in long-held beliefs
will not cover the taxi fare for the final eight kilometers
of his trip. I am going to hitchhike. There are taxis,
but they're too expensive. It costs 1.8 dollars to go to Ngarange! I don't have much money. I can't afford to spend
more than 25 cents! I'm waiting for a car to pick me up,
but it can take a while. It could be four or six hours
until I get picked up. However, it will all work out. They're all full up at the moment. It's extremely hot. It's unbearable. I've got a headache. I don't have any water. It's deserted out here. God knows what state I'll be in
when I arrive. In the Kalahari Desert, the San Bushmen
are also making slow progress. The old four-by-four that's taking them
to their ancestral land is constantly overheating. The driver must cool the engine
every half hour. However, for the old hunter, his wife,
and his nephew, it doesn't matter how long it takes
as long as they get there in the end. I am very happy because I am going back to the place where I buried my parents. I left such a long time ago. We were forcibly evicted
from our territory in 1997. Our people wanted to reclaim our land,
but the government stopped us. The Bushmen were abused and beaten. Even now, we are still oppressed. The government of Botswana
justifies its actions by stating that
the San Bushman's way of life had become incompatible
with wildlife conservation. The people of the Savanna know
that the real reason lies in the discovery
of a diamond reserve on their territory. Today, they're confined
to live in encampments, and hunting is prohibited. Before today, we were hunter-gatherers. We used to go outside and find food. We only eat when we have money. If you don't have money,
you are always hungry. This is the case for Sakari. He still does not understand
why they've been banned from hunting. The government
gives me a sack of flour and corn, which quickly gets eaten. By returning to their land, the San people
are challenging the government, and they are yet
to complete their journey. After two hours on the road,
they've traveled no further than 35 kilometers
out of the total 43, and to make matters worse,
the engine cooler has fallen off again. The rope is made from the skin of an elk. We're losing the bolt. The bolt is out,
so let's use this rope to tighten it. The car sets off once more,
but their chances of arriving have been compromised. After almost 29 hours of walking,
Chidi finally makes it home. Divorced from his wife,
his grandmother looks after his children. Hello, hello.
-Hello. -Yes, hi, yes. Grandma, look at what I bought. There's oil. Look at what he brought for us. I brought you sugar. You've brought us live, too. This is my son, I have two children,
and he is the youngest. They came home from school,
but there was no soup left. I have nothing to give them
when they come home. Yes. There's nothing to cook with. In a week's time,
Chidi will carry out the journey all over again
with the same unwavering courage. Over with the San Bushmen,
the journey has taken a turn for the worse. The vehicle has now become weak. I've got a problem now. There's a sound coming from the engine,
so I'll have to check it. I hope that we'll set off again soon, so we arrive before nightfall. This time it's not a problem
with the engine cooler. This breakdown is much worse. You can't find where the sound is from. The problem is the engine. I don't know what to do. The car has broken down. It can't take us to where we want to go. We have failed. There's nothing we can do. We can only head back. Everyone agrees. The four-by-four has enough power left
to get them back. The old hunter doesn't give up easily. The following morning,
he takes his nephew into the savannah to pass on the secrets of their culture,
as his father did for him. How do you know if there are animals
in the area? You have to look at the tracks. Look! A few minutes ago,
a female Duiker antelope came to drink. Sakari is teaching him
how to catch a wild animal without having to hunt it down. Within just a few minutes,
he creates a trap. The San people are fighting
to keep their traditions alive. This is not the only challenge
in Botswana. Another battle has begun
against global warming. In this country,
where most of the economy depends on the Okavango River, the locals struggle each day
against the impossible, finding between each other the resources
that nature can no longer provide.
