Published on November 21st, 2024 | by Kayak Session
Near the River
The Paddle Sports Film Festival saw the premier of Near the River, a film by Darby McAdams highlighting those who stand to lose the most should the Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric scheme flood the rapids of the Zambezi River. Check it out now as it premiers on YouTube.
For Chrispine Mutanuka and Henry Kapijimpanga, the decision to learn to kayak is an easy one: it’s a way to better their lives and provide for their families.
“The river is like a ladder. People can climb it to make a better life for themselves.” —Mukuma Makaye, Porter, Zambezi River.
As porters, Chrispine, Henry, and Mukuma Makaye carry the boats of visiting tourists in and out of the Zambezi Gorge, a roughly 30-minute hike that goes almost straight up. But soon, even this job—and their path upwards—could be gone, submerged under the reservoir of a controversial dam that threatens to take away their livelihood and vanish a globally renowned river.
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