Batonka Elders, Gokwe North, Zimbabwe Editorial Photo

These elders belong to the Batonka tribe who originally straddled the Zambezi River in both Zimbabwe & Zambia during the British colonial era. The Batonka were a tribe who relied heavily on subsistence fishing on the Zambezi River. When man-made Lake Kariba was built circa 1958/63 the entire tribe was relocated inland to the south and north, away from the rising lake waters. Many of them still eke out an existence by fishing on Lake Kariba, however, a lot of them live in poverty in the rural areas of the Zambezi Valley escarpment. Sadly, few benefit from any form of formal education. These two elderly men and the woman were waiting out the noon heat after working in a field.