Guardians of the River

216
Nature #89

2021 Best Narrative Nonfiction Podcast Award winner at Tribeca Film Festival and Jackson Wild Film Festival. This is the story of the guardians of the Okavango water system and their monumental task: conserve a remote, near pristine environment facing threats from all sides. This podcast follows what happens when worlds connect, and at times collide, with the common goal of protecting a place

Recent Episodes
  • (3 translated) Mil vozes de Tempué (português)
    Apr 18, 2022 – 41:59
  • (5 translated) On the Edge of Home - Setswana
    Mar 15, 2022 – 38:30
  • 8. The Runway
    Aug 12, 2021 – 47:25
  • 7. The Land at the End of the World
    Aug 5, 2021 – 43:24
  • 6. Koki's Plan
    Jul 22, 2021 – 39:27
  • 5. The Edge of Home
    Jul 15, 2021 – 43:29
  • 4. The Smallest Dragonfly
    Jul 8, 2021 – 42:57
  • 3. A Thousand Voices of Tempué
    Jun 24, 2021 – 42:09
  • 2. Ghost Elephants of Lisima
    Jun 17, 2021 – 40:29
  • 1. Power to Protect
    Jun 10, 2021 – 43:25
Recent Reviews
  • 4932850658
    Listening before a trip to the Okavango Delta
    Great prep while getting ready for a trip to the Okavango Delta. This gave me a better depth of knowledge and helped me understand the complexity of issues.
  • Ughnicknames111
    Beautiful show
    Very in depth. Loved it.
  • alicecanderson
    Beautiful
    The sound design alone is incredible. Great show, learning a ton
  • SharonG4
    WOULD LOVE MORE
    Lush sounds of the natural environment, the people and communities. It gives HOPE for a future that’s better planned and executed with those most affected involved. The destroyer is when there’s “CAPITALISM AT ANY COST” - must evade that ONE TRAP to save humanity. Capitalism must be ONLY ONE ASPECT of conservation of life on EARTH. Would LOVE TO SEE MORE! A donation is on the way.
  • TimjoBrown
    Excellent!
    Without being hyperbolic, this is one of the best podcasts I have listened to. The lush audio brings one directly to Angola and Botswana, and the storytelling is deeply thoughtful and intentional in considering The complexities of preserving such a rich and important ecosystem. I hope to hear more from this team!
  • Birdie-Diana
    Great informative
    I can’t say enough how much I enjoyed this podcast. It has allowed me to understand the full aspect well as much as possible on how many factors need to be taken into consideration when trying to conserve an area or species and how we are all inter-related. I really enjoyed learning about the different country and hope and pray that Angola is featured more in the future.
  • thalefant
    Absolutely Fantastic
    One of the best podcasts I’ve ever listened to! The production, audio, narration, story , points of view just went together so well. Kerrlen Costa you are indeed a powerful person . I’d love to hear more of these.
  • Fairy Flower Mother
    A hopeful listen
    This is an excellent show that offers hope for a better future in conservation. And it has a magic about it to match the magic of the place that was explored
  • Mo Donnelly
    taking me back
    i visited Botswana and the Okavango in 2001. thanks for the stories and the memories your stories have evoked. ❤️❤️❤️
  • Green2atea
    Heartfelt
    I felt like I was in nature and in my minds eye picturing all the peoples in the telling of their raw but beautiful experiences. It’s a resounding vision of love for the whole region to thrive and be kept pure and at the same time educating the indigenous peoples. God Bless the country where they live and dwell in love and harmony.
  • electric mountain ichigo
    A Beautiful Journey!
    I wish I could go back and hear it again for the first time. Each episode is such a joy. The story is masterfully written and told. Came away from this magical podcast inspired by the beauty and adventure of our world and smarter about how to protect it. My family treasured time spent tuned in and detoured to have more time in the car to listen - and we are not a podcast listening people, ha. This is a triumph. I will continue to recommend far and wide. Rooting for Mukisi!!
  • RaeRoll
    Chills, Passion, Sounds AHHH
    This podcast is quite literally magic. I have learned so much about this place. So much about the cultures and co-exist with it. I can’t stop listening. The production is also 🔥. The SOUNDS within this podcast, even on their own, I would listen to. Bravo!
  • C. Hue
    Amazing.
    The artful, informed, and sensitive nature of this series is incredibly beautiful and moving. It’s absolute tops.
  • KWS 1
    A captivating and critically important listen
    Absolutely captivating in every way. One of the best and most important podcasts I have ever listened to. The sense of place captured in this podcast will have you thinking about the Okavango Delta long after you finish the last episode.
  • Carynn Jackson
    Absolutely Gorgeous Storytelling
    I listen to many many podcasts of varying genres. This podcast is by far my new favorite. It is beautifully produced — I can’t say enough about that! They have masterfully blended poignant and thoughtful storytelling with vivid and transportive imagery. The storyteller, the music, and the incredibly intentional production make this worthy of winning an award. A beautiful narrative of nature, sense of place, humanity, and our relation to these things and each other. Recommending to everyone I know! 💛
  • Yonky654
    All the thumbs are up
    I'm a visual person. I like images, footage and the way light falls onto things. So it says a lot for me personally when a podcast is able to capture attention the way that GOTR does. From a sound design perspective, the episodes are beautifully immersive and rich; from a storytelling perspective, the producers take the overwhelming complexity of a conservation challenge like the Okavango and distill it down into enjoyable, memorable storylines. The focus on the characters that have spent their lives living in, and/or devoted to studying and protecting the Delta and source lakes is worthy of so much dang praise. Listen to it, folks. Well done, House of Pod.
  • ColoradoWahine
    Outstanding!
    I shared this podcast with my daughter on our camping trip last week. At night we snuggled into our sleeping bags, turned on the Bluetooth speaker, closed our eyes, and were magically transported to Africa. The stories are compelling, with soothing narration and insane sound design. I loved the first 4 episodes and can’t wait to hear more. Congratulations Cat Jaffee on your outstanding work and well-deserved award!
  • BrodericoMartin
    Nexus
    This podcast is one of the only hopeful environmental stories I’ve heard in years. It’s the nexus of African tribal legends, postwar restoration, ecology, and great journalism.
  • Clairechapman
    Fascinating and well made
    Really enjoyed this podcast
  • Sam Leigh Parker
    A beautiful listen and compelling story, connecting people to place.
    The sound, music, and vivid storytelling makes me feel like I’m there, on the water with the people and animals. I started listening to this while I was in bed recovering from vaccine side effects, and my eyes were closed for the first two episodes. The sound of wildlife was soothing, and so is the narrator’s voice. The story is well told and so descriptive that I could visualize all of the details. As a student of anthropology and environmental studies, and a water resources project manager, this podcast is also very informative and eye opening to other regions of the world. I have learned a lot so far while being on this journey. The story is connecting people to wild place, and stressing how important this water system or ecosystem is to the community.
  • Alix&I
    Audible portrait
    Love the picture the audio paints of the countries, animals, and landscapes. Beautifully done.
  • 3347880652
    Immersive sound with a gripping storyline
    Only two episodes in and I am hooked! Literally sat in my driveway for ten minutes to finish the last episode. I’m loving the character development, unpredictable storyline and soundscapes. I feel like I’m part of the story.
  • Mark L Goldberg
    The podcast equivalent of an IMAX
    This podcast is one of the most gorgeously produced shows in the history of the medium.It is the audio equivalent of watching an IMAX.
  • CaitlinL123456
    Beautiful!
    This pod cast is both interesting and beautiful to listen to! I have greatly enjoyed learning more about the source, people, and animals of the Okavango Delta as well as how modern customs impact this on a large and small scale.
  • Onenes
    Mystery and Sound
    So enjoying this new series, the sound is vivid feels like you are in the moment and the stories are mysterious and compelling. Can’t wait for the rest of the season! -V
  • NightCheesecake
    Loved the doc, loving the pod
    These stories explore the Okavango through traditional and scientific lenses while also embracing its mystery. Worth a listen!
  • t-mo1029
    Award-winning show!
    I started listening to Guardians of the River after it won the podcast non-fiction award at Tribeca and now I’m hooked! They leave no stone unturned in exploring conservation and colonialism in the Okavango Delta and I can’t wait to hear more. The writing, production, and sound design are impeccable.
  • parterburn
    Incredible Production Quality
    A fantastic story to experience the way this team put it together.
  • EFR1985
    Transport your mind!
    Educational, inspiring, well told story! Enjoying expanding and transporting my mind while commuting
  • ArtGirlSAH
    Thank you for making this and
    Allowing my to go on this journey with you. I’m only on episode 1 and am hooked. Glad to know about this project. I found you by searching for something new to listen to. Thank you!
  • CharlesGammill
    another great show from House of Pod!
    The trailer is inspiring. The audio is amazing. I’m stoked to hear more!
  • BethBirchfield
    Unreal!! A must listen!
    Absolutely remarkable! Everything about this podcast is brilliant and the stories are truly stunning.
  • saint bernadette
    Guardians of the River
    Wow that was exciting and it was only the trailer. Seemed as though more than just my sense of hearing was involved. The sounds were so realistic that I could almost see and feel the river and the animals. I am looking forward to experiencing the entire podcast when available.
  • Bridge Builder 5280
    Wrestling with important questions
    This podcast does important, deep work wrestling with questions of colonialism, displacement, Indigeneity, tourism and much more. To follow this podcast is to be part of a web of relationships with place, animals, humans, plants, history, and the future. What a joy to be part of this project and to share it with others!
  • ClaireB87
    Amazing soundscapes
    I’ve only heard the trailer, but I’m immediately drawn into this story both because of the compelling set up of the story and because of the rich soundscapes of the Okavango. As I listened, I closed my eyes and was transported... Can’t wait to hear more!
  • Susan Ellerby
    Looking forward to listening...
    ...and learning about the Okavango River delta, a place I know little about. From the audio in the trailer it sounds like it’s going to be a very immersive experience!
  • JeannePassepartout
    Immersive place telling
    I say place telling, because the story is bound up with this pristine and mysterious place, the Okavango Delta. The narration will draw you in and curl your curiosity toward this river of life, death, and wonder, and the people whose lives it shapes.
  • telepariah
    Earth's Beating Heart
    Wetlands are the beating heart of the web of life. We should hold them as sacred places for that reason alone. I am fascinated to learn more about the Okavango Delta and the peoples and life forms it births and sustains.
  • Mukisi
    Coming soon!
    This has been one of the coolest productions to be part of - the team, the art, the music, the talent, the vision. Can’t wait to share this story with the world. Definitely worth a listen. This show does things with sound and science and folklore unlike any other.
  • Allistermccryns
    Looking forward to these episodes!
    I’ve only heard the intro and I am so excited to tune in to the forthcoming episodes. The voices, the language, the sounds... instantly immersed.
  • conorpodcast
    So excited!
    I’ve listen to the trailer multiple times and I have to say that the story and sound engineering of this podcast have me so excited for when it comes out! I’ve wanted to learn more about this, but haven’t gotten around to finding a book so this podcast will be an exciting way to learn more!
  • magicalcritter
    Listen up!
    Simply, Amazing!
  • Jules Mark
    Water … our lifeblood … must be protected
    This is a great podcast that dives into the southern Angola supply of water in the Botswana’s Okavango Delta. I learned how this pristine area is a very fragile natural area greatly impacted by the water supply. I can’t wait to listen to future episodes!
  • BobbyNewl
    Wow!
    This sounds really. really. impressive! When is episode 1 available?
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