With the recent International Women’s Day, the spotlight is increasingly falling on women such as Florence Kagiso who are picking up the baton for female empowerment in traditionally men-only areas.
Being a guide in the fragile wildernesses of Africa has long been a male-dominated occupation. An arduous and sometimes dangerous road taken by only a few women – until Florence Kagiso came along to change that stereotype. Back in 2004, Botswana’s Chobe Game Lodge spearheaded a campaign to recruit female guides. Florence was the first female guide and now helms a team celebrated internationally as Chobe’s Angels, consisting entirely of women who take guests on the all-electric boats and vehicles in Chobe National Park.
Awarded the prestigious title of ‘The Innovator’ at the National Geographic Traveller Reader Awards in 2021, Florence is a beacon for the other women she has mentored and encouraged. Through nurturing female safari talent – navigating muddy roads, changing tyres, protecting guests from potentially dangerous wildlife encounters, and all the while delivering a world-class safari experience – the ‘Embrace Equity’ theme of International Women’s Day 2023 is brought into sharp focus.
A focus on Equity can be defined as giving everyone what they need to be successful, recognising that each person has different circumstances. This means allocating the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. Individual needs are met so that each woman can be successful.
Being a guide was assumed to be a man’s job because of the physical challenges involved in safaris. Florence proved she was more than up to them. Growing up sitting around the campfire with her grandmother she used to love listening to stories about wildlife. She was determined to follow her desire to become a guide and wasn’t put off by tales of the hardships involved.
For many guests, there are benefits to having an all-female team, as they tend to take better care of vehicles and have a lower fuel consumption compared to men. They also take a more careful and relaxed approach to the wildlife and breathtaking natural landscape around them, rather than going for the thrill of the chase. In addition, women guests can find it more comfortable to be with a female guide when nature calls in the bush!
Over time, men at Chobe Game Lodge have come to treat their female counterparts as equals because cooperation and teamwork are key to spotting and sharing information about wildlife in the vast region. Since Florence started the number of female guides in Botswana has grown to about 80. Chobe’s efforts have created a demand for female guides with more companies enacting similar recruitment drives.
The advancement of women at work and the promotion of gender parity is at the core of Chobe Game Lodge CARES philosophy. Now about 50 per cent of the management team is made up of women, which also benefits the local economy through female spending, as income generated by Chobe has trickled down to the family level.
This new wealth generated by Chobe Game Lodge and the greater Desert & Delta Safari circuit at large is a testament to the power of women to take on leading roles in a previously male-dominated tourism sector. Creating new opportunities for women role models offers a pathway to success for both individuals and local communities alike and Chobe Game Lodge has been proud to share its phenomenal philosophy and celebrate Florence Kagiso’s revolutionary achievements.
With Florence as an outstanding role model, the impressive team of women at Chobe Game Lodge has created a platform for the voices of a new group to be heard. They have become exceptional role models for young girls across the whole of Africa and spearheaded exciting change and incredible opportunities for women to follow