A House Without Snakes

“A House Without Snakes” is about two young Bushmen in Botswana who struggle to build their futures in the wake of their people’s relocation from their ancestral homeland. Ketelelo looks to education as a way to reinvent himself and provide for his family. Meanwhile, Kitsiso wonders whether he should stay in his ancestral homeland to honor his father or seek a new life in town. The film is an intimate coming-of-age portrait that explores the tension between modernity and tradition through the lens of two individuals’ hopes and fears.” (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12283226/)

This 29 minutes short documentary highlights many of the common dilemmas and challenges that contemporary hunter gatherers are facing.
Ketelelo, who lost his parents at a very young age, believes that education is the future. He is determined to show to himself and prove to the world, that “bushman can understand and tackle complex issues”, and dreams of studying engineering abroad (Canada, UK or USA). To make his dream come true, he needs to study hard, put pressure on himself, secure a scholarship and leave her little daughter behind. We get a glimps not only of his school and hostel environment in Gaborone, but also of the living conditions of his family in New Xade. The eldery still hold fond memories about “the past life”, from the times before forced relocation, and as one of the elderly ladies says, they are just a shadow of themselves.
Kitsiso, who was raised with the lifestyle of his father and acestors living in the bush, dreams about having a job, working in the town and building a modern house. He is living together with his elderly father in CKGR, collecting bush food and herding goats. The elderly man expresses, that “the soil of this land is everthing” for him, and he would like to pass on his knowledge and lifestyle to his son. They sit around the campfire and share stories. Just like in New Xade, the elderly have fond memories about the past. In the meantime, Kitsiso tells his father, “my peers are sitting in offices while I walk in the bush” and wishes for a new life in town. (by Attila Paksi)

Director & writer: Daniel Koehler