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Kayak The Kwanza

In June 2016, our two man team completed the first ever source-to-mouth expedition along the Kwanza River in Angola. We used a 40 year-old foldable wooden kayak that we paddled and carried along the 1,300km journey. This trip retraced some of the steps of sixteenth century English explorer Andrew Battel and recorded information on wildlife and human activity along the remote stretches of the river. So far we have raised over USD25,000 for The HALO Trust, an organization specialising in the removal of the debris of war, such as landmines. Our journey is currently being reviewed by Guinness World Records. This is the story of how we did it.

  • Oscar Scafidi
    Director
  • Oscar Scafidi
    Writer
  • Alfy Weston
    Key Cast
  • Oscar Scafidi
    Key Cast
  • Carl Treeby
    Editor
  • Alfy Weston
    Cinematography
  • Oscar Scafidi
    Cinematography
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Adventure
  • Runtime:
    51 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 10, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    7,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    Angola
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Oscar Scafidi

Oscar Scafidi is originally from the UK and Italy and spent five years living and working in Luanda, Angola as a history teacher. Before this he was based in Khartoum, Sudan. When not teaching, Oscar also writes travel journalism focusing on difficult destinations, such as Somalia, Afghanistan, Liberia and East Timor. Some of his work can be found on Sean Rorison’s website Polo’s Bastards (www.polosbastards.com). In 2016 Oscar wrote the first ever English language guidebook to Equatorial Guinea, one of Africa's least visited countries.

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Director Statement

Angola was my home for five years. I hope that this documentary helps to raise awareness of the terrible problem of landmines that the country still faces, and encourages viewers to take action to support charities like The HALO Trust.