Black Mambas

As part of the anti-poaching efforts in the Greater Kruger Park, South Africa, the conservation authority (dominated by white Afrikaner men) forms the first all-female defense unit. A local marshal trains them in a military atmosphere as if it were a commando unit. The women learn to fulfill their duty, even if it means going up against men from their communities who turn to animal poaching due to financial adversities. This mission offers the women, perhaps for the first time in their life, a sense of liberty and empowerment. The training is strenuous, and the attitude is rough, but their participation is motivated by hope for a brighter future. Black mambas explores issues of power imbalances, social tensions, hidden colonialism, and patriarchal systems that use these women as a marketing tool.