Its a peaceful saturday afternoon in a Rural Community in botswana a sleepy Little Village but not today. Saying because today members of the countrys heavy metal music scene have descended on over. There the rock rockers in the local language of sets one of. The outfits are an integral part of the parade. And that applies in particular to the queens. Oh. Its a scene dominated by men but one in which the women are establishing themselves. For. Yes. Botswana is often called the garden of eden of africa at the local one go dont go with its unique terrain and wildlife is a popular Tourist Destination become a hurried desert is a semi arid savannah scattered scrub land it appears inhospitable but his home to a range of exotic animals tourism diamonds and cattle the 3 pillars of the countrys economy the herds of cows are free to roam and the graze where they please its a sign of prosperity as it always has been. For as much as people in botswana look to the future they remain rooted in tradition and that sense of tradition also affects the position of women. Queen glorious daily routine begins in less than regal fashion getting up at quarter past 5 every morning female members of the more rock are called queens the title was awarded as a sign of respect even if it has nothing to do with gender equality as such. I think he knows all about its. The african or this its not a. Thing they say the man is on top and they all monies they know because if i can remember they used to play and help be sitting there watching them they never even see come and play or play that does teach you do they still it was just the men being you know men doing everything we have coming out with slowly we are coming up and hopefully we will have a bent old man bent. On the base tell him to win then i tend to. Indeed they are but its proved difficult for them to set up their own bands with their own front women botswana is a vast country almost twice the size of germany for example but its population numbers just 2000000 people. The queens of heavy metal only have their get togethers on very special occasions queen ludo lives in frances town a 5 hour drive away from queen gloria and shes busy sewing together her in 3 days time shell be at the rock Center Festival in the capital gaborone and wants to look her best and with botswana having no dedicated heavy metal Fashion Stores even the rivets have to be applied by hand. Of concept and that some people are not hip in these how many trysts and also i do appreciate those who can come up to us and tell us we look good those who accept this will be a. Good symbol of accepted the less that is judging us. Before they get to know what this is of all because most of them feel like its really just has to do with that it doesnt only yesterday with music. Music and also a display of being self confident Strong Enough or. Could be the 3rd heavy metal queen of flora lives in already close to the South African border just 40 minutes away from governor on. At 21 shes the youngest queen in sports a particular look. At her signature style cowboy hats gloves her pants and waistcoat and plenty of. Good payoff jeans among them the details couldnt you guys. I believe it feel crazy but i am. And the way i feel full. Well. Yes if only hes not. Yet because he is self centered cool. A desk and they stay so this way and then within these you know things. Once a year the. Different backgrounds meet up at the biggest heavy metal event in the country gloria lives in my own a 9 hour drive away from. Home shes the single mother of her son. Thats enough that i. Know. How im feeling under. That. All. That other. Cities. Thats. What. If youll. Look at it this. Isnt going to be. In botswana no women are traditionally revered as the heart of the household however the reality paints a different picture that many women are the head of the household simply because they are single mothers or women michael the metal scene is an escape from their daily life. So. They say. Yeah and made me crazy like even if that. My little. Made me feel complete. At 7 in the Morning Glory of sets off work in a shared taxi. While there are routes connecting the countrys towns and cities Public Transportation within urban areas is practically nonexistent. In places like malone commuters only options are shared taxis or if theyre in a rush private camps. Formally one of the poorest countries on the planet since gaining independence from britain in 1906 botswana has transformed itself into one of the most stable nations in africa thats also reflected in the countrys education system. Gloria Left High School with only an intermediate certificate but she managed to earn herself an office job at a Construction Company which is currently building a lodge in the nearby Okavango Delta she does not have a permanent contract and doesnt know what will happen when her contract runs out. Glorias 1st task every morning is to stock up on Office Supplies and make coffee shes the secretary and odd job woman must mall construction firms. Feel as if. You. Have nothing to feel like i dont feel. Like i. Can 2. Thank you thank you. Thank you the dry season here in the north of botswana lasts between 6 and 9 months and for the boss and his staff the dry season means the work season tourism tends to center on the 4 month rainy season beginning in december when the delta and its wildlife blossom. The proportion of women managers is continually rising in botswana gloria believes in the potential of women and is keen to indulge in her role as a queen of heavy metal. When it says it is with legs like a wave length sleeve missile and surprised face this allow it in a whole when i give days like days like bad my ideal as they. Think it is that they think that. Glorious office job enables her to make ends meet but her labor of love is the molly rockers association a metal heads club where she can be an organizer and where she can let off a bit of steam. For fans the world over heavy metal is an escape from the daily routine regardless of age group or profession but in botswana a country where the metal fans also face accusations of satanism it takes a lot of courage and confidence to be in the rock. A. Glorious 9 year old son and liars finds the club im a little. Bit when his moms rocker buddies are in town he prefers his books to all the proof pop. Ups that it hanging out with them at all and i told them that you know i think we should form an association and they told me that you know we tried filming it to need just didnt wait because some people would put in that side and with us it is there but we can you know those people those people and just that its with 5 people and then that has can follow and thats what we did sold. As is as we started with going to help in this our fellow brothers who is disabled and they. Make you. Helping cleaning the. Painting all together and people is that it that a coke and i see that the us is the shit if it were the real ken like it if it werent for the kings of the soon to know their more rock alter egos constitute freedom during the week theyre pretty much chained to their desks the majority of the metal heads here have 9 to 5 office jobs working for the government. And when they look at that data model like i have been we. Like full vs when they came back i still see the same model and like they havent done anything new that lives have ever done anything with. A bad light they havent changed even their. To these guys that plays in bed. And then as they know we should start something the association that will help it is the ben members that will help us is not all. Cutting phenols events the way deans like even up to come sailing or even going to test you know all of you has affected as you know and like all those things. And it that i think that sal like. How i think the association will be input into. The moment in. Order. To have. Gloria and the other members of our club are eager to improve the image of metal heads in their town and they also do volunteer Community Work together such as picking up litter in the neighborhood. In botswana wearing black leather and listening to metal is often considered satanist their clothing and imposing appearance are often met with fear and suspicion another thing the association wants to change but gloria herself has far more ambitious plans for the club she wants to see its members learning to help themselves and each other. Tomorrow the metal heads from our own will be traveling across the country to make their presence felt at a wedding. That. Gloria is also organizing the groups trip to the rock december festival. With. But swan it is a land of profound contrasts as also applies to its natural terrain the calamari does or does it drive savannah. Its northern section the Okavango Delta is prone to repeated flooding at the same time droughts and desertification pose major ecological problems the country is considered relatively progressive but cattle are prized to this day as a highly profitable investment and the metal scene is likewise and make money but swan it is one of the few african countries where percussion is not celebrated in the local folk music but its in this very country where drums play a huge role in a particular music scene and that apparent contradiction is a major factor in the popularity of heavy metal among them on. Frances town in the 2nd biggest city in botswana is 6 hours away from mali and thats where queen ludo marina lives within the scene shes seen as the introverted but beautiful rock opera back in her fathers home shes a carpenter fashioning wooden baby cribs its a job that enables her to take care of her 9 year old daughter while also going against the grain of traditional gender roles. For the for. Fear. It says. Its a woman but someone should be an example an example to all as kids and. Self yeah ill mention the thats thats within i think what keeps the limited to get. A woman should be empowering yeah we should be. I have a noble. Thing. To be. Doing this kind of. Makes me feel. Powerful. It makes me feel good because im doing what i love. Im doing something that a lot of people least expected me to do so in a pretty much enjoy surprising people. When it comes to them finding out that i do this because even when i go to buy the materials at the shops that i want isnt a. Suv who exploit who does that as my 1st time to see a lady in the section. She builds groups and bookshelves she discovered her love of design while at college and the courage to try out the masculine enterprise of carpentry is something she owes to her experience as a model. And make it at times maybe it will be an example to motivate others to keep on moving weve always awesome 7 in your life. Although one man is important in her life her father. I didnt even look at read the toys it was just after i saw some child is so. Definitely here that she was sitting in for that table. That i sit with my wife she didnt eat she flew to some places dont even miller now if shes very good. With this would do its ok to put up with all the business as well. I had that thought. Little is a 2nd generation moroc her father nihilo lani sexton was a leather clad metal head back in the 1980 s. The doors outfits are admired by her fellow queens. I go for. Sale which has. More so each of them may look and then i also can go for there because look to leave they have a lot of status hoops to jump in here but im limited the amount and then theres also the call girl look i can also go with it. Especially he it just depends on my mood i feel if i have to were a horses to fear to go look if i had to lay there bake a book of the bakers look better than if i had to show something thats profit to do the. Look. Shes not yet sure exactly which on that shell be wearing for the rock summer festival thats something shell decide together with her friend queen clora. Whats wanted is a large but sparsely populated country that also means ample space for the millions of cows and donkey. Distances between cities are seemingly endless and contact within the more roxy relies heavily on social media every couple of months the festivals dotted around the country provide a chance for virtual friends to connect in real life it takes ludo around 7 hours on the bus to travel from frances town to flora in all deep. When it rains here Mother Nature pushes the pause button for a couple of hours and suddenly the streets are empty. The village of ody is only a 40 minute drive from the capital but it seems like a world away the village appears almost deserted. Queen flora lives together with her extended family her mother her sisters and brothers and her son she knows everyone in the community but above all everyone knows her because being a moron makes her stand out. The villagers are wary and skeptical toward new developments queen flora was 14 when she 1st heard of Radio Station playing the music that has given her life a new rhythm she says selfconfident and outgoing woman. On. The rocks are a close knit society it takes a lot of courage to join their exclusive rights. I didnt really get to meet her yes she is dating was the 1st so many lovers today that what does. That say about it for the end is that it is there. Is no escape that they think it is it still is not difficult because if they did well if it was a. Lady think of what it is that. They think of what it is that. They have some. Heavy metal fans around the world are used to negative stereotyping in botswana however those prejudices are so extreme that pastors at what are called fire churches rant and rail against the wrong. Hers some have even proposed members be subjected to an exorcism flora has a traditional lifestyle surrounded by her family her mother do pool among is the sole breadwinner. Flora and her mother also feel responsible for the children of their relatives today theyre looking after her cousins baby. Plays in a closet and. To get it babies they make it late. So they can get it is said is to stay tuned this is. A good deal this will consume a sense will the. Queen who dont has now reached after a 7 hour bus journey shes come to the village to prepare for the heavy Metal Festival with flora. In a few hours time the 2 queens will be welcoming the kings of the scene and their parade in florence. To. Get. In touch again from facebook that weve never met before but it will be as a good thing that can be said it is easy. To get to connect with david but hes a bad person say his lunch easy. It was a political thing i was it. Just a then he designed this cuts the size and includes the aliens in the hospital maze way they did this t. T. To keep this in a quote its mason nation builds. And it is it needs to be so that if needed a colleague it didnt matter if their 1st ever meeting is a fascinating one in the 2 metal queens are different in demeanor but do find similarities and change things. I waiting for kind of like a little baby field today because. Its more like it shes cute because the a fish or that means the kids this or that made lots of things that i think shes. Busy day the stated that he she will. Just feel they pass the time while waiting perfecting their outfits you can never spend too much time on your look a sizeable metal head group will be arriving soon to pick them up and take them to the festival these meetings are rare occasions and are celebrated in more rock fashion. Fetal food. This new kid says when feeling plan b. And that is that it is that time hit they have a lot of energy. So well all the expat seeing it all photo dazing tirades. That i can see we should immediately used to assemble this piece amongst themselves. That symbolism is very important to the model its expressed in both rituals and in their attire and accessories. The moroc are late the rain has brought the village to a standstill rendering the main road impassable for a few hours. Then suddenly they arrive the heavy metal queens and kings. The rough greeting is a symbol that developed after violence became a concern at gatherings the greeting is a demonstration that they come in peace and a symbol of the camaraderie in the group. Wow. This is the 1st time ludo has met most of the other members in real life flora does know them personally but hasnt seen them for 2 years her then boyfriend gave her an ultimatum forcing her to choose between him and the local Church Congregation for the rockers. The chaps hats another cowboy accessories all make sense but the cowbells that some of them are up where are meant to commemorate a time when runaway slaves were forced to wear them the more rock where the bells to honor them and as a reference to cowboy culture. Get. The gun on the phone to. Get a good. That melody or that or whatever it was. Going on over. There. Then its time for the parade a core ritual of any gathering and the chance for the more rock to take center stage. Was. They struck down the road as if on a fashion show runway showing themselves from their best and loudest some more of consciously leaves the parade past the church tent. For for. The procession takes them all around the village a procession that takes cues from those of the major religions it symbolizes a concentration of power. The group having flora lead the parade through her village is unprecedented and she revels in every single step along the way having a 2 year absence from the gatherings for her its a public affirmation of her identity for 2 years her boyfriend had forbidden her from meeting them on rocks or even just dawning her letters and. Flora and her music fan family are now back at her home ody wasnt on the groups route to the festival but they were how to make the detour for flora. And that after years of suspicion her mother has now come to accept flora being. Queen nonetheless the spectacle unfolding else at her home is pretty overwhelming i am going to explain it. To. Enjoying ourselves now that my family with it is as good as. Well im so proud of being our most of the good it was. Sounding like no isolated incident as in the village so little and so. Well let alphonso hey listen to that end of the. Blame. Game. A these children only know the people from their own very much the seemingly otherworldly visitors lasting impression. People in botswana are moving rapidly away from their traditional roots and that reorientation to the modern world involves frequent culture clashes. A a a a a. A. A a a. A. Florist grandmother was the 1st to lose patience she has little understanding for her granddaughters new lifestyle. But queen ludo sees how important it is for flora to be able to combine her 2 worlds. Will be their electorates with all their heart it was consuming what this small difference was. And i was never going