Botswana's President this week handed out blankets and sweets to
Bushmen in a relocation centre. His action comes in the middle of a
court case in which the Bushmen are suing his government for the
right to return to their ancestral land in the Central Kalahari Game
Reserve (CKGR).
Bushmen in a relocation centre. His action comes in the middle of a
court case in which the Bushmen are suing his government for the
right to return to their ancestral land in the Central Kalahari Game
Reserve (CKGR).
The hand-out is a repeat of a previous visit to another relocation
centre, in which food and blankets were distributed shortly before
the court case was due to begin. That event aroused concern around
the world.
One Bushman declared today, 'These clothes are not our land. I will
take these clothes and still go back to my land.'
Another Bushman told Survival, 'The reason the President was here was
to bribe the Bushmen, so that they forget about the CKGR issue and
their land.'
Stephen Corry, director of Survival said today, 'There will never be
justice for Bushmen in Botswana if the head of state thinks it is
fair to visit another eviction site, only two days after the court
has adjourned, to give handouts to the Bushmen in an attempt to
persuade them not to return to their lands. The President is treating
the Bushmen like children, trying to seduce them with sweets and
clothes. Again, the government's actions simply reinforce the way it
looks down on the Bushmen and their chosen way of life. It's as if
the government assumes the Bushmen are already the beggars it is
trying to turn them into.'
For more information contact Miriam Ross on (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or
email
mr@survival-international.org
--
Please help the Bushmen in their struggle to return to their
ancestral lands. Click here for more information:
http://www.survival-international.org/bushman_home.htm
Survival International
6 Charterhouse Buildings
London EC1M 7ET
UK
Tel: (+44) (0)20 7687 8700
Fax: (+44) (0) 20 7687 8701
General enquiries: info@survival-international.org
http://www.survival-international.org
centre, in which food and blankets were distributed shortly before
the court case was due to begin. That event aroused concern around
the world.
One Bushman declared today, 'These clothes are not our land. I will
take these clothes and still go back to my land.'
Another Bushman told Survival, 'The reason the President was here was
to bribe the Bushmen, so that they forget about the CKGR issue and
their land.'
Stephen Corry, director of Survival said today, 'There will never be
justice for Bushmen in Botswana if the head of state thinks it is
fair to visit another eviction site, only two days after the court
has adjourned, to give handouts to the Bushmen in an attempt to
persuade them not to return to their lands. The President is treating
the Bushmen like children, trying to seduce them with sweets and
clothes. Again, the government's actions simply reinforce the way it
looks down on the Bushmen and their chosen way of life. It's as if
the government assumes the Bushmen are already the beggars it is
trying to turn them into.'
For more information contact Miriam Ross on (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or
mr@survival-international.org --
Please help the Bushmen in their struggle to return to their
ancestral lands. Click here for more information:
http://www.survival-international.org/bushman_home.htm Survival International
6 Charterhouse Buildings
London EC1M 7ET
UK
Tel: (+44) (0)20 7687 8700
Fax: (+44) (0) 20 7687 8701
General enquiries:
info@survival-international.org http://www.survival-international.org 
Comments
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Racism against Bushmen
04.08.2004 20:31
Bessie Head, the South African novelist who lived in exile in Botswana, wrote a great novel entitled 'Maru' about the racism endured by Bushmen, or Masarwa as they are called on Botswana.
This is the final push to move people connected to their ancestral lands off them in order to grab the resources. It is happening globally in Central and South America, Central Africa and Asia. The argument used is that of modernising (sound familiar?) but the human cost is high with depression, suicide and addictions to dull the pain. The resouces; oil, diamonds, coltan will long be used up whilst societies struggle still to deal with the aftermath of broken families and communities.
Megan