DeBeers versus the Bushmen

Diamonds are not a Bushmans best friend.



Away from the prying eyes of the world, the last remaining Kalahari Bushmen, or San people of Botswana, are being starved of food and water in a bid to force them off the land their forefathers have roamed for the past 30,000 years.
This is the final chapter in a 17-year saga which has seen the relocation of some 2,200 San out of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) into resettlement camps by the Botswana Government.

According to the Reporters segment BBC World Report DeBeers and diamonds have been responsible for the forceable removal of all but 200 Kalahari Deseert Bushmen from their land by the Botsawana Government.

Bushmen fight for homeland

If you have ever taken an introductory Anthropolgy course, the Kalahari Bushmen are the first case study you read about. The Kung and San are stone age peoples who live in the South African Desert. For that time they have lived as hunters and gathers and give us an insight into our ancestors.

Now the Botswana government has forcely removed them from their ancestoral lands, lands they own, in order to "modernize" them, you know make them consumers and landless workers under capitalism.

Bushmen mourn lost lifestyle

The Government is claiming it wants to protect the Desert Wildlife preserve where the Bushmen live. However that reserve is also the Bushmen's territorial land, whats left of it. They are of course claiming that this area should be free from human habitation, even the humans who have lived there for the past 30,000 years. As for environmental concerns, the Bushmen using traditional methods of hunting and gathering are an important part of the ecology of the desert. With them present animal life has increased, through proper human culling. Without them well that should be obvious even to the Botswana government.

And like other aboriginal peoples those who have been forced into the new concrete concentration camps the Botswana reserves the Bushmen have been introduced to modernization through forced schooling, unemployment, and hanging at the local bar. So AIDs and Alcholism the diseases of modern capitlaism are now running rampant through the community, a community that had never known these diseases mere years ago.



And it all has to do with DeBeers and their lust for diamonds. For under the much needed to be protected wildlife preserve of the the Kalahari lays a vast store house of diamonds.

Bushmen 'moved for diamonds'

And rather than deal with the inconvincance of dealing with the real owners of the land, the Bushmen, they deal with the State and allow their pals in the Botswana government do the dirty work.

Yep ain't capitalism grand.


Living as part of nature-The hunter gatherer lifestyle of the Kalahari Bushmen epitomises what many consider to be the closest relationship with nature that humans can have. Laurens van der Post made the Bushmen famous in his book the Lost World of the Kalahari in which he depicted them as living in some idyllic Eden. He even ate with them from a tree he called the tree of knowledge.



The Kalahari Bushmen

The Bushmen are a group of nomadic hunter-gatherers who are believed to be descendents of the first inhabitants of South Africa, with records dating back 30,000 years. Also known as the San or Basarwa, the Bushmen are a unique group of people with a distinct culture, language, and lifestyle.

Life of the Bushmen
The hardiness of the Bushmen has allowed them to adapt to various changes. They have had to deal with the encroachment of modern civilization with its huge cities, large farms, and grazing cattle as well as the persecution of governments attempting to relocate and "educate" the Bushmen. This hardiness has allowed the Bushmen to survive in the harsh conditions of the Kalahari, where some still reside today.

Being hunter-gatherers, the Bushmen were mainly concerned with survival. They are renowned for being master trackers and hunters, using cleverly designed bows and arrows to kill animals. As trackers, the Bushmen are able to follow the tracks of an animal across virtually any terrain, and they are able to distinguish the tracks of a wounded animal. Traditionally, men hunted while the women gathered, but it is not uncommon for women to assist in the hunt and men to help in the gathering of edible plants.

Since the Bushmen lived off the land, they were unable to stay in one place. They needed to move constantly from one place to another, but they were never reckless in their wandering. The Bushmen carefully mapped out their annual route, plotting a course that would take them to areas where the food had recently ripened.

Art and Dance of the Bushmen
The Bushmen love to draw. They have created rock paintings all over southern Africa, in an estimated 50,000 sites. Early historians believed the paintings depicted everyday life but, on the contrary, the paintings held a deep spiritual and religious meaning.

Experts now believe that many of the paintings were closely associated with the Bushmen medicine man, also known as a shaman. A shaman is someone who enters a trance in order to perform a variety of functions, such as healing the sick and wounded and ensuring good hunting. The rock paintings were a result of these trances, as the shamans sought to depict their visions.



Dancing also plays a big part in the Bushmen culture. The trance dance is a ritual dance performed only when someone is ill. A fire is lit and the women sit around it in a circle. The dancers, mostly men, then start dancing in a circle around the women while the women sing, clap and tend to the fire. The first few hours are relaxed and sociable, but once a dancer enters a trance, the clapping and singing intensify and the shaman begins the healing process.

The rain dance is similar to the trance dance, but the whole event is much more relaxed. If you're lucky, you may be able to witness one of these spectacular events, or you may even be asked to join.

Visiting the Bushmen
Today, many of the Bushmen have been driven off their native lands to make room for mining and farming operations. A majority of the population are no longer hunter-gatherers. Instead, they work on farms or ranches, but all is not lost. People working for the preservation of the Bushmen culture have realized that tourism may be their path to salvation. Tours are available that allow you to visit the Bushmen and experience the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. You will be able to participate in hunts, gather edible plants, and witness the wonder of a ritual dance. And with that money, the Bushmen hope to be able to keep their land, preserve their culture and continue their historical survival.



some photos from: Kalahari by Dennis White