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| Bushman elder, CKGR, Botswana 2004
© 2004 Stephen Corry/Survival |
London, 19 August 2003: Thousands of Gana and Gwi 'Bushmen' have been
forcibly evicted from their ancestral lands in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve
(CKGR), Botswana, reports The Ecologist.
In a special focus on the Bushmen's plight, the September edition of The
Ecologist reveals that since 1997, the government of Botswana has been uprooting
the Bushmen from their ancestral lands, and moving them to resettlement camps.
Reasons given have included the Bushmen's 'development', and conservation of the
area. In fact, the exact opposite is taking place. An exploration boom aimed at
securing lucrative profits from the exploitation of future diamond mines on the
reserve is well under, and there has been a huge increase in diamond concessions
in the reserve since the Bushmen evictions. De Beers, the world's largest
diamond company is one of the major players.
Botswana produced 29% of the world's diamonds by value in 2001, far more than
any other country. In that year, diamond sales from Botswana amounted to $2.3
billion. This accounts for 70% of Botswana's foreign exchange earnings and 50%
of government revenue. One company, Debswana (ie De Beers Botswana), which is
jointly owned by the Botswana government and De Beers, controls Botwana's
diamond mining industry. There is no doubt that Botswana matters to De Beers,
who at present, control over 50% of the world's gem diamond production.
The Ecologist and Survival believe that the Bushmen's plight is inextricably
linked to Botswana's diamond trade and indeed, the country's economy. Threats
and intimidation from the police and government officials are commonplace.
Hunting, the Bushmen's lifeblood has been banned. Virtually all the Bushmen now
live in grim resettlement camps characterised by alcoholism, violence and
despair. Only 100 still hold out in the Reserve.
Zac Goldsmith, editor of The Ecologist says: The future of the
Bushmen is hanging in the balance. To have any chance of survival, they need to
be allowed the freedom to live the way they choose, on their own land. De Beers
is the Diamond trade in Botswana, and the Diamond trade is killing this ancient
culture. It's time for the company to behave responsibly and join us in our call
on the Botswana government to change its policy – before it's too
late.
Stephen Corry, Director of Survival: The Botswana government's
persecution of the Bushmen is one of the greatest crimes against indigenous
peoples today. They are kicked off the land they've lived on for thousands of
years, and their way of life and culture – so attuned to the Kalahari – could
not be held in more contempt. Claims that the Bushmen 'want Cadillacs like the
rest of us', and that evicting the Bushmen is 'like culling elephants,' are the
most absurd edicts voiced by government ministers about tribal peoples anywhere
in the world. Tellingly, De Beers's directors have welcomed the evictions, and
the company is now looking for significant diamond deposits inside the Bushmen's
reserve.
Notes to the Editor
The Ecologist: Founded in 1970, The Ecologist is the
world's most widely-read environmental magazine and has helped set environmental
and green political agendas around the world. Published in four continents, The
Ecologist is read by over 200,000 people in 150 countries. For comments from The
Ecologist's editor, Zac Goldsmith, please contact Victoria McDougall on 00 44
(0)20 7 351 3578 or email victoria@theecologist.org. The
September edition of The Ecologist is available on newsstands today.
