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| Bushman child, CKGR, Botswana 2004
© 2004 Stephen Corry/Survival |
Report broadcast in 200 countries
A recent TV report by the BBC's international channel, BBC World, has exposed
the real reason behind the eviction of Bushmen from Botswana's Central Kalahari
Game Reserve – the rich diamond deposits beneath their land. The BBC reported
that 'gold, silver and diamonds are being sought on the very land
Bushmen call theirs.'
The BBC report also made clear that 'force has been used to keep the
Bushmen out.'
It is the latest example of how the world's media are focusing their
attention on the scandal, and how the actions of Botswana's government are
gravely damaging its international reputation.
The report also exposed the fallacy of the government's supposed reason for
the forced eviction – to 'develop' the Bushmen. As one Bushman interviewed for
the report said, 'If they really want us to modernise, why don't they
bring the schools and development to us in our ancestral lands? We think there
is another agenda here: our land is very rich in minerals… Moving us from our
land is a way of making us extinct.'
Survival International's Director, Stephen Corry, said today, 'Not a
single independent witness or journalist has confirmed the government's story
that these evictions are voluntary. On the contrary, everyone now knows the
Bushmen are being given no choice and forced off their lands. It's not being
done to help them or to preserve game, it's being done so that others can take
the land's riches. This is the biggest mistake in Botswana's history.'
Click here to donate to Survival's Bushman campaign.
Click here to join Survival's letter writing campaign on behalf of Botswana's Bushmen.
