G/wi
Survival International Agitates on Behalf of San People
Survival International last week tried to shame another major diamond corporation with the taint of supporting the government of Botswana, which is continuing to persecute the G/wi. SI organized a well-publicized protest at the flagship store of Graff Diamonds on New Bond Street in London on Tuesday afternoon. According to the SI press release, the […]
Celebrate Human Rights—Persecute the G/wi
While many people around the world celebrated the 60th anniversary last Wednesday of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Botswana took the occasion to announce repressive measures against the G/wi. That country apparently did not notice the tragic paradox. Last Thursday morning, December 11, Google News provided links to 4,056 stories and […]
G/wi Appeal to the Pope
The G/wi and G//ana people have appealed to Pope Benedict XVI for help in prompting the government of Botswana to allow them to return to their homes. Botswana and the Vatican have recently established diplomatic relations, a move that was initiated by the previous President of the country, Festus Mogae. A spokesman for the San […]
G/wi Convince De Beers to Shut Down Diamond Explorations
Survival International reported last week that De Beers has capitulated to their pressure and has announced that it will not do any more diamond exploring in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). SI believes that this decision is a “huge victory for the Bushmen [the San].” The renewed commitment to exploring for diamonds, and the […]
Survival International Renews Campaign Against De Beers
Survival International claimed last week that De Beers is resuming prospecting in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). According to the British human rights organization, the planned exploration for diamonds in the vicinity of the San community of Metsiamenong threatens the G/wi and the other San people who live there, as well as the fragile […]
Wildfires Scorch the Kalahari
The giant bush fires that swept across the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) in Botswana last month have finally burned out, but the damage is still being assessed. Survival International raised the alarm about the situation on September 8 with a news release indicating that huge fires were destroying a lot of vegetation, including the […]
Tourists in Botswana Get Water, but G/wi Do Not
A travel company based in South Africa received permission on Friday from the government of Botswana to build a tourist lodge near a G/wi settlement in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). As part of the deal, the company has permission to sink numerous bore holes to provide water for the guests they expect to […]
Supporters Protest Once Again the Treatment of the G/wi
Survival International and its supporters protested last week the continuing abuse of the G/wi people for two very different reasons, both of which received attention in the press. On Wednesday, March 12, SI staged a demonstration outside Chatham House in London, where three influential women from Botswana were scheduled to be part of a seminar […]
Hunting for the G/wi
While Monday was a holiday in rural Pennsylvania—the opening day of rifle buck season—last weekend brought no joy to the G/wi hunters of the Kalahari. In fact, they want to regain their traditional hunting rights, so they are planning to take the Botswana government into court once again. During the past couple of months, Botswana […]
Another Van Der Post Writes about the Bushmen
The Botswana High Court decision in favor of the G/wi last December 13 was announced on the one-hundredth anniversary of the birth of Sir Laurens Van Der Post. The famed South African writer had described, and romanticized, the lives of the G/wi, and the other San peoples, nearly 50 years ago in one of his […]
