government persecution
Mistreatment of the G/wi
A report published on Wednesday last week included some comments by Jumanda Gakelebone, a long-time leader of the G/wi and G//ana people of Botswana. As always, he forcefully expressed his passionate advocacy for fair government treatment of his people. Gakelebone, 40, identified in this current story only as “secretary and spokesperson of Roy Sesana,” derides […]
Kind Words for the Nubians
A committee in Egypt, charged by President el-Sisi with totaling up the damages caused to Nubians when the Aswan High Dam destroyed their villages over 50 years ago, has completed its work. Egypt Today, a monthly magazine, posted an article last week reporting that the committee has listed the families involved that deserve some financial […]
San Hunters Versus Botswana
A high court in Botswana dismissed a case the government had brought against four San men accused of hunting in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. The men, some of whom may have been G/wi, escaped a possible penalty of up to five years in prison. According to a report by Innocent Tshukudu published on August […]
Endangered Species and the San
Last Thursday, the government of the UK hosted an international conference on the illegal trade of wildlife, but protesters greeted delegates with placards stating “Botswana: Bushmen hunters are not poachers.” In May last year, according to the conference website, His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, along with several African leaders developed the idea for […]
G/wi are Being “Treated Like Dogs”
Last week the BBC published a moving story about living conditions in New Xade, a resettlement camp to which the G/wi were relocated by the government of Botswana. They were forced by government agents 16 years ago to load their belongings and themselves onto the backs of trucks, which took them to their new village. […]
Travel Boycott to Botswana
When a court appeal by the G/wi for unfettered access to their lands was denied in September, Survival International pledged to mount an international campaign for justice. The government of Botswana has sought to prevent the San people from hunting, from having access to water, and from living on their traditional lands. It hassles people […]
G/wi Lose Court Appeal
On Friday the 13th, Botswana’s High Court rejected an attempt by the G/wi and some other San people to regain unrestricted access to their traditional lands in the Kalahari Desert. In the 1990s, the government of Botswana started forcibly removing the San from their homes in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) and relocating them […]
Botswana Bars San Attorney
The G/wi and the other San peoples are once again heading into court to appeal repression, but this time the government of Botswana is exerting its authority. It has barred their English lawyer from entering the country. News stories in Africa last week and abroad have criticized the most recent action. The government of Botswana […]
Batek Cope with Globalization [journal article review]
The Batek experiences with globalization, which bring violence and the fear of violence into their lives, have prompted many to move out of their forests into sedentary villages. In a journal article released a few months ago, Ivan Tacey carefully explains why global economic, social, cultural, and religious forces are so destructive to the Batek, […]
G/wi File Another Court Suit
The Voice of America news service reported last week that the San groups in Botswana, including the G/wi, have filed a court suit against the government for continuing to deny them access to their lands. Survival International (SI), an indigenous rights organization based in London, is aiding the San peoples in their struggle. Despite the […]
