resettlement
A Review of Nubian Discontent
A statement by the young Nubian activist Siham Othman was widely quoted after she was arrested, along with 23 other protesters during their peaceful demonstration in Aswan early last September. She was quoted again two weeks ago in an Associated Press news report reviewing the reasons for the Nubian discontent. The writer, Hamza Hendawi, is […]
A Time of Stresses in the Kalahari
An increasing number of G/wi and G//ana residents of New Xade, a resettlement community in western Botswana, say they want to return to their former homes in the Kalahari Desert. Jumanda Gakelebone, a prominent advocate for the rights of the long-suffering San people and now the councilor for New Xade, which is in the Gantsi […]
Nubians Still Waiting for their Lands
Eight months after the Nubians dramatically protested for rights that are guaranteed by the Egyptian constitution, they are still waiting for the government to carry through with its promises. Last week, Public Radio International, a media organization based in the U.S., published a report providing the reasons for the Nubian discontentment and an update to […]
San Glad to be Back in the Kalahari
Some of the G/wi and G//ana San people who were expelled from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) in Botswana have since returned to their ancestral desert in order to be themselves. Hunting and gathering as they have always done defines who they are, they feel, so it is hard for them to stop, despite […]
Update on Nubian Protests
Last November, Nubians staged protests in southern Egypt to dramatize their arguments that they’ve been cheated out of their rights and of their lands by the government. They demanded a recognition of their right to resettle their historic territory in Old Nubia, especially since it is guaranteed in the Egyptian constitution. A news story in […]
Impatient Young Nubians
Egyptian Nubians are becoming more assertive since the government is reneging on its promise that they have a right to return to lands along the Nile in southern Egypt. Current developments were described by a news report in The Economist on September 17. The reporter provided a brief summary of Nubian history that included the […]
Potential Improvements for the G/wi
The government of Botswana continues making the right noises about improving the lives of the San who remain in their ancestral areas of the Kalahari Desert. News about the way Botswana has started taking some responsibility for helping the G/wi and G//ana San people—at least for ending its repressive policies toward them—was reported in this […]
The Nubian Singer
An Egyptian television series called “The Singer” recently angered the Nubian community by seriously misrepresenting the history of their removal from Old Nubia in the 1960s. A news report in Al Monitor last week explained the reactions and controversy surrounding episode 5 of the series. The series includes the popular Egyptian singer, actor, and musician […]
Birhor Cope with Changes [journal article review]
The formerly nomadic Birhor are struggling to cope with their forced resettlement into permanent communities, which has had a serious impact on their cultural values. A recent journal article by Deborah Nadal examines these changes in Birhor settlement patterns over the past 50 years and their impact on the people. Nadal did fieldwork in Dingura […]
Encouraging Amish to Move to West Virginia
The Amish are hassled by American communities about the manure their horses drop, the outhouses they erect, the building codes they sometimes ignore, and the slow moving vehicle warning triangles some of them refuse to use. One Amish store in Pennsylvania was condemned because it did not sell American flags, much like hundreds of other […]