Botswana's Bushmen face more-modern world

A hot wind blows Kalahari sand into the eyes of Molatlhwe Mokalake, a member of one of the world's oldest tribes. He is not sure of his age, but he's definitely an elder.

A few hundred yards away from him in this resettlement camp is a pile of sticks. It is what's left of Mr. Mokalake's small hut from when he lived in the community of Molapo, in Botswana's Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR).

A government delegation came to his village in February, dismantled his house, and placed it Â- and him Â- on the back of a truck, sending him 150 miles away to start a new life.

But it is a life he does not want. Mokalake spent his whole life on the same land his ancestors have trod for the past 20,000 years.

"I am feeling very sad," he says, speaking in the Bushmen language with its trademark clicks and tuts. "We were created by God on the land of our fathers and their forefathers Â- it is our ancestral home. The government has treated us unfairly. We were not given any choice about moving out."

For the Gana and Gwi Â- the so-called Bushmen of the Kalahari Â- it is a story that has been repeated over and over during the past 15 years as the government has pursued its declared aim of "developing and integrating" them into the mainstream of Botswana society.

The Bushmen say that the government just wants access to the CKGR's potential diamond wealth, though no diamond deposits have been found there.

Assisted by local advocacy and tribal-rights groups, the Bushmen, accused by their government of living a "stone-age" existence, put their faith in 21st-century action. Two weeks ago, the hearing to have their eviction declared illegal and their right to return home upheld went to court.

But last Friday, the case was thrown out. A judge ruled that the advocacy group First People of the Kalahari was not authorized to speak for the 242 displaced Bushmen. Lawyers plan to refile the case.

Earlier this month, the United Nations' special rapporteur on indigenous peoples condemned the government for its "discriminatory practices," warning that separation from their tribal lands risks the Bushmen's very survival "as a distinct people."

The government rejects criticism, however, maintaining that by "encouraging" these people to move to areas outside the reserve they may be more easily provided with modern facilities, such as schools and clinics.

The last straw for the Bushmen came in February when the government cut off their water supply in the CKGR.

"The government itself had given them water in the reserve and food supplies and mobile clinics," says Qose Xukuri, of First People of the Kalahari. "Now the government has stopped the water supply and told them to get out."

The government said it had become too expensive to pump water into the area, despite the European Union having offered to foot the bill.

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