The Plight of the Bushmen

Plight: it means a difficult or dangerous situation, a predicament that's especially sad or desperate.

The Bushmen of Botswana are facing a sad and desperate future after their lives have been changed forever.

Thousands of Bushmen have been forced off their ancestral lands by the government, even though they have hunted here for 10,000 years. Many have been moved into ‘resettlement’ camps against their will.

The SOS Village in Botswana is home to four Bush children. They came to the village from desert communities where their forefathers roamed the land freely for centuries, moving from one place to the next in search of food.

Children without parents

The children who arrived at the SOS Village from the ‘Bush’ have no parents and therefore the local authority placed them in the care of SOS Children.

A whole new way of life is now in front of them.  They will go to school, learn to speak English and take part in a developing and modern Botswana.  In a few years, their ‘mother-tongue’ and life living in the Bush will be distant memories.

Bikkie and Gaone talk to us about their former way of life and how people from their desert communities are being treated.

Uncertain future

The future of the Bushmen is uncertain.  There are those who continue to live their traditional lives on their ancestral lands, albeit against the odds.   However, many now reside in ‘resettlement’ camps, often becoming dependent on alcohol and food handouts.