SOS Bushmen

Botswana President Festus Mogae has met with a small number of Bushmen in an effort to persuade them not to return to their life of hunting and gathering in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

Only about 100 of the 2 000 Bushmen in New Xade attended Thursday's meeting with the president although state media had encouraged them not to return to the game reserve -- as a court had ruled they had the right to do -- until after they had heard the president's speech.

New Xade is a village on the western edge of the game reserve where the Bushmen evicted from the reserve by the government were relocated.

About 40 San Bushmen have returned to their ancestral homeland in Botswana following a court ruling that found they were wrongly evicted by the government and could return, a statement said on Tuesday. "A group of 40 Bushmen have managed to return to their homes in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve this weekend despite a heavy police presence and attempts to persuade them to stay in the relocation camps," rights group Survival International said. "All the Bushmen in the convoy were allowed into the reserve by the wildlife guards at the gates, although some were only issued with temporary permits," it said. A court in the southern city of Lobatse ruled last month that hundreds of Bushmen were wrongly forced out from the Kalahari Game Reserve after a marathon legal battle.

Keratwaemang Kekailwe spent his childhood collecting wild fruits and eating the meat of animals killed by his father. Now he cuts a desolate figure, wearing blue jeans, a T-shirt and an unkempt beard, dependent on government handouts.

A court has said Kekailwe and other Bushmen have the right to resume their ancient hunter-gatherer ways in a vast game reserve the Botswana government had argued was threatened by their presence. The December verdict was hailed as a victory for indigenous peoples around the world.

But the government has made it difficult for the tribesmen to return. It says they can't take along cows or goats or items that have become necessary to supplement hunting and gathering.

Sus miembros vuelven poco a poco a sus tierras, de las que fueron sacados ilegalmente para destinar la zona al turismo y los diamantes.

Un grupo de 40 bosquimanos consiguieron volver a sus casas en la Reserva Central del Kalahari esta misma semana tras la decisión del Tribunal Supremo del país que les dio la razón después de años reclamando unos territorios ancestrales que siempre les han pertenecido, y pese la fuerte presencia policial en la zona que pretendía convencerles para que permanecieran en los campos en los que habían sido recolocados.

Il week-end scorso, quaranta Boscimani sono riusciti a tornare a casa, nella riserva del Kalahari centrale (CKGR), nonostante una massiccia presenza di polizia e i suoi tentativi di convincerli a rimanere nei campi di reinsediamento.

Los jueces del Tribunal Supremo de Botsuana dictaminaron el pasado 13 de diciembre que los bosquimanos expulsados de las Reservas de Kalahari "tienen el derecho a habitar en sus tierras ancestrales", después de años de lucha contra el Gobierno de este país, que los expulsó de estos territorios hace algo más de cuatro años.

La sentencia establecía que la expulsión de los bosquimanos es "inconstitucional e ilegal". Asimismo, el Tribunal determina que los denunciantes tienen derecho a cazar y reunirse en la reserva, y no necesitan ningún tipo de permiso especial para entrar en ella, según informa la ONG Survival International.

Grazie alla straordinaria vittoria legale conseguita il 13 dicembre scorso, un primo gruppo di Boscimani farà ritorno alla propria terra venerdì prossimo.

Alcune famiglie di Boscimani del campo di reinsediamento di New Xade hanno annunciato che ritorneranno nelle comunità di Metsiamenong e di Molapo, all'interno della riserva del Kalahari centrale (CKGR).