Botswana
.
I heard on NPR about the relocation of the Kalahari bushmen, and it's got my stomach in knots.
You all know my issue with blood diamonds, aka conflict diamonds; because they come from regions in conflict. The overly high price of diamonds pays for the conflict, and (as always) the average citizens are the ones who suffer. Well, there's a whole new kind of suffering attached to diamonds now.

The Kalahari bushmen had lived on their land for 30,000 years. They have managed to maintain their culture, values and traditions, while sharing their knowledge with the outside world.

Earlier this month, the news channels were excitedly talking about the Kalahari bushmen and an appetite-suppressing plant that grows on their land. 'Wow! Think what this could do for fat Americans!'
Nothing was said about the government taking that very land away. Nothing was said about the reason behind it. Nothing was said about relocation camps, alcohol or AIDS. Nothing was said about the death of a culture so those same fat Americans can own a sparkly chunk of carbon.

According to the news, this is a voluntary relocation to create a game and tourist reserve, and has nothing whatsoever to do with good quality diamonds being found on their land. NPR tells a darker story.
It's a story we all learned in History class. A story of taking the good land and moving indigenous people to crap land. A story of draining the wells late at night and killing the medicine plants so the bushmen will "volunteer" to move.

But there's a difference between American history and modern day Botswana. The bushmen are going to court. They have legal rights, and they're not afraid to use them.

That won't reverse the diseases they've caught, and that is why my stomach is in knots. When they catch TB in their relocation camp, they can no longer perform their healing ceremonies on the burial sites of their ancestors. (One of their many traditions) On this new land, they have no traditions for finding food, water or spirit. So they live on government subsidy. And they find forgetfulness in drink and prostitution. And they get sick. And they will die.

For diamonds.

Some Botswana facts:
Botswana supplies 70 percent of the diamonds sold by the DTC. It relies on the gems for 75 to 80 percent of its export income, a direct 50 percent of its government income and 35 to 40 percent of its gross domestic product.
Botswana has one of the world's highest rates of HIV infection. Citizens are entitled to free anti-retroviral drugs which official reports indicate cost the country 477 million pula/annum, or 2,6 percent of the most recent national budget.