Although some communities affected by the hunting ban have been offered food parcels, the Kalahari Bushmen have been left to starve, with no assistance from the government.
Wealthy tourists are being invited to travel to Botswana to hunt big game on private ranches that have been exempted from the ban.
But Bushmen from Botswana's Central Kalahari Game Reserve, who have hunted with spears, bows and arrows for millennia, are being arrested, beaten and jailed for subsistence hunting.
The ban openly flouts Botswana's landmark high court ruling in 2006, which upheld the Bushmen's right to hunt on their ancestral land in the reserve.
In February Botswana's President Khama was an honoured guest at a global anti-poaching conference in London, alongside Prince Charles and Prince William.
The initiative resulted in the launch of Prince William's United for Wildlife, drawing together seven big conservation organizations, including US-based Conservation International (CI) of which President Khama is a board member.
Bushmen left to starve
Although some communities affected by the hunting ban have been offered food parcels, the Kalahari Bushmen have been left to starve, with no assistance from the government.
Perversely, the Botswana Tourism Organization uses images of hunting Bushmen to attract tourists, especially big game hunters. Survival has called for a boycott of tourism to Botswana.
The depth of meaning that hunting has for tribal peoples like the Bushmen was explained by Bushman leader Roy Sesana:
"I grew up as a hunter. All our boys and men were hunters. Hunting is going and talking to the animals. You don't steal. You go and ask. You set a trap or go with bow and spear. It can take days. You track the antelope. He knows you are there, he knows he has to give you strength. But he runs and you have to run.
"As you run, you become like him. It can last hours and exhaust you both. You talk to him and look into his eyes. And then he knows he must give you his strength so your children can live."
Hunting for survival, or for 'sport'?
Survival's Director Stephen Corry said: "Banning hunting in order to feed your family, but allowing the wealthy to hunt for trophies, plays to a lobby still rooted in racist beliefs about tribal peoples' inferiority.
The national park movement entailed the enforced eviction, often the complete destruction, of the tribes who lived off the land. Satellite imagery now proves that many tribal peoples are the world's best conservationists, yet they're still being destroyed.
It's not 'conservation'; it's just an old colonial crime, and it's time the responsible organizations opposed it. Instead, they hide behind hollow policies, while continuing to support governments guilty of such inhuman behaviour."
Your support is vital if the Bushmen are to survive. There are many ways you can help.
- Writing a letter to the Botswana government is a quick and simple way to let them know of your concern.
- Join Survival's tourism boycott to Botswana to place pressure on the government to respect the Bushmen's rights.
- Donate to the Bushman campaign (and other Survival campaigns).
- Write to your MP or MEP (UK) or Senators and members of Congress (US).
- Write to your local Botswana high commission or embassy.
- If you want to get more involved, contact Survival...
