The Plight of the Botswana Bushmen

On Tuesday the BBC released an article on the Bostwana Bushmen. When reading it I could not help but think of the parallels to the Native Americans on reservations in America. Visiting Africa and going on safari is something I have always considered on my list of things to do but how much is our tourism costing people in Africa?

Well at first that was what I considered the issue was, an attempt by the government to expand tourism. However, the Botswana Bushmen's land lies directly on the world's richest diamond field.

These tribesman live on and from the land and therefore they are not costing the world a great deal. Yet, now they have been forced to live a 'modern life'. They have become dependent on the state rather then on their own self sufficiency. When we are considering the implications of the benefit culture in our own country this is worrying (George Osborne wants to cut more money from the welfare state - click here for the full story).

My thoughts are that as a Western world we are concerned with a sustainable world yet our businesses are forcing perhaps the most sustainable tribes to modernise. Our lives are not particular happy, money does not make things better. You just need to read the thoughts of Mark Boyle who lived on no money for an entire year and continues to do so to realise this.

I am encouraged by the words that Mark quotes from Ghandi, 'Be the change you want to see in the world'.

That does not mean we all have to go to limits that Mark has but lets consider our actions so that the West's contradiction becomes a quality of the past not the present. Be the change. Read the BBC article and make your own deductions.

The Tribesman face a difficult transition to an unwanted life.