Around the world, culture and traditional life is under attack from the forces of progress and commerce. The Kalahari Bushmen and their struggle are documented in the book Heart of Dryness: How the Last Bushmen Can Help Us Endure the Coming Age of Permanent Drought by James G. Workman. In the book, the Botswana diamond mining industry is criticized for its role in the sabotage of Bushmen water resources. Michael Campana, an American University professor writes a lengthy review and critique:

http://aquadoc.typepad.com/waterwired/2009/09/heart-of-dryness.html

In the 1980s the bushmen were brought to international fame through the movie comedy “The Gods Must Be Crazy.” To our amusement, a Coke bottle (tossed from a plane) drops from the sky and into their midst, and turns life for the locals upside-down. An intrepid bushman named Xi, played by N!xau, decides to deliver the bottle to the ends of the earth.

And here we are three decades later. I hope that people find my video for “Coconut Radio,” which uses extensive footage from the colonialism-themed 1930s classic “Wild Men of the Kalahari”will be entertaining but will provoke some thought and reflection as well. It would be easy to forget that the men, women and children of the film were real people and that their descendents live on today and are fighting for survival, cultural preservation and land – much like indigenous First Nations in places like Canada.

Watch my video at the main page of this website or check out the HD version on YouTube.