Wimsa praises Govt moves to improve welfare of San

AN organisation that represents the San, and a constant critic of the Namibian Government, has praised the authorities for moves to improve the welfare of the people considered the first inhabitants of Southern Africa.

Wimsa (Working Group of Indigenous Minorities in Southern Africa) issued a statement in which it briefly outlined the passing of the last decade. Yesterday marked the end of the United Nation’s “Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples”.At the same time the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Namibia launched this year’s Human Development Report whose theme was “Cultural Liberty in Today’s Diverse World”.Namibia was ranked 126th on a list of more than 177 country, indicating a steadily declining standard of living for the average citizen.The San continue to be at the bottom of the survival list.Wimsa said its experiences with governments of Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe had been ambivalent – ranging from an attempt to improve their living conditions, to lack of care.In Namibia, Wimsa singled out the Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture for encouraging mother-tongue education, and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism support of conservancies.Addressing the launch of the Human Development Report, UN Resident Coordinator Jacqui Badcock quoted a statement by the UNDP Administrator, Mark Malloch Brown, that mother-tongue provides a good bases for education of children.Brown also pointed out that “human development is first and foremost about allowing people to lead the kind of life they choose – and providing them with the tools and opportunity to make those choices”.The statement challenges universal thinking, for example, that the San or Bushmen, as they are sometimes referred to, needed to discard their ancient customary lifestyle to modernity.But Brown said: “Unless people who are poor and marginalised – who more often than not are members of religious or ethnic minorities or migrants – can influence political action at local and national levels, they are unlikely to get equitable access to jobs, schools, hospitals, justice, security and other basic services.”Wimsa pointed out that at least two of the six San traditional authorities have been given official recognition, but complained that the government of Botswana has refused to recognise tribal authorities for the San.Wimsa listed among its obstacles to a better life for the San, the “forced removal” of the G|ui and G_ana from the Central Kalahari Game Park in Botswana.South Africa received praise for the relocation and provision of land, while Angola is said to open up after the end of the war.Listed among the achievements is successful negotiations with a pharmaceutical company to share profits of an sliming drug made from the Hoodia succulent, which has for years been used to suppress hunger.Yesterday marked the end of the United Nation’s “Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples”.At the same time the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Namibia launched this year’s Human Development Report whose theme was “Cultural Liberty in Today’s Diverse World”.Namibia was ranked 126th on a list of more than 177 country, indicating a steadily declining standard of living for the average citizen.The San continue to be at the bottom of the survival list.Wimsa said its experiences with governments of Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe had been ambivalent – ranging from an attempt to improve their living conditions, to lack of care.In Namibia, Wimsa singled out the Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture for encouraging mother-tongue education, and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism support of conservancies.Addressing the launch of the Human Development Report, UN Resident Coordinator Jacqui Badcock quoted a statement by the UNDP Administrator, Mark Malloch Brown, that mother-tongue provides a good bases for education of children.Brown also pointed out that “human development is first and foremost about allowing people to lead the kind of life they choose – and providing them with the tools and opportunity to make those choices”.The statement challenges universal thinking, for example, that the San or Bushmen, as they are sometimes referred to, needed to discard their ancient customary lifestyle to modernity.But Brown said: “Unless people who are poor and marginalised – who more often than not are members of religious or ethnic minorities or migrants – can influence political action at local and national levels, they are unlikely to get equitable access to jobs, schools, hospitals, justice, security and other basic services.”Wimsa pointed out that at least two of the six San traditional authorities have been given official recognition, but complained that the government of Botswana has refused to recognise tribal authorities for the San.Wimsa listed among its obstacles to a better life for the San, the “forced removal” of the G|ui and G_ana from the Central Kalahari Game Park in Botswana.South Africa received praise for the relocation and provision of land, while Angola is said to open up after the end of the war.Listed among the achievements is successful negotiations with a pharmaceutical company to share profits of an sliming drug made from the Hoodia succulent, which has for years been used to suppress hunger.