Botswana’s Bushmen fight for water

Heart of Dryness: Botswana’s Bushmen Fight for Human, Water Rights (Circle of Blue) – The fifth installment of Workman’s book details the Bushmen’s painful legal battle for water access against the Botswana government, which had begun to use “intentional, compulsory thirst” on the indigenous community. Left little choice, the Bushmen pursued court action to make access to water a fundamental human right. The Bushmen teamed up with local activists and a growing international movement to win what is considered a landmark case for indigenous rights as well as one of the national tests of whether humans are endowed with an inherent right to water, according to Workman. Despite the victory, there have still been reports of abuse and land battles by the government against the indigenous peoples.

Read full Circle of Blue article.

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