The !Khwa ttu experience is all about the San; a culture that dates back more than 40,000 years. We, the San (sometimes referred to as ‘Bushmen’) are the indigenous – or ‘first people’ of Southern Africa. Our ancestors were the original hunter-gatherers of Africa who encountered a paradox fate over time: while thousands were persecuted, killed or incorporated into local rural serfdom, some managed to survive in relative isolation and cling to a semi-traditional life-style as recently as the 1960’s. These scattered small communities became the most studied, researched and filmed indigenous group throughout the world. 
However, this romantic fascination with our people all too often overlooks the real conditions that most of the 100’000 San of Southern Africa live under today. During the last 200 years, we have lost all ancestral lands and a good part of our cultural identity that is attached to one’s own language and traditional upbringing. 

The reasons for this are as manifold as the complex colonial history and African migration movements from pre-colonial to present times. Consequently, today our people are poverty-stricken, desperately marginalized and discriminated against.
However, during the last few decades we have formed our own San organizations and identified relevant programmes and projects. With the assistance of professionals we run education programmes, conduct advocacy work, fight for rights to land and intellectual property and manage projects such as the !Khwa ttu Culture and Education Centre.

http://www.khwattu.org

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