All language subtitles for Tropic of Capricorn 1of4 Namibia and Botswana_Subtitles01.ENG

'Imagine a line,
more than 22,000 miles long,

'that cuts through some of the most
remote areas of the southern
hemisphere.'

And look what's up ahead of us!
Look at this! Look at this sight!

'The Tropic of Capricorn
marks the southern edge of
the Earth's tropical zone.

'It runs through Southern Africa,
Australia and South America.'

This is just nature showing off!

'Following the line will
take me to beautiful but
troubled regions of the world.'

Aah! Bloody hell!

'Capricorn passes through
areas of desperate poverty,

'political conflict

'and environmental devastation.'

Just ripping it down. Look at this!

'The first leg of my journey takes
me through Namibia and Botswana,

'and on a gruelling journey
across the Kalahari Desert.'

Bloody hell.

Just over there is where
the Tropic of Capricorn hits Africa.

This is the start of my journey
around the world, following the line

that marks the southern border
of the tropics.

'This is Namibia, on the west coast
of Southern Africa.

'20 years ago this country was
ruled by Apartheid South Africa.

'Now it wants to present a very
different face to the world.

'Namibia is becoming a top
destination for adventure travel,
and young entrepreneurs are

'harnessing some of the world's
biggest sand dunes for the latest
sports craze - sand boarding.'

How are you? OK. How you doing? OK.

This is a bit steep.

Yes, this is the bunny slope.
The bunny slope?
The baby one, yeah. The baby slope?!

The bigger ones,
we have to go a bit higher still.

I'll just try and stay on it, OK?

No problem, yeah. But that's the
high-tech speed machine,
the fastest on the dune.

'No need for expensive equipment.

'I'm trusting my safety
to a piece of hardboard.'

How fast can you go on a board?

The fastest you can go is about
75 to 80 kilometres an hour.

75 kilometres an hour?!
Yeah, definitely.

Make sure you keep the front
of the board up, all the time.

As soon as you put your hands down
sand is gonna come in your face
- not too pleasant. Not good.

So keep the mouth closed, yeah? OK.

What do I have to do?

'Faced with this terrifying slope,
I forgot everything
I'd just learnt.'

Arghhhh!

I'm eating the sand!

Going over the edge.

Yes!

That was fun! Another go,
I have to have another go.

'Despite the excitement, traditional
ski resorts do have some
advantages.'

This is why this is never going to
take off, because every time

you have to climb back up
the bloody dune!

'Just north of
the Tropic of Capricorn,

'on the edge of the desert, is
Namibia's second city, Swakopmund.

'Arriving here is a journey
into Namibia's colonial past.

'For three decades, up until the
First World War, Namibia was called
German South-West Africa,

'and Swakopmund still feels like
Bavaria in the sunshine.'

I'm just in an antiques shop
just near the supermarket,

which has a pretty varied
selection of German memorabilia.

Some of it's even Namibian.

'The Germans ruled the country
for just over 30 years,

'and more than 60,000 Germans
visit Namibia each year.

'This tourist shop had
a curious line in souvenirs.'

INAUDIBLE

Unbelievable.

What a strange place.

It's a little bit weird, frankly.

There's a strange mix
of memorabilia in this shop.

They've got stuff from the
Second Reich, the Third Reich, even.

Copies of Mein Kampf and little
photos of a smiling Hitler,

and then
they've got flags of Namibia...

..in celebration of the modern
country, it just seems a weird

conflict or contrast between
the old Germany and the new Namibia.

Swakopmund is built on a dark
secret, now largely forgotten.

In 1904, German troops crushed
a rebellion

by the indigenous
Herero and Nama people.

The German commander issued
an extermination order,

leading to the deaths of tens
of thousands of men,
women and children.

The Herero people couldn't live
in their own country?

They should be wiped out.

They should be shot at sight.

'I met up with Herero historian
Johanna Katjihapara, who explained

'that much of Swakopmund
was built by Herero slaves.

'Nearly half of them died
in concentration camps.'

This area, here next to the sea,
is where my ancestors were kept.

It is
a genocide because the order was to
exterminate the Ovaherero people.

How many Herero were
killed during this period,
how many people actually died?

Between 65,000 and 80,000 people.

Anything up to 80%
of the Herero people were wiped out

and, for those that were remaining,
they lost all their land?

Yeah.

'The few hundred Germans that died
during the rebellion are
honoured in Swakopmund cemetery.

'But there are
many more bodies here.'

We're leaving what seems to be
the sort of white, German bit
of the cemetery.

Look, the path stops.

Everywhere where I'm walking
right now, I'm walking over the
bones...the remains of my ancestors.

Therefore, I need to go down,
take a little bit of the soil.

SHE SPITS

That's what we do.

'It's hard to take in the scale
of what happened here.

'Namibians who were killed,
worked or starved to death
lie in unmarked graves.'

There are bushes growing
on the humps.

This is greenery growing on
shallow graves, isn't it? Yes.

Starting from there, that's a
grave, a grave, a grave, a grave.
In the same line, another grave...

'Neither the South Africans who
took control after the Germans

'nor Namibia's
post-independence rulers
have wanted to dwell on the past.'

So here we are, this is
obviously quite a new memorial.

"In memory of the thousands

"who perished under
mysterious circumstances."

Doesn't seem to be much mystery,
to me, about the circumstances.

People were
worked to death or killed.

It is as if the Germans
have practised on us before they
did that to the Jewish people.

'The Herero massacre was the
first genocide of the 20th century.

'It was finally acknowledged
by the German government in 2004.

'East of Swakopmund,
the Tropic of Capricorn cuts
through the Namib desert,

'and passes through bush land south
of the Namibian capital, Windhoek.

'Although it looks wild, much
of this land is grazed by cattle

'on vast farms, and wildlife
in the area is under threat.

'Farmers here often shoot cheetahs
who prey on their livestock.

'French conservationist
Olivier Houlet
is trying to protect the big cats.

'Locals call him Catman.'

We have a wonderful project
with five cheetahs, male,
which were all orphans

from...their mum has been shot by
hunters when they were very small.

And the concept, the project
was to raise them all together.

'The five rescued cheetahs
now live wild on a protected area
of Olivier's land.'

When will you be releasing them?

So we hope,

beginning of next year.

But the very, very important job
before that is to survey
the place by plane

and to make calculation of how many
preys, what kind of environment
is it,

how many cheetahs are already there.
Check the balance is right.

'The cheetahs are being reintegrated
into the wild

'and can kill for themselves,
but for the moment
Olivier supplements their diet.'

While I was busy taking photographs,
Oliver was whipping out
a huge slab of meat.

The very first step to be as close
as possible from nature will be to

give them exactly what they
would have if they would be free.

So when we feed them
we only give them game meat.

We will have to be a little patient,
I'm gonna spread some meat around,
but if they hunt something,

if they put down a kudu today or any
kind of animal, then we might have to
walk and look for them.

What, so if they've
already eaten they won't want
your lovely bit of meat?

'The idea was to leave the
meat for the cheetahs and
then retreat to a safe distance.'

Here they come.

No. Oh, my God! It's not
supposed to be like that.
Come, come, come. What the BLEEP?!

They're all here, they're all here.

Get in the car, quickly.
Maybe a little bit quickly.

We were surrounded
by hungry cheetahs.

They're being quite serious.

They are wild guys. They are able
to hunt and kill for themself.

It's all about body language and
no fear at all.

God, there's all five of them.

Look at them.

This one there is actually the
smallest cheetah, but he's the boss,
he's the leader of the group.

And this one is the biggest one
of the group, he is the power
of the group with his brother.

He is the one who put down the prey.

'It was fantastic to see Olivier's
rapport with these big cats
as he faced down the cheetahs.'

Everything is fine now.

'95% of Namibia's cheetahs live
on land owned by commercial farms.

'Olivier wants the Namibian
government to protect these
big cats in order to boost tourism.'

If people come all over the world
to see that beautiful country,

to see wildlife, to see something
unique in the world

where there are so few people and so
many animals, I believe that would be

a very interesting thing
to protect them and be able to
see them in the free environment.

The very important thing
is to convince government
to help us to do that.

'Wildlife tourism has been one of
the engines of economic growth
in Namibia since independence.

'But the country's apparent
success masks a society
with huge inequalities.

'As we zig-zagged along Capricorn,
I wanted to find out more.

'So we headed for the big city,

'driving 70 miles north of the line
to the Namibian capital, Windhoek.

'After the tranquillity of the bush,
arriving in Windhoek at night
was something of a shock.

'One thing that struck me about
the capital was the number of
young women on the streets.'

Let's keep driving along.

Don't want to give them
a heart attack.

'Every time the car stopped at
a traffic light, we were approached.

'There are no official figures
for the number of sex workers
in Namibia.

'Critics say the government
doesn't want to admit they exist.

'But with HIV/AIDS affecting
a quarter of the population
it's a dangerous profession.'

There's a lot of girls working
out here, and the risks they're
taking are quite extraordinary.

Take a left up here, back to
the road outside our hotel.

Left here? Yeah, please, mate.

'People from across Namibia are
attracted to the opportunities
offered by the big city,

'but most of them end up in places
like Babylon, a temporary settlement
on the fringes of the capital.'

They are streaming from all sides,

from the south and the north,
to look for work.

They don't find the work

and then the ladies
on the street and...

'Father Herman Klein-Hitpass
has been helping Windhoek's
prostitutes for the past 12 years.

'In a country where more than
a third of people live on less than

'50 pence a day, prostitution can
be a matter of survival.

'Independence has brought change,
but not fast enough for
people living here.'

Where did you live before here?

In town. In town?

'Father Herman introduced me
to Tessa Peri, a sex worker
who lives in Babylon.'

Where did you get the metal from?
Ah, this is from the car,
you know, old cars.

Bits of old cars. Yeah.

The panels. Yeah. This is...

Right, this is a bonnet, isn't it?
Yeah.

Too much rain is coming in and
I must put this thing up, you see.

Does it feel basic to you
or are you happy?

I'm not happy to stay like this.

'Father Herman's Stand Together
project is funded with donations
from Catholic parishes in Germany.

'He's trying to break the cycle
that leads from deprivation to
prostitution

'by supporting the women
with both food and education.

I mean, do you see
young sex workers?

Do you see children
working in the sex industry? Yeah,
even from nine years old.

Nine-year-old prostitutes?
Yes, yes, yes.

Sometimes the mother
takes the children to the street and
I said, "You will not be helped."

"Doesn't matter -
my child makes money."

'Father Herman has risked
the wrath of Rome by giving out
condoms to the prostitutes,

'despite the Vatican's opposition.'

So you're getting...
So in this box, that's 100. Yes.

100 lubricated condoms from Alabama.

These girls
call this...like umbrella.

An umbrella. Umbrella against rain.

You earn money?

Not now!

'Three-quarters of the women who
use the centre are HIV-positive,
including Tessa.'

Did you fear, were you
concerned that you would get it?

Were you worried or did you think
you were sort of invulnerable?

TRANSLATION: Sometimes customers
would refuse to pay me and they
would often refuse to use a condom.

This is how I got AIDS,
how I caught it.

'Without the father's help, Tessa
would still be selling her body,

'and life on the streets
is a desperate struggle.'

Sometimes they would pay me with
just food, like chips and hot dogs.

A chicken leg to have sex with me.

Thank you for sharing
your story with us.

Very kind of you.

'While there is an emerging black
middle class, for many Namibians

'living standards have
changed little since independence
from Apartheid South Africa in 1990.

'The Namibian government has
always chosen revolutionary
and controversial friends.

'Now it finds itself being
wooed by a new suitor,

'a superpower that is changing
the face of the entire continent.

'To find out more, I went to
the University of Namibia.

'Some of the courses here
are a little surprising.'

Ah, Professor!

Nice to see you!

'Professor Yang Ganfu
teaches an increasingly
popular subject - Chinese.'

Now, we have six

Chinese sentences.

Just look at them to
see which sentence you can put

into English.

Who can try? OK.

HE SPEAKS CHINESE

Please come in. OK.

HE SPEAKS CHINESE

Please have tea, or here is tea.

HE SPEAKS CHINESE
That means perfect. Very Good.

SHE SPEAKS CHINESE

OK, let's try the next one.

It's good for the new student
to pronounce some new words. OK.

HE SPEAKS CHINESE

Eric's nodding. Are you nodding?
I nearly got it right.

The new student is making progress!

'The professor has been surprised
by the demand for his classes.'

Why do you think that Namibians
are wanting to learn Chinese?

Actually I also ask them
such a question.

They say...Chinese...because Chinese
language is getting very important

because of the
Chinese economic power.

As I often call it, Chinese is
going to be the money language.

'In the last few years, China has
arrived in Africa, exploiting the
continent's vast natural resources.

'And Africa is also a huge market
for cheap Chinese goods.

'In Windhoek, Chinese businessmen
have been making a tidy profit.

'The professor took me
to meet some of them.'

Jellyfish? Jellyfish.

We've got
sausage, pig ear and jellyfish.

The jellyfish are
quite chewy as well.

It's all quite chewy,
but it's delicious.

'My hosts were determined
to show me a good time.'

That is an extraordinary colour.

Is this very strong?

Quite. Quite strong.

The only lettering I can understand
here is 46%.

Cheers, everybody!

Cheers!

Oh, great!

Oh, you're gonna fill it up again!

Simon, let's play a little game.

Nothing, nothing. I got it. Drink.

What?!

Twenty? Twenty!

Twenty!

Drink!

I'm very confused. Anything that
involves more than three numbers
I get very confused by.

'I was struggling to hold on
to the purpose of my visit.'

Mr Lin,

Chairman of the Commerce.
Chinese Commerce. Chairman of
the Chamber of Commerce.

He's going to have a serious
conversation about

China's investment in Namibia,
or are we going to play
a drinking game?

You see, Chinese people have a habit
of, before, if you don't drink,
they won't talk nothing to you.

He's not going to say anything.

So the thing is that
you have to drink.

I haven't heard that story before.

One, two, three! One, two, three!

Ah!

I feel very relaxed.

Thank you, Mr Lin.

Thank you, Mr Lee.

'Defeated by this
dose of hospitality,

'it was time to continue my journey
along the Tropic of Capricorn.

'But I was determined to see
for myself the extent of the new
Chinese influence in Africa.

'50 miles outside Windhoek,
I discovered a factory,
with Chinese managers

'overseeing Namibian workers,
who are turning
the desert sand into bricks.'

Hi, Daniel. Simon. Nice to meet you.

'Luckily they had an interpreter.'

Those guys, they
cannot speak English.

So the Chinese embassy asks me
to come and help those guys to
co-ordinate with local people.

You are facilitating,
acting as the intermediary.

Yeah. Are you enjoying the work?
Yeah, I enjoy Namibia very much.

'Trade between China
and Africa is now worth
a staggering £30 billion a year.

'Chinese firms are building roads,
dams and power stations
across the continent.

'An estimated three-quarters
of a million Chinese now
live or work in Africa.'

You've been here how long? Two years
now. Two years? Yeah, two years.
Where in China did you come from?

My home town is close to Hong Kong.

So down in the south.
Yeah, down south.

You should be used to the heat,
then! Of course, yeah, you can see
my skin is totally dark now!

And are these bricks for export
or are they for Namibia?

Most of the bricks will go to the
north of Namibia because, you know,

in north of Namibia there are a lot
of Chinese construction companies.

The Chinese Embassy say Namibia is
open to the world now,

and Namibia government has
a good relationship with
the Chinese government.

And are there many Chinese
businesses coming to Namibia now?
Ah, yes, of course.

'The Chinese are being welcomed by
both democracies and dictatorships
across Africa -

'partly because they don't
ask too many awkward questions
about corruption and human rights.'

You start to hear a lot now about
how China is building its
business empire,

but this is it
really happening on the ground.

This is China
arriving here in Africa.

'On the surface, democratic
Namibia defies many African
stereotypes of war and famine.

'New investment and
tourism seem to offer hope.

'But the country's
violent history has left its mark

'on the land and its people,
as I was about to see at first hand.

'Near the border with Botswana,
the Tropic of Capricorn passes

'a small settlement called Aminuis,
on the edge of the Kalahari desert.

'Following the massacre at the hands
of the Germans early last century,

'some of the Herero survivors
were forced onto this rough,
infertile land no-one else wanted.

'Today, they eke out a living
by farming cattle.

'Every morning, the elders perform
the ritual of the Holy Fire,

'communing with their ancestors
about all aspects of their lives.'

If you bought a new car, you
just come here, they slaughter
a sheep or a goat and then...

If you buy a new car? Really?
For us, if you buy a new car, I have
to take my car home,

my grandfather will now talk to his
ancestors saying that this is
Peter-Hain,

the boy that went for studies,
he bought a car and this is...

Bless the car? Yeah.

'Peter-Hain Uaakiza Kazapua is a
Herero guide who lives in Windhoek,

'but his family have
a farm near here.

'He explained how the women
light the fire

'in the most sacred place on the
farm, next to the cattle corral.'

Does this still mean something
to you even though you're now
a wealthy city boy?

Yeah, I believe in this Holy Fire.

It's really something
that I strongly, strongly believe in.

OK, she is now finished.
She will go back now
and then the old man will come out.

He goes and sits by it
after she's started it? Yeah.

'Despite their history of violence
at the hands of the colonial power,

'Herero women wear a style
of European clothing
from the 19th century.

'And when the village elder emerged
I was astonished to see him wearing
a colonial military uniform.'

Oh, you need to take your
hat off as well? Yes, I do.

Is the uniform worn in commemoration

of what the Germans did
to the Herero people?

TRANSLATION: It reminds us of what
they did to the Herero.

'The Herero assimilated
military dress into their culture,

'partly as a way of
remembering the war with Germany.

'For them, the Holy Fire is
more than a method of communicating
with dead relatives.

'It also has magical power.

If the children get sick,
we come to the Holy Fire.

And through it
we talk to our ancestors,
and, if there are no other problems,

the fire can heal.

'But healing the sense of injustice
felt by the Herero is hard.

'Despite independence,
many Herero still live in these
infertile areas of Namibia,

'while descendants of their white
oppressors still own the best land.'

'Peter-Hain took me out to
round up the family cattle.'

True natural, eh?

'With such poor-quality land, the
cattle must graze over a huge area.

'The sun was beginning to set
by the time we spotted the cows.'

There's one over there.
There's two over there.

How do you feel now
that you've found them?

I'm delighted we've found them.

I'm not sure I'd be given
a job doing this.

I don't think my arse
could take it, for a start.

PETER-HAIN LAUGHS

I'm glad you find that amusing,
Mr Peter-Hain.

"We'll just go for
a little walk, a little ride."

Three hours later,
the sun is going down.

That's good, Simon,
we're getting there.

Nearly home. Nearly home.

Oh, bloody hell.
Just tell your arse you will make it!

I'm gonna have
buns of steel after this.

'Peter-Hain may now
live in the city,

'but he's still completely in touch
with life out here in the saddle.'

Come on. Come on. Come on.
Come on, yes.

That's it. You have done it.

Is that it? That's it.

You have done it, brother.

Let me shake your hand.

That's a man's hand, eh? Well done.
Thank you very much. No, well done.

I'll just shut the gate.

I don't think I'm going
to be able to walk properly

in the near future.

Well done. This is...
Welcome to Africa!

Are you optimistic, as you
look forward, about your future
in Namibia? History has its cost.

It doesn't really help much when
we cry and refer back to the past,
and of course we must make use of

our independence and make use
of the opportunities coming up.

Turn negatives into positives.

'It was time to leave Namibia
and follow the Tropic across
the Kalahari to Botswana.'

Thank you very much.

So you keep that bit
and I keep this. Am I free to go?

You are free to go, sir.
Thank you very much.

Any questions?
Is there an in-flight meal?

No. Peanuts in the back.
Peanuts in the back?

'But, while the Namibians
were happy to stamp

'my passport on a car bonnet,
Botswana is a very different place.'

Better than some scheduled airlines!

'Before embarking on our epic
journey across the desert, we had to

'fly to Gaberone, the capital,
to sort out government paperwork.'

Well, we've arrived.

Welcome to Botswana.

I don't know if you can
see the sign just above me.

It's quite interesting.
It's an anti-corruption sign.

Corruption is such a huge problem
in Africa, but we're told that it's
actually quite low in Botswana.

'Botswana is rated as the least
corrupt country on the continent.

'In Africa, wealth from natural
resources

'has too often left the country
or lined the pockets of
the ruling class.

'But here in Botswana there has
been a huge investment in public
buildings and infrastructure.

'The secret to this success can be
found here, at the headquarters
of mining company Debswana.

'A third of this former British
colony's wealth comes from a
girl's best friend - diamonds.'

Where are the biggest diamonds on
this floor? The biggest diamonds...

'I met Dust, who works on
one of the sorting floors.'

These are the plus-eights.

Eight carats.
Let's do the count first.

Two, four, six, eight...

There's no dispute on
the number, is there? No!

I haven't taken any.
My hands are here, all right?

A person could get tempted in here.

Am I right in thinking the best
way of still telling whether

a diamond is a diamond or it's
a piece of glass, is to scratch it
along the glass, is that true?

There are so many
things that you can do.

But you're an expert,
Dust, what would you do?

Well, I can even know
with my eyes closed.

Your eyes closed? Yeah. What can
you do? You can smell them.

I just feel it and smell them,
real diamonds.

So they should just send you out
to hunt for the diamonds.

Why not?

You'd be able to
discover new deposits.

Dust would just smell them.

Yeah. Especially with the big noses!

What I think I am smelling,

I'm smelling money. Money.

This is one of the eight sorting
floors, so elsewhere in the building

there's yet more
workers and lots more rocks.

Apparently you need to check the
soles of your feet before you leave.

Sadly there's
nothing caught in mine.

Thank you, Dust,
thank you very much. You're welcome.

'To see where the diamonds
came from, I headed to Jwaneng,
just outside the capital.'

This is a 24-hour operation,
seven days a week.

'Albert Milton is one of the
pit managers at the world's biggest
and most valuable diamond mine.'

My God!

Well, so this is the most lucrative
hole on the planet.

In terms of value, two billion
dollars. A year? Yes, a year.

So you are making,
from this whopping great hole in the
ground, two billion dollars a year.

That's really where
the dreams of the country come from.

The impact has been really awesome.

If you were to look at...

this country
at independence was classified as
one of the poorest in the world.

There was about four kilometres
of roads, now we're talking about
over 20,000 kilometres of roads.

There were no health facilities and
each major area in Botswana has got
a hospital now. It has got a school.

'Debswana, the company which runs
the mine, is a joint venture between

'the government of Botswana
and international
mining giant De Beers.

'In a continent where the trade in
so-called blood diamonds often fuels

'war and conflict, this deal
is seen as an ideal model.'

Look at the scale of this...
this machine.

I nearly said this creature then.

I genuinely nearly
said this creature. It feels...

so big.

There's a living quality to it.

It's amazing, yeah.

'These machines shift hundreds of
tons of rock, which is then crushed
to reveal the diamonds within.'

This is the kimberlite rock,

that is the parent rock
to the diamonds.

The parent? Yeah.

So within this rock...
Within this rock, there's a
likelihood that there's a diamond.

Ohhhhh!

This is the rock
you love, basically.

This is the rock that makes this
country sparkle. What about that!

'But in the late '90s
the mine faced catastrophe.

'Southern Africa's HIV epidemic
started to decimate the workforce.

'With almost 40% of the population
of Botswana carrying the virus,

'Debswana moved to protect
its workers by investing
heavily in healthcare.'

This is the clinic

and, even as we're walking up
to it, we're finding a lot of
people hiding their faces.

It's extraordinary that in a country

where the rate of HIV is so high,
there's still a complete reluctance
to admit it publicly.

'In 2001, Debswana took
the revolutionary business decision

'to provide its workers with free
anti-retroviral drugs

'and now they have extended
the scheme to spouses and children.'

We do have some of
our clients this side.

These are clients... Yes.

Hello, everybody.
Coming in to access their medication.

Clients coming in
to receive medication. Yes.
That's the pharmacy.

'Dr Nzenza explained to me
that, in a continent where

'AIDS drugs are beyond the reach of
most ordinary people, the diamond
workers are in a fortunate position.

'But clearly Debswana is
not acting out of charity.'

For a company
to start offering retrovirals to
their employees, it seems almost...

it seems quite unusual to me.

Yes, first and foremost the company
has to be able to survive, and the
operation has to be actually viable.

For it to be viable, it needs to
have a fit workforce, which is one
of the things which really drove it.

'Following the lead of Debswana,
the Botswanan government has now

;extended the free treatment
scheme to all public-sector workers.

'The death rate from HIV-AIDS
in finally beginning to fall,

'but it has left 120,000 orphans
across the country.

'I went to a charity
that helps the youngsters
with Lucas, a local journalist.'

Hello, everybody! Good morning.

Hello. Hello.

Hello!

How are you? Oh, you little...

You're burying your head.

What's the name of this one?

Deffo. Deffo!

Deffo!

Are you going to
shake hands with Lucas?

'SOS Children's Village
teaches the orphans alongside
kids from local families.

'The orphans live in houses which
try and recreate the atmosphere

'of a family home of up to 12
children, with a mother figure
in charge.'

TRANSLATION: In the morning, I bath
them and make them breakfast.

I encourage the older ones
to become independent,

showing them how to make their beds
and how to wash themselves.

'It is difficult to overstate
the impact this disease has had
on this region of Africa.'

Not only has AIDS destroyed
a generation here, or a couple of
generations, but it's destroyed

the extended African family,
which was one of the best things
about African society, really.

The idea that your auntie,
your uncle was also sort of
your mother and father.

But, because so many
people have died here,

that structure has broken down,
and it's led to
a need for places like this.

ALL: Bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye!

'Botswana's wealth has funded
an extensive new road system.

'But sometimes the old Africa
can get in the way of progress.'

You saw there, there was
nearly an accident just then.

And if you're driving down
the road here at night

and there's a group of black cows -
I believe the collective noun
is a herd -

you're not going to see them
and you'll crash into them

with inevitable consequences
for them and the vehicles.

'To combat a frightening toll
of road deaths, the government
has come up with a solution.'

Hello, sir. Hello, sir!

Hello!

We are on the roads.
To avoid an accident.

You keep the cattle off the road
to avoid an accident? Yeah, uh-huh.

We're going out on cow patrol.

Is everybody ready
for this important job?

You're keeping the road clean,
you're keeping the road safe,
so you're saving lives. Yeah.

Fantastic.

What's really interesting about
Botswana though is that

there are people who are paid
to do things like this.

They are very careful.
Everywhere we go,

there's signs, road signs warning
about, "Be very careful on the road,

put your seat belt on,
use a condom."

Preferably not when you're driving!
LAUGHTER

That got a laugh. Good.
And they try and get the cows
off the road to avoid accidents.

It's very well organised,
this country.

Where are the cows?

'Botswana might be well-run but it's
not without its major controversies.

'It was time to head
for the Kalahari.

'Botswana is more than twice the
size of Britain,

'and is dominated by the
vast expanse of the Kalahari desert.

'I was heading to the settlement of
New Xade on the edge of the Central
Kalahari Game Reserve.

'The Kalahari bushmen, or San
people, have lived in the desert
for more than 30,000 years.

'Their current plight
has received worldwide attention.'

So this is the...

This is the settlement.

'In 1997, the Botswanan government
began relocating

'the few hundred San still living
within the game reserve,
out of the national park.

'Many were given compensation,
including cattle and goats,

'and settlements like New Xade
were created for them.

'But many of the San insist
they were forcibly evicted.'

Hello, sir.

When did you come to live here
and why did you come to live here?

TRANSLATION: It was 2002.

It was not my intention to come here,
we were forced.

Is there anything about the town
that you would miss if you go and
live back in the Central Kalahari?

The thing is,
there is nothing to miss from here.

What you see here is temporary.

I belong in the Central Kalahari.

The only thing is for me to go back,
nothing else.

I will miss nothing from here.

'The government says it has
spent millions providing

'these settlements with schools,
clinics, and running water.

'Despite this, some San are
planning to return to the reserve.'

She's got a hose here connected to
a water pipe.

Will you miss the water when
you're out in the Central Kalahari?

Will you miss having a water pipe?

TRANSLATION: I won't miss the
running water, it's nothing to me.

All I need is my ancestral home.

'There has been a vocal
international campaign

'to allow a return to the
Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

'At the forefront is Roy Sesana,
who has travelled the world
raising the profile of the San.'

What are some of the problems that
the San are experiencing now they've
been put in settlements like this?

TRANSLATION: Our culture is
coming to an end. It is
becoming extinct.

People are dying in this place,
they are becoming infected with HIV.

There is also a big problem
with people drinking
too much alcohol here.

'With backing from
international charities,
Sesana and his group launched

'a legal challenge against
the Botswanan government.

'In late 2006, in a landmark ruling,
the Botswanan High Court decided

'the eviction of the San
had been unlawful.'

You won a big court victory
just a few months ago.
Did you celebrate that?

Do you think you've won your
battle now against the government?

We're not celebrating yet.

The courts made the right decision
about our eviction.

But they have not forced
the government to take us back.

They brought us here in trucks.

It is a long way for us to return,
so we will celebrate when they
send trucks to take us back.

'While many San are staying in these
depressing settlements, others have

'begun returning to their ancient
homeland in the Central Kalahari.

'This family has loaded
everything they have onto a truck
lent to them by a charity.

'They could not make it otherwise.'

We were planning to wait
for them to leave and we were going
to leave at the same time as them,

but we're crossing
the Kalahari Desert and there
are risks involved in that,

and we can't really wait around
any longer

so were going to have to leave
and either see them on the journey

or maybe we won't.

Bye-bye! Bye-bye! Bye-bye!

See you soon. Bye!

'We set off hoping to
meet up with them again.

'In front of us lay a long journey
through shifting sand,
extreme temperatures

'and wild animals, to reach
the San village of Metsiamanong.'

This is perhaps the most exciting
bit of the journey for me so far.

We're doing...

Well, we're going on
quite an epic adventure.

We're crossing the Kalahari desert.

'We had to travel with everything
we might need to survive
in the desert.

'Food, water and fuel
and, most important, Tim Race,
an experienced desert guide.'

Are we in a bit of a rush, Tim?

We do have a bit of a time
constraint. Time constraint? Mmm.

Is that because we might run out
of supplies along the way?

Not just the supplies,
it's the petrol.

Do you mean there's no petrol
station in the Kalahari? Afraid not.

I can see this is going to be
a tough journey.

Hold tight in the back there.
Hold tight in the back!

The sand is really sucking us.
We're not going to make it.

Jo,
I need you to come back, I think.

We've only gone about ten miles,

this is going to be
a bloody long journey!

'The treacherous terrain
made two cars essential.

'If one was stuck,
the other could pull it out.

'The constant stops meant we were
only averaging ten miles an hour.'

We've got two vehicles
so just think how hard it's going
to be for the people behind.

'We never saw the San family
from New Xade again.

'We assumed they broke down
or had to turn back.

'And it was taking us
much longer than planned.'

We've been driving since
before dawn this morning.

It's now starting to get dark
so we're going to stop
for the night and camp.

This is nice!

OK, one, two, three, up we go.

Um, to the inside hole, huh? Yeah.

Job done. Tim, this seems to be
made of fairly strong material.
Is there a reason for that?

To stop the lions getting inside.
To stop the lions getting inside?

Indeed. Is that a risk here?

Yes, we're in lion country here.

As long as you don't
sleep with your tent door open,
you're perfectly safe.

OK. There we are.

Excellent.

Bloody hell, it weighs a ton!

OK.

My first consideration is,
if I were a lion,

which tent would I go for?

There's some firewood.

'With the sun going down, it was
time to gather some firewood.'

There's a lot here.

'Jumanda Gakelebone
is a San activist.

'He believes the Government's
relocation policy

'is destroying San culture
and the hunter-gatherer
skills of his forefathers.'

This is a tree for the poison.

For poison!
For bow and arrow poison, actually.

I'm very sad at what has
happened because, you know,

now, as people been taken,
we are losing all those things.

If you can see now, there's a few
old people which remains,
and if they die

the hunting of bow and arrow
and the poison is going to be gone.

It's just going to be
something like a history.

The entire way of life. Yeah.

You think it is dying out...
It is, it is dying out.

'While the San may be losing their
bush skills, I never really
had any.'

Has anyone got an axe?

I think we should have gone
for a different bit of tree!

That'll keep us warm tonight.

We'll be able to cook with that.

Why do you think the Botswanan
government wanted the people of
the Kalahari out of the desert?

What they say is that...they say
that they want to develop us.

That's what they say. They want us
to be like each and every Botswanan.

And which is wrong.

We are Botswana, yes,
we agree with that.

So what's wrong with us inside
the Kalahari and being Botswanan?

'Jumanda believes the Botswanan
government has an ulterior motive

'for wanting the San out of
the Central Kalahari - diamonds.'

In 2002, at the time when
the government was giving more
pressure to us, if you look to

the licence which we were given,
to the companies, mineral companies,
was growing very high.

The government itself talking to us,
telling our parents to move
because of diamonds.

'The government has denied this
but agrees there has been
exploration in the area.

'They say the resettlement policy
is designed to provide more modern

'health and education
services for the San.

'During the night, the temperature
in the desert plummets.'

HE GROANS

It's very cold during the night,

very cold. I cannot feel my...

toes, my feet
or other vital parts.

Oh, the sun is coming up now,
thank God, so we should warm up.

Hopefully.

'By 11 o'clock
it was unbelievably hot and I was
almost missing the cold.

'The journey was
becoming a real challenge.'

Oh, bloody hell!

At this rate, we are gonna be
hard pushed to make it to the San
settlement, and if we get to

a bit that we can't
pull ourselves out of,
then we're going to have to go back,

which will be devastating.

Keep going.

'After two long days, our fuel
and provisions were running short.

'We camped for a second night.

'If we did not reach
Metsiamanong on the third day,

'we would have to abandon
our quest and get out of the desert.

'But the next morning
we finally made it.'

People are happy to see you.

"He's back! He's back!"

Ah!

We're here.

'There were a few dozen
people in the village.

'With their second-hand
Western clothes,

'they did not fulfil
the conventional image
of hunter-gathering bushmen.'

What's the traditional greeting?

Sometimes we say, "Crayo,"
you shake hands. Crayo.

Crayo.

Crayo. How do you say it? Crayo.

Kiou. Kiou. Kiou.

'There is no electricity or
running water here, and it is days
from any shops or hospitals.

'So why did they leave
the Government camps?'

TRANSLATION: Life is hard in
the settlement camps but not here.

Life is very easy here because
I don't need money to get food
to survive.

If I want something to eat I just go
out in the bush and get it for free.

When the little one on her back
grows up, what happens if
he has to leave to go to school?

I would not be happy.

I want him to stay with me -
to grow up and go to school here.

They're
endlessly entertaining actually,
as all kids are around the world,

but some of their bellies
are a bit swollen,
which is a possible sign of,

well, malnutrition basically.

'Since the Central Kalahari
became a wildlife reserve,

'the Government has banned
the San from hunting wild game.

'They are not allowed
to keep livestock either

'because of suggestions that cattle
spread disease in the reserve.'

Have you had some of
the wildlife rangers coming here and
telling you that you have to move?

TRANSLATION: Yes, there's been
a lot of hassle and harassment
by the Government officials.

They've taken away
my goats and my donkeys too.

I don't know where
they are right now.

It must be incredibly hard to keep
crops alive out here.

Ooh, that's a pretty good
collection.

So, these are melons.

What about other foods? Have you
been able to gather all the foods
that you've needed this winter?

TRANSLATION: My life is difficult
since my goats were taken

and it's very bad because I used to
get milk from those goats.

Sometimes I would kill one for meat
because we are not allowed

to hunt the antelopes or
other wildlife any more.

It sounds to me as though
you just want the Government
to leave you alone.

TRANSLATION:
The Government is troubling us.

With all my heart, I want them
to leave us in peace.

'The Government denies there has
been harassment and says it is just

'trying to help the San
into the 21st century.

'Raising goats and donkeys is a far
cry from the hunter-gatherer life
which made the bushmen so famous.

'But, in truth, bushman life
changed long before the evictions.

'Yet there is a genuine connection
between these people and this land.'

It's been a hell of a journey
to get here over the last few days,

but now to finally see where these
people are living, there's
something quite beautiful about it.

It's a very simple way of life.

I'm not romanticising it,
it's very hard.

They don't always have enough
to eat, and during the winter,
like now, it's bloody cold, but

these people have chosen this way
of life, this is what they want.

They've seen the alternatives
and they don't like it.
They want to be here.

THEY SPEAK LOCAL LANGUAGE

Fairly close!

Bye-bye!

'This is always the hardest bit.'

'The roads improved
as we drove south
and east away from the San village.

'Many miles later, on the eastern
edge of the Kalahari, we passed

'another government settlement
with its school and clinic.

'But many of the San weren't using
the brick homes provided for them,

'choosing instead
to live in traditional huts.

'A day later,
after a long and sweaty journey,

'I was glad to see we were just
a few hundred metres off course.'

We're standing next to a sign
that says Tropic of "Capricon"

and somebody has added in a little
R, which is quite cute really.

And they've added it in
with a bit of Sellotape.

'After a welcome shower and shave
I finally met up again with
Botswanan journalist Lucas.'

Lucas!

Simon, how are you?
I'm all right, how are you, sir?

I'm fine.
I believe you survived the desert.

We survived the desert, and we've
made it here and it's lovely to see
you. Good to see you. Welcome back.

'In sub-Saharan Africa, there
are dozens of traditional healers
for every doctor.

'Lucas had arranged for me to see
a healer and fortune-teller

'who could predict what lay ahead on
my journey. For a price, of course.'

So that's the fee for our
consultation. OK, yeah. That's OK.

'So, what did she have to say about
my journey following the Tropic?

'At first, I was a bit sceptical.'

TRANSLATION: The bones tell us
you are a travelling person.

You travel from one side
of the world to the other,

through dangerous places,
where you go through areas
with lots of wild animals.

But the bones tell us that
no serious harm awaits you.

So she can see nothing negative
about our journey around Capricorn?

No, the bones are not telling.
Well, that's good news.

'In Botswana, the government is
incorporating traditional healers

'into the health service, training
them to recognise serious illnesses

and refer people to
medical doctors.'

I think she wants to show us a...

Yeah. She's showing that she's
certified to practise
in this country.

Registered as a traditional healer?
Yeah.

TRANSLATION:
I welcome traditional doctors being
incorporated into the health system.

Before this happened, trained doctors
didn't like to be associated with us.

'The healer was a vivid example of
how tradition and the modern world
can be successfully combined.

'Capricorn had shown me
sides of Africa we rarely see.

'Following the Tropic of Capricorn
had already taken me on

'an epic journey, and the next leg
promised to be even more
spectacular.'

It's a dusty little
border post, isn't it?

Well, here we are.
This is the international border
between Botswana and South Africa.

This is the end of my journey
across Namibia and Botswana.

Ahead of me is South Africa,
Mozambique and the beautiful
island of Madagascar.

'Next time, out of the deserts
and across oceans,

'through forests and over mountains.

'I sample local cuisine.'

Oh, my God!

'Meet giant rats that
are saving lives.

'And witness a major refugee crisis.

'To find out more about the journey
and see unbroadcast footage,
visit our website.'

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk