John Hardbattle
Encyclopedia
John Qace Hardbattle was one of the best-known Bushman activists in Botswana
. "Son of a half-Bushman mother, Khwa, and an English father, Tom Hardbattle", John Hardbattle co-founded (with Roy Sesana
) and became leader of the First People of Kalahari (FPK)
.
before taking up the cause of Bushman rights.
in 1991 with Roy Sesana
to spread a simple message: The Central Kalahari Game Reserve
belonged to the Bushmen, and they deserved a role in determining their future. FPK soon became a political platform for Botswana’s Bushmen facing eviction from their ancestral lands, and who to this day have no representation in Botswana’s parliament or in its House of Chiefs.
Hardbattle made light of the fact that Botswana's post independence constitution limited entry into the Central Kalahari Game Reserve
"for the protection and well-being of Bushmen.” a point he presented to an audience at the United Nations and the international press. Furthermore Hardbattle alleged that the eviction of the San
from their ancestral lands was not about over-hunting, nor was it about development, but was in fact because the Botswana government together with major diamond producers, were concerned that FPK would begin to demand a share of any revenue generated through diamond
mining in the Kalahari.
Hardbattle generated significant interest and concern for the plight of the San
on his trip, attracting support from Gloria Steinem
, Cultural Survival
and Survival International
, alongside the publication of a number of articles in the international press. At the same time a number of significant donations were raised for FPK.
As a result of Hardbattle's efforts, the Botswanan government was forced to back down from its eviction and resettlement programme.
people from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve
. Hardbattle's work has been continued variously by his long time friend Roy Sesana
and his sister Andrea Hardbattle.
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
. "Son of a half-Bushman mother, Khwa, and an English father, Tom Hardbattle", John Hardbattle co-founded (with Roy Sesana
Roy Sesana
Roy Sesana is a Bushman activist who works together with the First People of the Kalahari for the rights of his tribe.-Biography:Sesana lives in New Xade in the central Kalahari and works as a traditional medicine man...
) and became leader of the First People of Kalahari (FPK)
First People of the Kalahari
First People of Kalahari is a local Bushman advocacy organization in Botswana, working for the rights of the indigenous tribe of San, that had been forced by the Government of Botswana to resettle to the new built town of New Xade....
.
Early life
John Hardbattle served in the British army, studied at Oxford University, and farmed cattle in GhanziGhanzi
Ghanzi is a town in the western part of the Republic of Botswana in southern Africa. At the time of the 2001 census, there were 9,934 people living in the town with another 861 nearby. It is the administrative center of Ghanzi District and is known as the "Capital of the Kalahari"...
before taking up the cause of Bushman rights.
First people of the Kalahari
Hardbattle co-founded the community organisation First People of Kalahari (FPK)First People of the Kalahari
First People of Kalahari is a local Bushman advocacy organization in Botswana, working for the rights of the indigenous tribe of San, that had been forced by the Government of Botswana to resettle to the new built town of New Xade....
in 1991 with Roy Sesana
Roy Sesana
Roy Sesana is a Bushman activist who works together with the First People of the Kalahari for the rights of his tribe.-Biography:Sesana lives in New Xade in the central Kalahari and works as a traditional medicine man...
to spread a simple message: The Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Central Kalahari Game Reserve is an extensive national park in the Kalahari desert of Botswana. Established in 1961 it covers an area of 52,800 km² making it the second largest game reserve in the world.The park contains wildlife such as giraffe, brown hyena, warthog, cheetah, wild dog,...
belonged to the Bushmen, and they deserved a role in determining their future. FPK soon became a political platform for Botswana’s Bushmen facing eviction from their ancestral lands, and who to this day have no representation in Botswana’s parliament or in its House of Chiefs.
Campaign against eviction
In an attempt to rectify this and at the same time to fight the coming evictions, John Hardbattle travelled to the UK and the US to alert the international community to the Bushmen's plight and to garner public support for the Bushman cause.Hardbattle made light of the fact that Botswana's post independence constitution limited entry into the Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Central Kalahari Game Reserve is an extensive national park in the Kalahari desert of Botswana. Established in 1961 it covers an area of 52,800 km² making it the second largest game reserve in the world.The park contains wildlife such as giraffe, brown hyena, warthog, cheetah, wild dog,...
"for the protection and well-being of Bushmen.” a point he presented to an audience at the United Nations and the international press. Furthermore Hardbattle alleged that the eviction of the San
Bushmen
The indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
from their ancestral lands was not about over-hunting, nor was it about development, but was in fact because the Botswana government together with major diamond producers, were concerned that FPK would begin to demand a share of any revenue generated through diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
mining in the Kalahari.
Hardbattle generated significant interest and concern for the plight of the San
Bushmen
The indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
on his trip, attracting support from Gloria Steinem
Gloria Steinem
Gloria Marie Steinem is an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist who became nationally recognized as a leader of, and media spokeswoman for, the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s...
, Cultural Survival
Cultural Survival
Cultural Survival is a nonprofit group based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA which is dedicated to defending the human rights of indigenous peoples. Their stated mandate is to promote the rights, voices and visions, of indigenous people. For 37 years, Cultural Survival has partnered with...
and Survival International
Survival International
Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969 that campaigns for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples, seeking to help them to determine their own future. Their campaigns generally focus on tribal peoples' fight to keep their ancestral lands,...
, alongside the publication of a number of articles in the international press. At the same time a number of significant donations were raised for FPK.
As a result of Hardbattle's efforts, the Botswanan government was forced to back down from its eviction and resettlement programme.
Death
John Hardbattle died suddenly and unexpectedly of lymphatic cancer in 1996 at the end of his brief campaign. Following his death, the Botswana Government resumed its efforts to forcibly remove and relocate the SanBushmen
The indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
people from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Central Kalahari Game Reserve is an extensive national park in the Kalahari desert of Botswana. Established in 1961 it covers an area of 52,800 km² making it the second largest game reserve in the world.The park contains wildlife such as giraffe, brown hyena, warthog, cheetah, wild dog,...
. Hardbattle's work has been continued variously by his long time friend Roy Sesana
Roy Sesana
Roy Sesana is a Bushman activist who works together with the First People of the Kalahari for the rights of his tribe.-Biography:Sesana lives in New Xade in the central Kalahari and works as a traditional medicine man...
and his sister Andrea Hardbattle.
Further reading
- Sandy Gall. The Bushmen of Southern Africa: Slaughter of the Innocent. London: Chatto & Windus, 2001
- Rupert Isaacson. The Healing Land: The Bushmen and the Kalahari Desert. London. Grove Press, March 2003
- Boustany, Nora (1995) The Bushmen's Advocate: Straddling Two Worlds, John Hardbattle Speaks to the Plight of the No'akwe of Botswana. Washington Post, December 18, 1995, pp. D1, D4
External links
- http://www.hollynear.com/africa.page/history.html
- http://www.kalahari-san.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/recent-history.htm
- http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg14819984.700-first-and-last.html
- http://www.san.org.za/