In Shakawe

I've made it safely into Shakawe, a small town on the Northwestern border of Botswana next to Namibia. The villiage sits along the Okavanga Delta, an inland delta filled with hippos and crocodiles. The homes here are made mostly of reeds, grass, and mud from the delta giving the villiage a unique personality in comparison to my previous stays. I'm at the TOCADI office now, which I was supprise to find has electricity and the interenet (however, the electricity seems to go out at least once every day). Right now I'm helping organize an expidition out to different San communities where we will collect information and help out the local people. TOCADI does a wide variety of work dedicated to helping the San. Yesterday, we invited different communities members to watch us plant a garden in order to teach people how they can do the same. Saturday, I'll be helping with a fishing expedition along the river. The goal here is to make the San communities independent in the modern world but at the same time maintain their unique cultural heritage. The organization provides communities with the means to make traditional baskets, art pieces, and at the same time educates people on their traditional language (teaching how to write all the clicks) and different life skills. Since its creation TOCADI and its parent organization Kuru have helped publsihed a book on San oral hisotry (Voices of the San) and an annual traditional San dance festival. For more information on the San here is an ok website (I have some problems with it though).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushmen

I've attached some pictures of the Delta, the office, my kitchen at home, the TOCADI garden, and a sot of a typical home in Shakawe. Enjoy.






ARE (love in Ju/'hoansi)
Travis