Mission and Background
!Khwa ttu - A Celebration of San Culture, Past and Present, with a mandate to:
- Restore and display San heritage, culture, folklore, visual arts, cosmology and languages
- Educate the general public about the world of the San
- Provide training to the San in literacy, entrepreneurship, tourism, health issues, community development, craft production/marketing and gender awareness.
Many tourists visiting Southern Africa wish to learn more about San history and our way of life. However, most are not informed that today's San continue to suffer greatly from poverty, discrimination and marginalization. In fact, over the years, we, the San, have been exploited by the tourist industry and various commercial enterprises who have ruthlessly capitalized on our appearance, arts, crafts and cultural identity. Very little has been received by our San communities in terms of acknowledgement and payment for our work and knowledge.
Through the Working Group of Indigenous Minorities in Southern Africa (WIMSA - the San's regional lobbying and advocacy NGO) San communities throughout the region expressed the desire to learn more about their history, to practice their traditions and to promote their culture and languages. We are aware that tourism is one of the fastest-growing industries in Southern Africa. We have expressed our intention to participate in modern development. Basically, we wish to give our children the chance to revitalize the traditional life supported by tourism revenues, and get the necessary skills to enter the modern workforce and live in dignity.
Consequently, in 1998, WIMSA was assisted by the South African San Institute (SASI - a San support organisation) in setting up a tourism and training project, focusing on general education, income generation, culture, and heritage. In 1999, Irene Staehelin, a Swiss anthropologist, joined the initiative by purchasing the farm that became !Khwa ttu. She set up UBUNTU Foundation, a Swiss charitable organisation, that is fully dedicated to support !Khwa ttu in a joint venture with the San as presently represented by WIMSA. UBUNTU Foundation has funds for the renovation of the entire site. Several South African institutions and overseas donors have supported the clearing of alien plants, the purchase of game animals, offering training and capacity building, developing the cultural exhibitions and set-up of the children's after-school care.
!Khwa ttu's mandate is that we, the San, must gain control over our own image and presence in the tourism industry. We strive to acquire the skills for income generating activities and to be proactive in preventing exploitation of our less educated San relatives. !Khwa ttu workshops assist us in reaching these goals.
