A Dying World - Documenting the Ju/’hoansi Bushmen

There is a story that must be told. It is a story of a world left behind. Globalisation, the increased pressures of modernity; stress, anxiety, and the ever flowing river of technology that takes us further and further from nature. Our traditions, the soul of Gaia, our connection with mother nature is at risk. This documentary - a tour de force through the Kalahari Desert - will beautifully depict the ingenious Ju/’hoansi’s dying tribe, so we may learn from the heritage some of the last remaining true “natives”. Led by fine art photographer David Bruce, we can all take a grand step back towards our roots. Follow this journey - a tribe, a culture - lost in the modern world of globalization.

The story begins...
A pilot, flying over the Kalahari desert, thoughtlessly drops an empty Coca-Cola bottle from his plane. Falling, unbroken, this is an example of two worlds colliding, with explosive results. Of course, at first the glass bottle is infinitely useful to the Ju/’hoansi tribe below. However, with its power comes evil; it becomes difficult to share the new tool, and the sudden advancement it brings disrupts the tribe’s natural community values. The bushmen realise the bottle must be gotten rid of. Such a sudden change for the native people of the Kalahari spells danger for their traditions.

This story is taken from the 1980s South African hit movie by Jamie Uys - The Gods Must Be Crazy. A hit at the time, it introduced the San Bushmen of the Kalahari to our Western society. A tribe that has no knowledge of the world beyond, violently introduced to “the icon of Globalisation”. Outside of the film, the Ju/’hoansi really exist. They are the last remaining tribe on their indigenous ground of northern Namibia. A tribe in the most traditional sense, living as part of nature, hunting, gathering, and telling stories of Mother Nature and the need to treat her with the utmost respect. Their society is one of the oldest on our planet. With a population of approximately 36,000, they make up 1.8% of the country’s population. They have existed without poverty, without greed and without crime - distinct from the modern world, but not free from its repercussions. Their lack of political strength, education in their own and others’ languages, and dwindling awareness from South African officials makes them incredibly vulnerable.

A hero falls...
We all live in a time of rapid globalisation; billowing homogeny swallowing up the rare and the different. History is being stripped away. As seen in the Coca Cola bottle falling unbroken to earth, our consuming pollutes our and others’ culture. We need to possess, but possession means to take away. The Ju/’hoansi have no such needs. Yet they are not free of the indiscriminate destruction at the hands of globalised modernisation. Their settlements in the Nyae-Nyae region of South Africa are under threat.

Decisions are being made in South Africa which steadily take away the land of of Ju/’hoansi people. The indigenous tribe have lived in the Kalahari for countless years, but in these new conversations on the future of the country, they have no voice. Why? Because though they are older and wiser when it comes to living in harmony with their land, their access to modern education is limited. This education makes all the difference, when the proverbial Coca Cola bottle lands on their native land in the form of Globalisation.

Their dream is to live their culture, speak their language, but still have a voice in the decisions that matter. With awareness and support, this dream can become reality. We can give them a voice for the global world.

A turning point...
Now is the time for a change. Far, far away from the Kalahari, David Bruce found himself staring that icon of globalisation in the face. He turned away, in search of something more.

Though born in South Africa, David Bruce’s education as a photographer found him in England’s chaotic capital of London. You could say the glass Coca Cola bottle landed in his lap, for although he had a cosy job in advertising awaiting him, David Bruce made the decision to run - disposing of it in the 90’s - for a very different life. Where did he go? The Kalahari desert. Where he found the Ju/’hoansi for the first time.

26 years, David Bruce cast his lens over the indigenous tribe. He made great friends and earned himself the nickname “The Man Who Hears”, for although he wears a bone-anchored hearing-aid, David Bruce is an artist who truly listens. During this time, David Bruce started the Nyae Nyae Village Schools project, the first steps towards protecting the Ju/’hoansi language and traditions, while still offering education to deal with a modernised world. A turning point...

The next chapter...
This is a fight that we are all a part of. If, like us, you feel like your connection to the world around you, to reality and to authenticity is being stripped away, here is a chance to take a step in the right direction. This is a real battle, which ends in real change, a real voice and real education, for the future of the Ju/’hoansi and ourselves.

It’s 2019, the next chapter of this tale begins. We will follow David’s as he begins his second journey. A pilgrimage for raising the awareness the Ju/’hoansi need to save their culture. David Bruce will take a road trip across the Kalahari desert, camera poised, to shoot the most intimate film documentary ever undertaken with the Ju/’hoansi people. The mission: to show the world the beauty and vivacity of this tribe under threat. To raise awareness for their and our sake. It will prove that only when we understand what a true connection with the world looks like, will we get back in touch with our own roots. The Ju/’hoansi will speak directly to you.

“The Bushmen lived not outside the realm of nature, but as part of nature. Each plant and each animal has its own being, its own life and purpose, which the Ju/‘hoansi Bushmen are a part of. This is a symbol we must all hold in our hearts as we move into our own futures. Without these cultures, we cannot hope to go on.” - David Bruce

This documentary will show the true lives of the Sans of the Ju/’hoansi tribe - the culture now, in the face of Globalisation. It is a culture living in the wake of the forgotten genocide of the early 20th century, that which saw the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. A culture living after the symbolic story told in The Gods Must Be Crazy. A culture right in the middle of the modern world. A culture trying to survive in the modern world.

Rather than force these tribes to accept our way of living, why not learn from them and move into our own futures with a connection to nature that we’ve so nearly lost.

You can turn the page...
By learning from the fading values of the Bushmen, we can save our own futures from ultimate digitalisation. As the technological revolution grows click by click, we must also strengthen our own connection to the natural world, lest we lose touch. We must use the power of technology for good, to forge those links once more, and donating through platforms like this.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which
you can use to change the world.”
- Mandela

Instead of spending your spare change on another bottle of Coca Cola, why not invest in a different future. Give just the smallest amount - anywhere from the cost of the coca cola bottle, to the cost of the aeroplane it fell from. You will become part of this magnificent story. Rather than give that money, as little as it may be, for a sugary brown drink - why don’t you give it for the future of this tribe. Awareness is what this is all about, your support through donating or sharing this campaign makes all the difference. Together we can strengthen the Ju/’hoansi, their education and knowledge. Join them, and be part of the community - giving everybody a voice for the future.

With David Bruce leading this project with honesty, without rest, and backed by your support, the clock ticking on this, one of the oldest tribes on earth, may be stopped. Donate today, and your money will go directly towards the documentary and Ju/’hoansi awareness project. In return, you will be sent beautiful and exclusive gifts, inspired by the culture you’re doing your bit to save.

Costs
Goal: 16,242.00€
As the technological revolution grows click by click, we must also strengthen our own connection to the natural world. With that in mind, some of the most state-of-the-art photographic technology will help us document the delicate yet dramatic Ju/'hoan culture as it falls to globalisation and modernity in the Kalahari. The costs of this project cover not only the equipment, but also the fuel for both the machines and people behind the project, a safe place to sleep, and those little extras that make production go smoothly. From a spare pair of wheels for the Jeep that will take us across the Kalahari, to the funds for a gathering of the big healers, so we can film together. Be a part of it, and donate today.

Stretch Goal: 20,000.00€
Our stretch goal, ahead of completing the documentary project, will help buy the School Bus for the Nyae Nyae Village Schools Project. This is more than just a bus, this is transportation and thus connection for those who are too far from the school location. We will also document this addition.