Voices of the Bushmen - Two documentaries

AiM is pleased to present a spotlight on the Bushmen of Southern Africa. As part of this focus, there will be an exhibition of Bushmen art work and jewellery in the Filmhouse café as well as an exciting cinematic programme. The screenings of Bushman's Secret and Legends of the Bushmen will be followed by a panel discussion chaired by Moragh Reid, Director of Positive Help, with panel members Ginger Mauney, a wildlife photographer and filmmaker and director of Legends of the Bushmen; Alan Barnard, Professor of Anthropology of Southern Africa at the University of Edinburgh and Honorary Consul of the Republic of Namibia for Scotland; and Sue Armstrong, a freelance writer and broadcaster who has written numerous articles and made feature programmes for BBC radio about the Bushmen.

The Bushmen focus has been organised in partnership with Positive Help, an Edinburgh-based HIV charity which helped establish a healthcare clinic in the Omaheke region of Namibia, working to ensure the Bushmen had access to health care and support.

Bushman's Secret

Screened with Legends of the Bushmen on Sat 1 Nov at 6.00pm

When South African filmmaker Rehad Desai travels to the Kalahari to investigate global interest in ancient Bushmen knowledge, he meets Jan van der Westhuizen, a fascinating traditional healer from the Khomani Bushmen. Jan's struggle to live close to nature is hampered by centuries of colonial exploitation of the Bushmen and of their land. Unable to survive as they once did hunting and gathering, the Khomani now live in a state of poverty. One plant could make all the difference - Hoodia, a cactus used by Bushmen for centuries, has caught the attention of a giant pharmaceutical company. It now stands to decide the fate of the Khomani Bushmen.

Bushman's Secret features breathtaking footage of the Kalahari landscape, and exposes us to a world where modernity collides with ancient ways, at a time when each has, strangely, come to rely on the other.