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VOICEOVER : It looks like a paradise, but it is in fact the most treacherous desert
in the world: The Kalahari.
After the short rainy
season, there are many water holes, and even rivers. But after a
few weeks, the water sinks away into the deep Kalahari sand. The water holes dry
up and the rivers stop flowing. The grass fades to a beautiful blond colour that
offers excellent grazing to
the animals.
But for the next nine months, there'll be no water to drink. So, most of the
animals move away, leaving the beautiful blond grass uneaten.
Humans avoid deep Kalahari like the plague because man must have water to live.
So the beautiful landscapes are devoid of
people, except for the little people of the Kalahari-- pretty, dainty,
small and graceful -- the
Bushmen.
While any other person would die of thirst in a few days, they live quite
contentedly in this desert that doesn’t look like desert. They know where to dig
for roots and bugs and tubers and which berries and pods are good to eat.
And of course they know what to do about water.
For instance, in the early morning, you can collect dewdrops from leaves that
were carefully laid out the previous evening.
Or a plume of grass can be a reservoir.
if you have the know-how,
an insignificant clump
of twigs can tell you
where to dig and you
come to light with
an enormous tuber. You scrape shavings off
it with a stick that is split for a sharp edge. You take a
handful of the
shavings, point your thumb at your mouth and squeeze.
They must be the most contented people in the world.
They have no crime, no punishment, no violence, no laws, no police, judges,
rulers or bosses. They believe that the gods put only good and useful things on
the earth for them to use. In this world of theirs, nothing is bad or evil. |
