15 February 2011 Last updated at 08:35

In pictures: South Africa's Bushmen under threat

Bushmen are the original inhabitants of southern Africa, yet their community is now under threat from governments and often excluded from mainstream society.

In 1999, Nelson Mandela gave the Bushman community the deeds to a farm at Platfontein, in the Northern Cape of South Africa, and photographer Daniel Cuthbert has spent some time recording their life.

Bushmen are traditionally not farmers, but hunt and gather wild plants to eat. Laws which ban hunting in certain areas have added to the strains on their nomadic lifestyle.

The government has built some houses, though these often lack electricity and plumbing. Bushmen are divided into several groups. The project concentrates on the Khwe/!Xho community in Platfontein but a few near the Namibian border are Kalahari San Bushman.

During the dry season, water is a scarce commodity and many families group together around water holes.

Bushmen are excellent trackers and were utilised during the Angolan war of independence (1961-1975). They were known as Flechas (arrows) and specialised in tracking, reconnaissance, and pseudo-terrorist operations and were rewarded with cash bounties.

This elder is preparing to take part in a play called Son of the Wind, which tells the story of the Bushmen's involvement in the Angolan war.

The future is uncertain. Across the border in Botswana, a recent court ruling granted local Basarwa Bushmen the right to drill wells for water in the Kalahari desert - overturning a previous ruling.

Young Bushmen say they are not accepted by other South Africans. “They don’t like us out in the town. We are different and feel different. For that we are shouted at and abused,” one youth said.

Young bushmen dressed in western fashion

To counter this, a number of Khwe Bushmen adopt Western fashion over more traditional ways of dressing, and avoid using their own language when they go to the city.

Christian churches have tried to convert the Bushmen and promised donations and the construction of a church inside Platfontein. To date, this is still incomplete, however the church actively seeks new members.

With the search for work often proving difficult within the small community, some teenagers turn to alcohol to pass the time. This has led to a heavy drinking culture among the youth, with many spending their days idling and drinking to keep amused.

Africa

In pictures: South Africa's Bushmen under threat

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