0:00:04 > 0:00:08'Imagine a line, more than 22,000 miles long,
0:00:08 > 0:00:12'that cuts through some of the most remote areas of the southern hemisphere.'
0:00:12 > 0:00:17And look what's up ahead of us! Look at this! Look at this sight!
0:00:17 > 0:00:22'The Tropic of Capricorn marks the southern edge of the Earth's tropical zone.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26'It runs through Southern Africa, Australia and South America.'
0:00:26 > 0:00:29This is just nature showing off!
0:00:32 > 0:00:37'Following the line will take me to beautiful but troubled regions of the world.'
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Aah! Bloody hell!
0:00:39 > 0:00:44'Capricorn passes through areas of desperate poverty,
0:00:44 > 0:00:46'political conflict
0:00:46 > 0:00:48'and environmental devastation.'
0:00:48 > 0:00:50Just ripping it down. Look at this!
0:00:51 > 0:00:55'The first leg of my journey takes me through Namibia and Botswana,
0:00:55 > 0:00:59'and on a gruelling journey across the Kalahari Desert.'
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Bloody hell.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15Just over there is where the Tropic of Capricorn hits Africa.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19This is the start of my journey around the world, following the line
0:01:19 > 0:01:22that marks the southern border of the tropics.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29'This is Namibia, on the west coast of Southern Africa.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33'20 years ago this country was ruled by Apartheid South Africa.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38'Now it wants to present a very different face to the world.
0:01:38 > 0:01:43'Namibia is becoming a top destination for adventure travel, and young entrepreneurs are
0:01:43 > 0:01:47'harnessing some of the world's biggest sand dunes for the latest sports craze - sand boarding.'
0:01:47 > 0:01:51- How are you?- OK. How you doing?- OK.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53This is a bit steep.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57- Yes, this is the bunny slope. - The bunny slope? - The baby one, yeah.- The baby slope?!
0:01:57 > 0:02:00The bigger ones, we have to go a bit higher still.
0:02:00 > 0:02:01I'll just try and stay on it, OK?
0:02:01 > 0:02:06No problem, yeah. But that's the high-tech speed machine, the fastest on the dune.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08'No need for expensive equipment.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11'I'm trusting my safety to a piece of hardboard.'
0:02:11 > 0:02:13How fast can you go on a board?
0:02:13 > 0:02:16The fastest you can go is about 75 to 80 kilometres an hour.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19- 75 kilometres an hour?! - Yeah, definitely.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25Make sure you keep the front of the board up, all the time.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30- As soon as you put your hands down sand is gonna come in your face - not too pleasant.- Not good.
0:02:30 > 0:02:31- So keep the mouth closed, yeah?- OK.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33What do I have to do?
0:02:33 > 0:02:37'Faced with this terrifying slope, I forgot everything I'd just learnt.'
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Arghhhh!
0:02:43 > 0:02:45I'm eating the sand!
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Going over the edge.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Yes!
0:02:52 > 0:02:55That was fun! Another go, I have to have another go.
0:02:55 > 0:03:00'Despite the excitement, traditional ski resorts do have some advantages.'
0:03:01 > 0:03:05This is why this is never going to take off, because every time
0:03:05 > 0:03:08you have to climb back up the bloody dune!
0:03:12 > 0:03:14'Just north of the Tropic of Capricorn,
0:03:14 > 0:03:18'on the edge of the desert, is Namibia's second city, Swakopmund.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26'Arriving here is a journey into Namibia's colonial past.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31'For three decades, up until the First World War, Namibia was called German South-West Africa,
0:03:31 > 0:03:36'and Swakopmund still feels like Bavaria in the sunshine.'
0:03:43 > 0:03:48I'm just in an antiques shop just near the supermarket,
0:03:48 > 0:03:53which has a pretty varied selection of German memorabilia.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Some of it's even Namibian.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03'The Germans ruled the country for just over 30 years,
0:04:03 > 0:04:07'and more than 60,000 Germans visit Namibia each year.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09'This tourist shop had a curious line in souvenirs.'
0:04:11 > 0:04:13INAUDIBLE
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Unbelievable.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22What a strange place.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24It's a little bit weird, frankly.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27There's a strange mix of memorabilia in this shop.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32They've got stuff from the Second Reich, the Third Reich, even.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36Copies of Mein Kampf and little photos of a smiling Hitler,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39and then they've got flags of Namibia...
0:04:40 > 0:04:43..in celebration of the modern country, it just seems a weird
0:04:43 > 0:04:48conflict or contrast between the old Germany and the new Namibia.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01Swakopmund is built on a dark secret, now largely forgotten.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05In 1904, German troops crushed a rebellion
0:05:05 > 0:05:08by the indigenous Herero and Nama people.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11The German commander issued an extermination order,
0:05:11 > 0:05:16leading to the deaths of tens of thousands of men, women and children.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22The Herero people couldn't live in their own country?
0:05:22 > 0:05:25They should be wiped out.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28They should be shot at sight.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33'I met up with Herero historian Johanna Katjihapara, who explained
0:05:33 > 0:05:36'that much of Swakopmund was built by Herero slaves.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40'Nearly half of them died in concentration camps.'
0:05:43 > 0:05:48This area, here next to the sea, is where my ancestors were kept.
0:05:48 > 0:05:54It is a genocide because the order was to exterminate the Ovaherero people.
0:05:54 > 0:06:00How many Herero were killed during this period, how many people actually died?
0:06:00 > 0:06:06Between 65,000 and 80,000 people.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10Anything up to 80% of the Herero people were wiped out
0:06:10 > 0:06:14and, for those that were remaining, they lost all their land?
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Yeah.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21'The few hundred Germans that died during the rebellion are honoured in Swakopmund cemetery.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25'But there are many more bodies here.'
0:06:25 > 0:06:30We're leaving what seems to be the sort of white, German bit of the cemetery.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Look, the path stops.
0:06:34 > 0:06:43Everywhere where I'm walking right now, I'm walking over the bones...the remains of my ancestors.
0:06:44 > 0:06:50Therefore, I need to go down, take a little bit of the soil.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52SHE SPITS
0:06:52 > 0:06:54That's what we do.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58'It's hard to take in the scale of what happened here.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02'Namibians who were killed, worked or starved to death lie in unmarked graves.'
0:07:02 > 0:07:05There are bushes growing on the humps.
0:07:05 > 0:07:10- This is greenery growing on shallow graves, isn't it?- Yes.
0:07:10 > 0:07:17Starting from there, that's a grave, a grave, a grave, a grave. In the same line, another grave...
0:07:17 > 0:07:21'Neither the South Africans who took control after the Germans
0:07:21 > 0:07:27'nor Namibia's post-independence rulers have wanted to dwell on the past.'
0:07:27 > 0:07:31So here we are, this is obviously quite a new memorial.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33"In memory of the thousands
0:07:34 > 0:07:38"who perished under mysterious circumstances."
0:07:39 > 0:07:43Doesn't seem to be much mystery, to me, about the circumstances.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46People were worked to death or killed.
0:07:46 > 0:07:54It is as if the Germans have practised on us before they did that to the Jewish people.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59'The Herero massacre was the first genocide of the 20th century.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03'It was finally acknowledged by the German government in 2004.
0:08:08 > 0:08:14'East of Swakopmund, the Tropic of Capricorn cuts through the Namib desert,
0:08:14 > 0:08:18'and passes through bush land south of the Namibian capital, Windhoek.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22'Although it looks wild, much of this land is grazed by cattle
0:08:22 > 0:08:26'on vast farms, and wildlife in the area is under threat.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30'Farmers here often shoot cheetahs who prey on their livestock.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36'French conservationist Olivier Houlet is trying to protect the big cats.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37'Locals call him Catman.'
0:08:37 > 0:08:42We have a wonderful project with five cheetahs, male, which were all orphans
0:08:42 > 0:08:47from...their mum has been shot by hunters when they were very small.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50And the concept, the project was to raise them all together.
0:08:50 > 0:08:56'The five rescued cheetahs now live wild on a protected area of Olivier's land.'
0:08:56 > 0:08:58When will you be releasing them?
0:08:58 > 0:09:00So we hope,
0:09:00 > 0:09:02beginning of next year.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06But the very, very important job before that is to survey the place by plane
0:09:06 > 0:09:10and to make calculation of how many preys, what kind of environment is it,
0:09:10 > 0:09:14- how many cheetahs are already there. - Check the balance is right.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17'The cheetahs are being reintegrated into the wild
0:09:17 > 0:09:23'and can kill for themselves, but for the moment Olivier supplements their diet.'
0:09:23 > 0:09:31While I was busy taking photographs, Oliver was whipping out a huge slab of meat.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34The very first step to be as close as possible from nature will be to
0:09:34 > 0:09:37give them exactly what they would have if they would be free.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40So when we feed them we only give them game meat.
0:09:40 > 0:09:45We will have to be a little patient, I'm gonna spread some meat around, but if they hunt something,
0:09:45 > 0:09:51if they put down a kudu today or any kind of animal, then we might have to walk and look for them.
0:09:51 > 0:09:56What, so if they've already eaten they won't want your lovely bit of meat?
0:09:56 > 0:10:01'The idea was to leave the meat for the cheetahs and then retreat to a safe distance.'
0:10:04 > 0:10:06Here they come.
0:10:06 > 0:10:11No. Oh, my God! It's not supposed to be like that. Come, come, come. What the BLEEP?!
0:10:11 > 0:10:13They're all here, they're all here.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15- Get in the car, quickly. - Maybe a little bit quickly.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18We were surrounded by hungry cheetahs.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20They're being quite serious.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24They are wild guys. They are able to hunt and kill for themself.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28It's all about body language and no fear at all.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30God, there's all five of them.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Look at them.
0:10:43 > 0:10:48This one there is actually the smallest cheetah, but he's the boss, he's the leader of the group.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57And this one is the biggest one of the group, he is the power of the group with his brother.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00He is the one who put down the prey.
0:11:03 > 0:11:09'It was fantastic to see Olivier's rapport with these big cats as he faced down the cheetahs.'
0:11:14 > 0:11:16Everything is fine now.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30'95% of Namibia's cheetahs live on land owned by commercial farms.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38'Olivier wants the Namibian government to protect these big cats in order to boost tourism.'
0:11:38 > 0:11:41If people come all over the world to see that beautiful country,
0:11:41 > 0:11:44to see wildlife, to see something unique in the world
0:11:44 > 0:11:48where there are so few people and so many animals, I believe that would be
0:11:48 > 0:11:54a very interesting thing to protect them and be able to see them in the free environment.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58The very important thing is to convince government to help us to do that.
0:12:00 > 0:12:06'Wildlife tourism has been one of the engines of economic growth in Namibia since independence.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10'But the country's apparent success masks a society with huge inequalities.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20'As we zig-zagged along Capricorn, I wanted to find out more.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22'So we headed for the big city,
0:12:22 > 0:12:26'driving 70 miles north of the line to the Namibian capital, Windhoek.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31'After the tranquillity of the bush, arriving in Windhoek at night was something of a shock.
0:12:31 > 0:12:36'One thing that struck me about the capital was the number of young women on the streets.'
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Let's keep driving along.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Don't want to give them a heart attack.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44'Every time the car stopped at a traffic light, we were approached.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51'There are no official figures for the number of sex workers in Namibia.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54'Critics say the government doesn't want to admit they exist.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59'But with HIV/AIDS affecting a quarter of the population it's a dangerous profession.'
0:12:59 > 0:13:04There's a lot of girls working out here, and the risks they're taking are quite extraordinary.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10Take a left up here, back to the road outside our hotel.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13- Left here?- Yeah, please, mate.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22'People from across Namibia are attracted to the opportunities offered by the big city,
0:13:22 > 0:13:28'but most of them end up in places like Babylon, a temporary settlement on the fringes of the capital.'
0:13:28 > 0:13:31They are streaming from all sides,
0:13:31 > 0:13:35from the south and the north, to look for work.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38They don't find the work
0:13:38 > 0:13:40and then the ladies on the street and...
0:13:40 > 0:13:46'Father Herman Klein-Hitpass has been helping Windhoek's prostitutes for the past 12 years.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51'In a country where more than a third of people live on less than
0:13:51 > 0:13:55'50 pence a day, prostitution can be a matter of survival.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00'Independence has brought change, but not fast enough for people living here.'
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Where did you live before here?
0:14:02 > 0:14:04- In town.- In town?
0:14:05 > 0:14:10'Father Herman introduced me to Tessa Peri, a sex worker who lives in Babylon.'
0:14:10 > 0:14:15- Where did you get the metal from? - Ah, this is from the car, you know, old cars.
0:14:15 > 0:14:16- Bits of old cars.- Yeah.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18- The panels.- Yeah.- This is...
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- Right, this is a bonnet, isn't it? - Yeah.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25Too much rain is coming in and I must put this thing up, you see.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Does it feel basic to you or are you happy?
0:14:28 > 0:14:31I'm not happy to stay like this.
0:14:33 > 0:14:39'Father Herman's Stand Together project is funded with donations from Catholic parishes in Germany.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44'He's trying to break the cycle that leads from deprivation to prostitution
0:14:44 > 0:14:47'by supporting the women with both food and education.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53I mean, do you see young sex workers?
0:14:53 > 0:14:57- Do you see children working in the sex industry?- Yeah, even from nine years old.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00- Nine-year-old prostitutes? - Yes, yes, yes.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05Sometimes the mother takes the children to the street and I said, "You will not be helped."
0:15:05 > 0:15:09"Doesn't matter - my child makes money."
0:15:10 > 0:15:17'Father Herman has risked the wrath of Rome by giving out condoms to the prostitutes,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20'despite the Vatican's opposition.'
0:15:20 > 0:15:24- So you're getting... So in this box, that's 100.- Yes.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27100 lubricated condoms from Alabama.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33These girls call this...like umbrella.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35- An umbrella.- Umbrella against rain.
0:15:38 > 0:15:39You earn money?
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Not now!
0:15:42 > 0:15:47'Three-quarters of the women who use the centre are HIV-positive, including Tessa.'
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Did you fear, were you concerned that you would get it?
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Were you worried or did you think you were sort of invulnerable?
0:15:53 > 0:16:00TRANSLATION: Sometimes customers would refuse to pay me and they would often refuse to use a condom.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03This is how I got AIDS, how I caught it.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07'Without the father's help, Tessa would still be selling her body,
0:16:07 > 0:16:09'and life on the streets is a desperate struggle.'
0:16:11 > 0:16:16Sometimes they would pay me with just food, like chips and hot dogs.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19A chicken leg to have sex with me.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23Thank you for sharing your story with us.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Very kind of you.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35'While there is an emerging black middle class, for many Namibians
0:16:35 > 0:16:41'living standards have changed little since independence from Apartheid South Africa in 1990.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46'The Namibian government has always chosen revolutionary and controversial friends.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49'Now it finds itself being wooed by a new suitor,
0:16:49 > 0:16:53'a superpower that is changing the face of the entire continent.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00'To find out more, I went to the University of Namibia.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02'Some of the courses here are a little surprising.'
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Ah, Professor!
0:17:08 > 0:17:10Nice to see you!
0:17:10 > 0:17:15'Professor Yang Ganfu teaches an increasingly popular subject - Chinese.'
0:17:15 > 0:17:17Now, we have six
0:17:17 > 0:17:19Chinese sentences.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23Just look at them to see which sentence you can put
0:17:23 > 0:17:25into English.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Who can try? OK.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30HE SPEAKS CHINESE
0:17:30 > 0:17:32- Please come in.- OK.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35HE SPEAKS CHINESE
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Please have tea, or here is tea.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43HE SPEAKS CHINESE That means perfect. Very Good.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46SHE SPEAKS CHINESE
0:17:49 > 0:17:51OK, let's try the next one.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55- It's good for the new student to pronounce some new words.- OK.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59HE SPEAKS CHINESE
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Eric's nodding. Are you nodding? I nearly got it right.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06The new student is making progress!
0:18:08 > 0:18:13'The professor has been surprised by the demand for his classes.'
0:18:13 > 0:18:18Why do you think that Namibians are wanting to learn Chinese?
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Actually I also ask them such a question.
0:18:21 > 0:18:27They say...Chinese...because Chinese language is getting very important
0:18:27 > 0:18:29because of the Chinese economic power.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33As I often call it, Chinese is going to be the money language.
0:18:33 > 0:18:40'In the last few years, China has arrived in Africa, exploiting the continent's vast natural resources.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45'And Africa is also a huge market for cheap Chinese goods.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49'In Windhoek, Chinese businessmen have been making a tidy profit.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52'The professor took me to meet some of them.'
0:18:52 > 0:18:54- Jellyfish?- Jellyfish.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58We've got sausage, pig ear and jellyfish.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00The jellyfish are quite chewy as well.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02It's all quite chewy, but it's delicious.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09'My hosts were determined to show me a good time.'
0:19:09 > 0:19:11That is an extraordinary colour.
0:19:11 > 0:19:12Is this very strong?
0:19:12 > 0:19:14- Quite.- Quite strong.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18The only lettering I can understand here is 46%.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Cheers, everybody!
0:19:20 > 0:19:21Cheers!
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Oh, great!
0:19:23 > 0:19:26Oh, you're gonna fill it up again!
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Simon, let's play a little game.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Nothing, nothing. I got it. Drink.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39What?!
0:19:40 > 0:19:42- Twenty?- Twenty!
0:19:42 > 0:19:44Twenty!
0:19:44 > 0:19:46Drink!
0:19:46 > 0:19:51I'm very confused. Anything that involves more than three numbers I get very confused by.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55'I was struggling to hold on to the purpose of my visit.'
0:19:55 > 0:19:57Mr Lin,
0:19:57 > 0:20:01- Chairman of the Commerce. Chinese Commerce.- Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04He's going to have a serious conversation about
0:20:04 > 0:20:08China's investment in Namibia, or are we going to play a drinking game?
0:20:08 > 0:20:15You see, Chinese people have a habit of, before, if you don't drink, they won't talk nothing to you.
0:20:15 > 0:20:16He's not going to say anything.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19So the thing is that you have to drink.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22I haven't heard that story before.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25One, two, three! One, two, three!
0:20:25 > 0:20:27Ah!
0:20:27 > 0:20:29I feel very relaxed.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31Thank you, Mr Lin.
0:20:31 > 0:20:32Thank you, Mr Lee.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37'Defeated by this dose of hospitality,
0:20:37 > 0:20:41'it was time to continue my journey along the Tropic of Capricorn.
0:20:41 > 0:20:47'But I was determined to see for myself the extent of the new Chinese influence in Africa.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52'50 miles outside Windhoek, I discovered a factory, with Chinese managers
0:20:52 > 0:20:57'overseeing Namibian workers, who are turning the desert sand into bricks.'
0:20:57 > 0:21:00Hi, Daniel. Simon. Nice to meet you.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02'Luckily they had an interpreter.'
0:21:02 > 0:21:04Those guys, they cannot speak English.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09So the Chinese embassy asks me to come and help those guys to co-ordinate with local people.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13You are facilitating, acting as the intermediary.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16- Yeah.- Are you enjoying the work? - Yeah, I enjoy Namibia very much.
0:21:16 > 0:21:22'Trade between China and Africa is now worth a staggering £30 billion a year.
0:21:22 > 0:21:28'Chinese firms are building roads, dams and power stations across the continent.
0:21:28 > 0:21:34'An estimated three-quarters of a million Chinese now live or work in Africa.'
0:21:34 > 0:21:39- You've been here how long?- Two years now.- Two years?- Yeah, two years. - Where in China did you come from?
0:21:39 > 0:21:42My home town is close to Hong Kong.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45- So down in the south. - Yeah, down south.
0:21:45 > 0:21:51- You should be used to the heat, then!- Of course, yeah, you can see my skin is totally dark now!
0:21:53 > 0:21:58And are these bricks for export or are they for Namibia?
0:21:58 > 0:22:02Most of the bricks will go to the north of Namibia because, you know,
0:22:02 > 0:22:06in north of Namibia there are a lot of Chinese construction companies.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08The Chinese Embassy say Namibia is open to the world now,
0:22:08 > 0:22:12and Namibia government has a good relationship with the Chinese government.
0:22:12 > 0:22:17- And are there many Chinese businesses coming to Namibia now? - Ah, yes, of course.
0:22:17 > 0:22:22'The Chinese are being welcomed by both democracies and dictatorships across Africa -
0:22:22 > 0:22:27'partly because they don't ask too many awkward questions about corruption and human rights.'
0:22:28 > 0:22:33You start to hear a lot now about how China is building its business empire,
0:22:33 > 0:22:35but this is it really happening on the ground.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38This is China arriving here in Africa.
0:22:47 > 0:22:53'On the surface, democratic Namibia defies many African stereotypes of war and famine.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56'New investment and tourism seem to offer hope.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00'But the country's violent history has left its mark
0:23:00 > 0:23:05'on the land and its people, as I was about to see at first hand.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11'Near the border with Botswana, the Tropic of Capricorn passes
0:23:11 > 0:23:16'a small settlement called Aminuis, on the edge of the Kalahari desert.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23'Following the massacre at the hands of the Germans early last century,
0:23:23 > 0:23:29'some of the Herero survivors were forced onto this rough, infertile land no-one else wanted.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35'Today, they eke out a living by farming cattle.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39'Every morning, the elders perform the ritual of the Holy Fire,
0:23:39 > 0:23:44'communing with their ancestors about all aspects of their lives.'
0:23:44 > 0:23:49If you bought a new car, you just come here, they slaughter a sheep or a goat and then...
0:23:49 > 0:23:54- If you buy a new car? Really? - For us, if you buy a new car, I have to take my car home,
0:23:54 > 0:23:59my grandfather will now talk to his ancestors saying that this is Peter-Hain,
0:23:59 > 0:24:03the boy that went for studies, he bought a car and this is...
0:24:03 > 0:24:05- Bless the car?- Yeah.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09'Peter-Hain Uaakiza Kazapua is a Herero guide who lives in Windhoek,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12'but his family have a farm near here.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15'He explained how the women light the fire
0:24:15 > 0:24:19'in the most sacred place on the farm, next to the cattle corral.'
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Does this still mean something to you even though you're now a wealthy city boy?
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Yeah, I believe in this Holy Fire.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30It's really something that I strongly, strongly believe in.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34OK, she is now finished. She will go back now and then the old man will come out.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38- He goes and sits by it after she's started it?- Yeah.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42'Despite their history of violence at the hands of the colonial power,
0:24:42 > 0:24:46'Herero women wear a style of European clothing from the 19th century.
0:24:48 > 0:24:54'And when the village elder emerged I was astonished to see him wearing a colonial military uniform.'
0:24:56 > 0:24:59- Oh, you need to take your hat off as well?- Yes, I do.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Is the uniform worn in commemoration
0:25:03 > 0:25:07of what the Germans did to the Herero people?
0:25:07 > 0:25:11TRANSLATION: It reminds us of what they did to the Herero.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15'The Herero assimilated military dress into their culture,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17'partly as a way of remembering the war with Germany.
0:25:17 > 0:25:23'For them, the Holy Fire is more than a method of communicating with dead relatives.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26'It also has magical power.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33If the children get sick, we come to the Holy Fire.
0:25:35 > 0:25:42And through it we talk to our ancestors, and, if there are no other problems,
0:25:42 > 0:25:43the fire can heal.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53'But healing the sense of injustice felt by the Herero is hard.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58'Despite independence, many Herero still live in these infertile areas of Namibia,
0:25:58 > 0:26:03'while descendants of their white oppressors still own the best land.'
0:26:04 > 0:26:08'Peter-Hain took me out to round up the family cattle.'
0:26:08 > 0:26:09True natural, eh?
0:26:11 > 0:26:17'With such poor-quality land, the cattle must graze over a huge area.
0:26:17 > 0:26:22'The sun was beginning to set by the time we spotted the cows.'
0:26:22 > 0:26:24There's one over there. There's two over there.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28How do you feel now that you've found them?
0:26:28 > 0:26:31I'm delighted we've found them.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34I'm not sure I'd be given a job doing this.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37I don't think my arse could take it, for a start.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40PETER-HAIN LAUGHS
0:26:40 > 0:26:43I'm glad you find that amusing, Mr Peter-Hain.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46"We'll just go for a little walk, a little ride."
0:26:46 > 0:26:50Three hours later, the sun is going down.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53That's good, Simon, we're getting there.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56- Nearly home.- Nearly home.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00- Oh, bloody hell. - Just tell your arse you will make it!
0:27:00 > 0:27:03I'm gonna have buns of steel after this.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05'Peter-Hain may now live in the city,
0:27:05 > 0:27:09'but he's still completely in touch with life out here in the saddle.'
0:27:09 > 0:27:13Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on, yes.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16That's it. You have done it.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18- Is that it?- That's it.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20You have done it, brother.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22Let me shake your hand.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25- That's a man's hand, eh? Well done. - Thank you very much.- No, well done.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31I'll just shut the gate.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33I don't think I'm going to be able to walk properly
0:27:33 > 0:27:35in the near future.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40Well done. This is... Welcome to Africa!
0:27:42 > 0:27:48- Are you optimistic, as you look forward, about your future in Namibia?- History has its cost.
0:27:48 > 0:27:55It doesn't really help much when we cry and refer back to the past, and of course we must make use of
0:27:55 > 0:27:58our independence and make use of the opportunities coming up.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Turn negatives into positives.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11'It was time to leave Namibia and follow the Tropic across the Kalahari to Botswana.'
0:28:18 > 0:28:20Thank you very much.
0:28:20 > 0:28:25So you keep that bit and I keep this. Am I free to go?
0:28:25 > 0:28:28- You are free to go, sir. - Thank you very much.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31- Any questions? - Is there an in-flight meal?
0:28:31 > 0:28:35- No. Peanuts in the back. - Peanuts in the back?
0:28:36 > 0:28:39'But, while the Namibians were happy to stamp
0:28:39 > 0:28:43'my passport on a car bonnet, Botswana is a very different place.'
0:28:44 > 0:28:46Better than some scheduled airlines!
0:28:49 > 0:28:53'Before embarking on our epic journey across the desert, we had to
0:28:53 > 0:28:57'fly to Gaberone, the capital, to sort out government paperwork.'
0:29:03 > 0:29:04Well, we've arrived.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07Welcome to Botswana.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11I don't know if you can see the sign just above me.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14It's quite interesting. It's an anti-corruption sign.
0:29:14 > 0:29:21Corruption is such a huge problem in Africa, but we're told that it's actually quite low in Botswana.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30'Botswana is rated as the least corrupt country on the continent.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33'In Africa, wealth from natural resources
0:29:33 > 0:29:37'has too often left the country or lined the pockets of the ruling class.
0:29:37 > 0:29:43'But here in Botswana there has been a huge investment in public buildings and infrastructure.
0:29:44 > 0:29:49'The secret to this success can be found here, at the headquarters of mining company Debswana.
0:29:49 > 0:29:57'A third of this former British colony's wealth comes from a girl's best friend - diamonds.'
0:29:57 > 0:30:02- Where are the biggest diamonds on this floor?- The biggest diamonds...
0:30:02 > 0:30:05'I met Dust, who works on one of the sorting floors.'
0:30:05 > 0:30:07These are the plus-eights.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11Eight carats. Let's do the count first.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13Two, four, six, eight...
0:30:13 > 0:30:17- There's no dispute on the number, is there?- No!
0:30:17 > 0:30:20I haven't taken any. My hands are here, all right?
0:30:20 > 0:30:23A person could get tempted in here.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27Am I right in thinking the best way of still telling whether
0:30:27 > 0:30:32a diamond is a diamond or it's a piece of glass, is to scratch it along the glass, is that true?
0:30:32 > 0:30:34There are so many things that you can do.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36But you're an expert, Dust, what would you do?
0:30:36 > 0:30:39Well, I can even know with my eyes closed.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43- Your eyes closed?- Yeah.- What can you do? You can smell them.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45I just feel it and smell them, real diamonds.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48So they should just send you out to hunt for the diamonds.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50Why not?
0:30:51 > 0:30:53You'd be able to discover new deposits.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55Dust would just smell them.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57Yeah. Especially with the big noses!
0:31:00 > 0:31:03What I think I am smelling,
0:31:03 > 0:31:06- I'm smelling money.- Money.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11This is one of the eight sorting floors, so elsewhere in the building
0:31:11 > 0:31:15there's yet more workers and lots more rocks.
0:31:15 > 0:31:20Apparently you need to check the soles of your feet before you leave.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23Sadly there's nothing caught in mine.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28- Thank you, Dust, thank you very much.- You're welcome.
0:31:30 > 0:31:35'To see where the diamonds came from, I headed to Jwaneng, just outside the capital.'
0:31:36 > 0:31:41This is a 24-hour operation, seven days a week.
0:31:41 > 0:31:47'Albert Milton is one of the pit managers at the world's biggest and most valuable diamond mine.'
0:31:50 > 0:31:52My God!
0:31:53 > 0:31:58Well, so this is the most lucrative hole on the planet.
0:31:58 > 0:32:02- In terms of value, two billion dollars.- A year?- Yes, a year.
0:32:02 > 0:32:08So you are making, from this whopping great hole in the ground, two billion dollars a year.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11That's really where the dreams of the country come from.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14The impact has been really awesome.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16If you were to look at...
0:32:16 > 0:32:21this country at independence was classified as one of the poorest in the world.
0:32:21 > 0:32:28There was about four kilometres of roads, now we're talking about over 20,000 kilometres of roads.
0:32:28 > 0:32:36There were no health facilities and each major area in Botswana has got a hospital now. It has got a school.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42'Debswana, the company which runs the mine, is a joint venture between
0:32:42 > 0:32:47'the government of Botswana and international mining giant De Beers.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51'In a continent where the trade in so-called blood diamonds often fuels
0:32:51 > 0:32:54'war and conflict, this deal is seen as an ideal model.'
0:32:56 > 0:33:01Look at the scale of this... this machine.
0:33:01 > 0:33:03I nearly said this creature then.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06I genuinely nearly said this creature. It feels...
0:33:06 > 0:33:08so big.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11There's a living quality to it.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13It's amazing, yeah.
0:33:14 > 0:33:20'These machines shift hundreds of tons of rock, which is then crushed to reveal the diamonds within.'
0:33:22 > 0:33:24This is the kimberlite rock,
0:33:24 > 0:33:28that is the parent rock to the diamonds.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30- The parent?- Yeah.
0:33:30 > 0:33:35- So within this rock... - Within this rock, there's a likelihood that there's a diamond.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37Ohhhhh!
0:33:39 > 0:33:41This is the rock you love, basically.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45This is the rock that makes this country sparkle. What about that!
0:33:47 > 0:33:50'But in the late '90s the mine faced catastrophe.
0:33:50 > 0:33:56'Southern Africa's HIV epidemic started to decimate the workforce.
0:33:56 > 0:34:01'With almost 40% of the population of Botswana carrying the virus,
0:34:01 > 0:34:06'Debswana moved to protect its workers by investing heavily in healthcare.'
0:34:06 > 0:34:09This is the clinic
0:34:09 > 0:34:14and, even as we're walking up to it, we're finding a lot of people hiding their faces.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16It's extraordinary that in a country
0:34:16 > 0:34:22where the rate of HIV is so high, there's still a complete reluctance to admit it publicly.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29'In 2001, Debswana took the revolutionary business decision
0:34:29 > 0:34:32'to provide its workers with free anti-retroviral drugs
0:34:32 > 0:34:36'and now they have extended the scheme to spouses and children.'
0:34:36 > 0:34:39We do have some of our clients this side.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41- These are clients...- Yes.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44- Hello, everybody. - Coming in to access their medication.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48- Clients coming in to receive medication.- Yes. That's the pharmacy.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51'Dr Nzenza explained to me that, in a continent where
0:34:51 > 0:34:57'AIDS drugs are beyond the reach of most ordinary people, the diamond workers are in a fortunate position.
0:34:57 > 0:35:01'But clearly Debswana is not acting out of charity.'
0:35:01 > 0:35:06For a company to start offering retrovirals to their employees, it seems almost...
0:35:06 > 0:35:08it seems quite unusual to me.
0:35:08 > 0:35:15Yes, first and foremost the company has to be able to survive, and the operation has to be actually viable.
0:35:15 > 0:35:21For it to be viable, it needs to have a fit workforce, which is one of the things which really drove it.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26'Following the lead of Debswana, the Botswanan government has now
0:35:26 > 0:35:31;extended the free treatment scheme to all public-sector workers.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35'The death rate from HIV-AIDS in finally beginning to fall,
0:35:35 > 0:35:39'but it has left 120,000 orphans across the country.
0:35:43 > 0:35:48'I went to a charity that helps the youngsters with Lucas, a local journalist.'
0:35:50 > 0:35:52- Hello, everybody!- Good morning.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54- Hello.- Hello.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56Hello!
0:35:56 > 0:35:59- How are you?- Oh, you little...
0:35:59 > 0:36:01You're burying your head.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07What's the name of this one?
0:36:07 > 0:36:09- Deffo.- Deffo!
0:36:09 > 0:36:11Deffo!
0:36:12 > 0:36:15Are you going to shake hands with Lucas?
0:36:21 > 0:36:27'SOS Children's Village teaches the orphans alongside kids from local families.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31'The orphans live in houses which try and recreate the atmosphere
0:36:31 > 0:36:36'of a family home of up to 12 children, with a mother figure in charge.'
0:36:39 > 0:36:43TRANSLATION: In the morning, I bath them and make them breakfast.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47I encourage the older ones to become independent,
0:36:47 > 0:36:50showing them how to make their beds and how to wash themselves.
0:36:54 > 0:36:59'It is difficult to overstate the impact this disease has had on this region of Africa.'
0:36:59 > 0:37:07Not only has AIDS destroyed a generation here, or a couple of generations, but it's destroyed
0:37:07 > 0:37:12the extended African family, which was one of the best things about African society, really.
0:37:12 > 0:37:17The idea that your auntie, your uncle was also sort of your mother and father.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20But, because so many people have died here,
0:37:20 > 0:37:24that structure has broken down, and it's led to a need for places like this.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26ALL: Bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye!
0:37:30 > 0:37:35'Botswana's wealth has funded an extensive new road system.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38'But sometimes the old Africa can get in the way of progress.'
0:37:42 > 0:37:46You saw there, there was nearly an accident just then.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49And if you're driving down the road here at night
0:37:49 > 0:37:54and there's a group of black cows - I believe the collective noun is a herd -
0:37:54 > 0:37:56you're not going to see them and you'll crash into them
0:37:56 > 0:38:00with inevitable consequences for them and the vehicles.
0:38:00 > 0:38:05'To combat a frightening toll of road deaths, the government has come up with a solution.'
0:38:05 > 0:38:08Hello, sir. Hello, sir!
0:38:08 > 0:38:09Hello!
0:38:10 > 0:38:14We are on the roads. To avoid an accident.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18- You keep the cattle off the road to avoid an accident?- Yeah, uh-huh.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20We're going out on cow patrol.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25Is everybody ready for this important job?
0:38:25 > 0:38:31- You're keeping the road clean, you're keeping the road safe, so you're saving lives.- Yeah.
0:38:31 > 0:38:32Fantastic.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38What's really interesting about Botswana though is that
0:38:38 > 0:38:42there are people who are paid to do things like this.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44They are very careful. Everywhere we go,
0:38:44 > 0:38:48there's signs, road signs warning about, "Be very careful on the road,
0:38:48 > 0:38:51put your seat belt on, use a condom."
0:38:51 > 0:38:53- Preferably not when you're driving! - LAUGHTER
0:38:53 > 0:38:59That got a laugh. Good. And they try and get the cows off the road to avoid accidents.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02It's very well organised, this country.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04Where are the cows?
0:39:09 > 0:39:13'Botswana might be well-run but it's not without its major controversies.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16'It was time to head for the Kalahari.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21'Botswana is more than twice the size of Britain,
0:39:21 > 0:39:25'and is dominated by the vast expanse of the Kalahari desert.
0:39:25 > 0:39:31'I was heading to the settlement of New Xade on the edge of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
0:39:33 > 0:39:40'The Kalahari bushmen, or San people, have lived in the desert for more than 30,000 years.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45'Their current plight has received worldwide attention.'
0:39:45 > 0:39:47So this is the...
0:39:47 > 0:39:49This is the settlement.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56'In 1997, the Botswanan government began relocating
0:39:56 > 0:40:01'the few hundred San still living within the game reserve, out of the national park.
0:40:01 > 0:40:05'Many were given compensation, including cattle and goats,
0:40:05 > 0:40:08'and settlements like New Xade were created for them.
0:40:08 > 0:40:12'But many of the San insist they were forcibly evicted.'
0:40:12 > 0:40:14Hello, sir.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19When did you come to live here and why did you come to live here?
0:40:19 > 0:40:22TRANSLATION: It was 2002.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25It was not my intention to come here, we were forced.
0:40:25 > 0:40:32Is there anything about the town that you would miss if you go and live back in the Central Kalahari?
0:40:32 > 0:40:36The thing is, there is nothing to miss from here.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38What you see here is temporary.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42I belong in the Central Kalahari.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47The only thing is for me to go back, nothing else.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50I will miss nothing from here.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54'The government says it has spent millions providing
0:40:54 > 0:40:57'these settlements with schools, clinics, and running water.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00'Despite this, some San are planning to return to the reserve.'
0:41:00 > 0:41:04She's got a hose here connected to a water pipe.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08Will you miss the water when you're out in the Central Kalahari?
0:41:08 > 0:41:10Will you miss having a water pipe?
0:41:10 > 0:41:14TRANSLATION: I won't miss the running water, it's nothing to me.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16All I need is my ancestral home.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21'There has been a vocal international campaign
0:41:21 > 0:41:24'to allow a return to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
0:41:26 > 0:41:32'At the forefront is Roy Sesana, who has travelled the world raising the profile of the San.'
0:41:32 > 0:41:37What are some of the problems that the San are experiencing now they've been put in settlements like this?
0:41:43 > 0:41:48TRANSLATION: Our culture is coming to an end. It is becoming extinct.
0:41:48 > 0:41:53People are dying in this place, they are becoming infected with HIV.
0:41:53 > 0:41:58There is also a big problem with people drinking too much alcohol here.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08'With backing from international charities, Sesana and his group launched
0:42:08 > 0:42:12'a legal challenge against the Botswanan government.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16'In late 2006, in a landmark ruling, the Botswanan High Court decided
0:42:16 > 0:42:20'the eviction of the San had been unlawful.'
0:42:20 > 0:42:24You won a big court victory just a few months ago. Did you celebrate that?
0:42:24 > 0:42:27Do you think you've won your battle now against the government?
0:42:29 > 0:42:31We're not celebrating yet.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34The courts made the right decision about our eviction.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38But they have not forced the government to take us back.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40They brought us here in trucks.
0:42:40 > 0:42:45It is a long way for us to return, so we will celebrate when they send trucks to take us back.
0:42:48 > 0:42:52'While many San are staying in these depressing settlements, others have
0:42:52 > 0:42:56'begun returning to their ancient homeland in the Central Kalahari.
0:42:56 > 0:43:01'This family has loaded everything they have onto a truck lent to them by a charity.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04'They could not make it otherwise.'
0:43:05 > 0:43:10We were planning to wait for them to leave and we were going to leave at the same time as them,
0:43:10 > 0:43:14but we're crossing the Kalahari Desert and there are risks involved in that,
0:43:14 > 0:43:17and we can't really wait around any longer
0:43:17 > 0:43:21so were going to have to leave and either see them on the journey
0:43:21 > 0:43:23or maybe we won't.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28- Bye-bye! Bye-bye!- Bye-bye!
0:43:28 > 0:43:29See you soon. Bye!
0:43:32 > 0:43:35'We set off hoping to meet up with them again.
0:43:35 > 0:43:40'In front of us lay a long journey through shifting sand, extreme temperatures
0:43:40 > 0:43:43'and wild animals, to reach the San village of Metsiamanong.'
0:43:45 > 0:43:50This is perhaps the most exciting bit of the journey for me so far.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52We're doing...
0:43:52 > 0:43:54Well, we're going on quite an epic adventure.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56We're crossing the Kalahari desert.
0:43:58 > 0:44:02'We had to travel with everything we might need to survive in the desert.
0:44:02 > 0:44:09'Food, water and fuel and, most important, Tim Race, an experienced desert guide.'
0:44:09 > 0:44:11Are we in a bit of a rush, Tim?
0:44:11 > 0:44:16- We do have a bit of a time constraint.- Time constraint?- Mmm.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19Is that because we might run out of supplies along the way?
0:44:19 > 0:44:22Not just the supplies, it's the petrol.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25- Do you mean there's no petrol station in the Kalahari?- Afraid not.
0:44:25 > 0:44:29I can see this is going to be a tough journey.
0:44:33 > 0:44:37- Hold tight in the back there. - Hold tight in the back!
0:44:41 > 0:44:44The sand is really sucking us. We're not going to make it.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49Jo, I need you to come back, I think.
0:44:49 > 0:44:52We've only gone about ten miles,
0:44:52 > 0:44:55this is going to be a bloody long journey!
0:44:57 > 0:45:00'The treacherous terrain made two cars essential.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03'If one was stuck, the other could pull it out.
0:45:05 > 0:45:09'The constant stops meant we were only averaging ten miles an hour.'
0:45:13 > 0:45:18We've got two vehicles so just think how hard it's going to be for the people behind.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22'We never saw the San family from New Xade again.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25'We assumed they broke down or had to turn back.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28'And it was taking us much longer than planned.'
0:45:33 > 0:45:35We've been driving since before dawn this morning.
0:45:35 > 0:45:40It's now starting to get dark so we're going to stop for the night and camp.
0:45:52 > 0:45:53This is nice!
0:45:55 > 0:45:58OK, one, two, three, up we go.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03- Um, to the inside hole, huh?- Yeah.
0:46:03 > 0:46:10- Job done.- Tim, this seems to be made of fairly strong material. Is there a reason for that?
0:46:10 > 0:46:14- To stop the lions getting inside. - To stop the lions getting inside?
0:46:14 > 0:46:16- Indeed.- Is that a risk here?
0:46:16 > 0:46:19Yes, we're in lion country here.
0:46:19 > 0:46:23As long as you don't sleep with your tent door open, you're perfectly safe.
0:46:23 > 0:46:25- OK.- There we are.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27Excellent.
0:46:27 > 0:46:29Bloody hell, it weighs a ton!
0:46:31 > 0:46:32OK.
0:46:33 > 0:46:38My first consideration is, if I were a lion,
0:46:38 > 0:46:40which tent would I go for?
0:46:41 > 0:46:43There's some firewood.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46'With the sun going down, it was time to gather some firewood.'
0:46:46 > 0:46:48There's a lot here.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51'Jumanda Gakelebone is a San activist.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53'He believes the Government's relocation policy
0:46:53 > 0:46:57'is destroying San culture and the hunter-gatherer skills of his forefathers.'
0:46:57 > 0:46:59This is a tree for the poison.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02- For poison! - For bow and arrow poison, actually.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05I'm very sad at what has happened because, you know,
0:47:05 > 0:47:08now, as people been taken, we are losing all those things.
0:47:08 > 0:47:14If you can see now, there's a few old people which remains, and if they die
0:47:14 > 0:47:19the hunting of bow and arrow and the poison is going to be gone.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22It's just going to be something like a history.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25- The entire way of life.- Yeah.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28- You think it is dying out... - It is, it is dying out.
0:47:30 > 0:47:36'While the San may be losing their bush skills, I never really had any.'
0:47:36 > 0:47:38Has anyone got an axe?
0:47:43 > 0:47:47I think we should have gone for a different bit of tree!
0:47:48 > 0:47:51That'll keep us warm tonight.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54We'll be able to cook with that.
0:47:55 > 0:48:03Why do you think the Botswanan government wanted the people of the Kalahari out of the desert?
0:48:03 > 0:48:07What they say is that...they say that they want to develop us.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13That's what they say. They want us to be like each and every Botswanan.
0:48:13 > 0:48:15And which is wrong.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18We are Botswana, yes, we agree with that.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21So what's wrong with us inside the Kalahari and being Botswanan?
0:48:21 > 0:48:25'Jumanda believes the Botswanan government has an ulterior motive
0:48:25 > 0:48:29'for wanting the San out of the Central Kalahari - diamonds.'
0:48:29 > 0:48:35In 2002, at the time when the government was giving more pressure to us, if you look to
0:48:35 > 0:48:42the licence which we were given, to the companies, mineral companies, was growing very high.
0:48:42 > 0:48:48The government itself talking to us, telling our parents to move because of diamonds.
0:48:48 > 0:48:54'The government has denied this but agrees there has been exploration in the area.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57'They say the resettlement policy is designed to provide more modern
0:48:57 > 0:49:00'health and education services for the San.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05'During the night, the temperature in the desert plummets.'
0:49:08 > 0:49:09HE GROANS
0:49:11 > 0:49:14It's very cold during the night,
0:49:14 > 0:49:16very cold. I cannot feel my...
0:49:16 > 0:49:20toes, my feet or other vital parts.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25Oh, the sun is coming up now, thank God, so we should warm up.
0:49:29 > 0:49:30Hopefully.
0:49:31 > 0:49:37'By 11 o'clock it was unbelievably hot and I was almost missing the cold.
0:49:37 > 0:49:39'The journey was becoming a real challenge.'
0:49:41 > 0:49:42Oh, bloody hell!
0:49:48 > 0:49:53At this rate, we are gonna be hard pushed to make it to the San settlement, and if we get to
0:49:53 > 0:49:59a bit that we can't pull ourselves out of, then we're going to have to go back,
0:50:01 > 0:50:03which will be devastating.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16Keep going.
0:50:18 > 0:50:22'After two long days, our fuel and provisions were running short.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27'We camped for a second night.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30'If we did not reach Metsiamanong on the third day,
0:50:30 > 0:50:34'we would have to abandon our quest and get out of the desert.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41'But the next morning we finally made it.'
0:50:50 > 0:50:51People are happy to see you.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54"He's back! He's back!"
0:50:57 > 0:50:59Ah!
0:50:59 > 0:51:01We're here.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08'There were a few dozen people in the village.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11'With their second-hand Western clothes,
0:51:11 > 0:51:15'they did not fulfil the conventional image of hunter-gathering bushmen.'
0:51:15 > 0:51:17What's the traditional greeting?
0:51:17 > 0:51:21- Sometimes we say, "Crayo," you shake hands.- Crayo.
0:51:21 > 0:51:23Crayo.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28Crayo. How do you say it? Crayo.
0:51:28 > 0:51:30- Kiou.- Kiou. Kiou.
0:51:32 > 0:51:38'There is no electricity or running water here, and it is days from any shops or hospitals.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40'So why did they leave the Government camps?'
0:51:43 > 0:51:49TRANSLATION: Life is hard in the settlement camps but not here.
0:51:49 > 0:51:52Life is very easy here because I don't need money to get food to survive.
0:51:52 > 0:51:57If I want something to eat I just go out in the bush and get it for free.
0:51:59 > 0:52:05When the little one on her back grows up, what happens if he has to leave to go to school?
0:52:05 > 0:52:07I would not be happy.
0:52:07 > 0:52:11I want him to stay with me - to grow up and go to school here.
0:52:24 > 0:52:28They're endlessly entertaining actually, as all kids are around the world,
0:52:28 > 0:52:35but some of their bellies are a bit swollen, which is a possible sign of,
0:52:35 > 0:52:37well, malnutrition basically.
0:52:38 > 0:52:42'Since the Central Kalahari became a wildlife reserve,
0:52:42 > 0:52:45'the Government has banned the San from hunting wild game.
0:52:45 > 0:52:48'They are not allowed to keep livestock either
0:52:48 > 0:52:53'because of suggestions that cattle spread disease in the reserve.'
0:52:53 > 0:52:57Have you had some of the wildlife rangers coming here and telling you that you have to move?
0:52:57 > 0:53:03TRANSLATION: Yes, there's been a lot of hassle and harassment by the Government officials.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06They've taken away my goats and my donkeys too.
0:53:06 > 0:53:10I don't know where they are right now.
0:53:17 > 0:53:22It must be incredibly hard to keep crops alive out here.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26Ooh, that's a pretty good collection.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28So, these are melons.
0:53:28 > 0:53:34What about other foods? Have you been able to gather all the foods that you've needed this winter?
0:53:34 > 0:53:38TRANSLATION: My life is difficult since my goats were taken
0:53:38 > 0:53:42and it's very bad because I used to get milk from those goats.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45Sometimes I would kill one for meat because we are not allowed
0:53:45 > 0:53:48to hunt the antelopes or other wildlife any more.
0:53:50 > 0:53:55It sounds to me as though you just want the Government to leave you alone.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58TRANSLATION: The Government is troubling us.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01With all my heart, I want them to leave us in peace.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04'The Government denies there has been harassment and says it is just
0:54:04 > 0:54:08'trying to help the San into the 21st century.
0:54:08 > 0:54:13'Raising goats and donkeys is a far cry from the hunter-gatherer life which made the bushmen so famous.
0:54:13 > 0:54:18'But, in truth, bushman life changed long before the evictions.
0:54:18 > 0:54:22'Yet there is a genuine connection between these people and this land.'
0:54:22 > 0:54:26It's been a hell of a journey to get here over the last few days,
0:54:26 > 0:54:31but now to finally see where these people are living, there's something quite beautiful about it.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33It's a very simple way of life.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35I'm not romanticising it, it's very hard.
0:54:35 > 0:54:41They don't always have enough to eat, and during the winter, like now, it's bloody cold, but
0:54:41 > 0:54:44these people have chosen this way of life, this is what they want.
0:54:44 > 0:54:48They've seen the alternatives and they don't like it. They want to be here.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51THEY SPEAK LOCAL LANGUAGE
0:54:53 > 0:54:55Fairly close!
0:55:00 > 0:55:02Bye-bye!
0:55:05 > 0:55:07'This is always the hardest bit.'
0:55:10 > 0:55:15'The roads improved as we drove south and east away from the San village.
0:55:15 > 0:55:20'Many miles later, on the eastern edge of the Kalahari, we passed
0:55:20 > 0:55:23'another government settlement with its school and clinic.
0:55:23 > 0:55:28'But many of the San weren't using the brick homes provided for them,
0:55:28 > 0:55:31'choosing instead to live in traditional huts.
0:55:31 > 0:55:35'A day later, after a long and sweaty journey,
0:55:35 > 0:55:38'I was glad to see we were just a few hundred metres off course.'
0:55:38 > 0:55:42We're standing next to a sign that says Tropic of "Capricon"
0:55:42 > 0:55:46and somebody has added in a little R, which is quite cute really.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49And they've added it in with a bit of Sellotape.
0:55:49 > 0:55:55'After a welcome shower and shave I finally met up again with Botswanan journalist Lucas.'
0:55:55 > 0:55:57Lucas!
0:55:57 > 0:56:00- Simon, how are you? - I'm all right, how are you, sir?
0:56:00 > 0:56:03I'm fine. I believe you survived the desert.
0:56:03 > 0:56:08- We survived the desert, and we've made it here and it's lovely to see you.- Good to see you. Welcome back.
0:56:10 > 0:56:14'In sub-Saharan Africa, there are dozens of traditional healers for every doctor.
0:56:14 > 0:56:18'Lucas had arranged for me to see a healer and fortune-teller
0:56:18 > 0:56:21'who could predict what lay ahead on my journey. For a price, of course.'
0:56:21 > 0:56:26- So that's the fee for our consultation.- OK, yeah. That's OK.
0:56:30 > 0:56:34'So, what did she have to say about my journey following the Tropic?
0:56:41 > 0:56:43'At first, I was a bit sceptical.'
0:56:45 > 0:56:49TRANSLATION: The bones tell us you are a travelling person.
0:56:50 > 0:56:53You travel from one side of the world to the other,
0:56:53 > 0:56:58through dangerous places, where you go through areas with lots of wild animals.
0:56:58 > 0:57:01But the bones tell us that no serious harm awaits you.
0:57:03 > 0:57:08So she can see nothing negative about our journey around Capricorn?
0:57:08 > 0:57:11- No, the bones are not telling. - Well, that's good news.
0:57:11 > 0:57:16'In Botswana, the government is incorporating traditional healers
0:57:16 > 0:57:20'into the health service, training them to recognise serious illnesses
0:57:20 > 0:57:22and refer people to medical doctors.'
0:57:22 > 0:57:24I think she wants to show us a...
0:57:24 > 0:57:30Yeah. She's showing that she's certified to practise in this country.
0:57:30 > 0:57:32- Registered as a traditional healer? - Yeah.
0:57:32 > 0:57:38TRANSLATION: I welcome traditional doctors being incorporated into the health system.
0:57:38 > 0:57:42Before this happened, trained doctors didn't like to be associated with us.
0:57:44 > 0:57:49'The healer was a vivid example of how tradition and the modern world can be successfully combined.
0:57:49 > 0:57:53'Capricorn had shown me sides of Africa we rarely see.
0:57:54 > 0:57:58'Following the Tropic of Capricorn had already taken me on
0:57:58 > 0:58:03'an epic journey, and the next leg promised to be even more spectacular.'
0:58:03 > 0:58:06It's a dusty little border post, isn't it?
0:58:09 > 0:58:14Well, here we are. This is the international border between Botswana and South Africa.
0:58:14 > 0:58:17This is the end of my journey across Namibia and Botswana.
0:58:17 > 0:58:23Ahead of me is South Africa, Mozambique and the beautiful island of Madagascar.
0:58:26 > 0:58:29'Next time, out of the deserts and across oceans,
0:58:31 > 0:58:33'through forests and over mountains.
0:58:34 > 0:58:37'I sample local cuisine.'
0:58:37 > 0:58:39Oh, my God!
0:58:39 > 0:58:43'Meet giant rats that are saving lives.
0:58:43 > 0:58:46'And witness a major refugee crisis.
0:58:49 > 0:58:53'To find out more about the journey and see unbroadcast footage, visit our website.'
0:59:11 > 0:59:13Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:59:13 > 0:59:15E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk