General Information

Author/Creator

Desai, Rehad, director.

Language

Afrikaans, English.

Subtitles

English

Published

South Africa, 2006.

Physical Description

DVD-ROM (65 min.)

Digital ver. identifier

HU_OSA_00002992

Contents/Summary

Summary

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 Khomani San traditional healer. Jan’s struggle to live close to nature is hampered by centuries of colonial exploitation of the San Bushmen and of their land. Unable to survive as they once did hunting and gathering, the Khomani now live in a state of poverty that threatens to see the last of this community forever. One plant could make all the difference. Hoodia, a cactus used by Bushmen for centuries to suppress appetite, has caught the attention of a giant pharmaceutical company as a weight-loss option for westerners. It now stands to decide the fate of the Khomani San. 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.

Bibliographic Information

Note

Verzio Film Festival Submission ; Coproduction: South Africa, Botswana, Namibia

Library Special Collection

Verzio Film Festival Submission

Holdings

Item Type	Current Location	Call Number	Status	Shelving Location	Public Note
DVD-ROM	OSA Film Library	FL Record 1346	Available	-	-
Digital film	OSA Film Library	FL Record 1346 (HU_OSA_00002992.mp4)	Available		Access Copy, MP4 format