Diamonds with Dignity
Soap Opera Jazz - the 2005 CTIJF
The carnival of dreams
The Gilberto Gil series
Time Space Change
The revolution will be commodified
The return of the patron
The emergence of the Lion
Reggae riddim and rain
A story ten foot tall
Damn I love Easter
Praise song for the people
Life without waiting for Brenda
Music mines its own business

DIAMONDS with DIGNITY
(life at the end of the world)

part 1. A pictoral story of the people of Kuboes and Sandrift, two towns in the Richtersveld.

The Richtersveld is in the far Northern Cape. It is the land of the Nama people. It was given the name Richtersveld by the Nama's in honour of the missionary by the name Richter.

The people of the Richtersveld have since 1998 been taking the government on in court in a landclaim case. They recently won the case, giving them ownership of the 84000 hectare Richtersveld.

They are now embarking on the second part of the case, a R2.5 billion compensation case as a result of Alexkor's mining of the region since the 1920s. This compensation is part `pain and suffering', part lost royalties. The Richtersveld community was never paid anything from the diamond revenue generated since 1927 by AlexKor, and the community has never benefitted from an operation taking place on their land, from something that is rightfully theirs.

One of the shops in Kuboes, a tiny town of 162 years, accessible only by dirt road. There are three shops. Josua says that they seem to work on rotation. There are always two bankrupt at a time.	Just behind this archway is a chalet project in development for tourism purposes. The rust roofed building used to be the Kuboes museum. Now it's an empty building.
Through the FortuinsGebou archway, looking into the townsquare, home to the 150 year old church, the school and the community centre. Every Sunday a NamaKoor performs.	Inside the home of Groot Oom Gert Domroch and Klein Oom Gert Domroch. Not related. One in his sixties, the other in his 80s. Both were initiators of the case against government. The lady in this picture is Mrs Domroch, Groot Oom Gert Domarogh's wife. The man is Johan Damarah.
This series of six pictures details the Nama Stap dance, performed by kids in Kuboes. Auntie Maria Farmer, pictured below this series, taught them the dance. She is also a Nama Koor singer. Josua calls her the Queen of Kuboes, she has held onto and teaches the youth traditional knowledge.
Aunty Maria Farmer	Klein Oom Gert Domroch
Groot Oom Gert Domroch	Johan Damarah
Mrs Groot Gert Domroch	Carmen in the home of the Gert Domarogh's
Floors Strauss, general secretary of the CPA (communal property association). It is he who is leading the case against the government.	This is Patrick's shop in Sandrift. Patrick is a Rwandan who lived many years in Cameroon and has been in Sandrift for five years. He is expanding into a takeaways shortly.He sells everything from lamb chops to hair extensions.
The Sandrift football field and the home of Franky's Manchester United team. Each year Franky hosts a tournament where the four Richtersveld village teams perform. Manchester United is the reigning champion.	Franky the Portuguese man from Madeira, has grown a little empire here in Sandrift. In this little complex he has a tavern, a bottlestore, a supermarket and a bakery. Franky has been here 10 years now, is married to Ana a lady from the area, and has a four year old boy. Franky sponsors an annual football tournament and the Sandrift team, which he has called Manchester United.
This is `die bidklip', the prayerstone that the Nama would come to for prayer. The minister would stand on the stone where the white plaque is and lead the prayers. Now it is surrounded by barbed wire fence. Dog's bark from the adjoining fenced off area when you approach.	The Orange River in the Richtersveld Park, which is partly national park, partly Trans Hex property, yet with the winning of the landclaim, the property of the Richtersveld community. Only accessible by four by four, host to some of the richest biodiversity in the world, yet in some parts deathly dry.