Gaborone — Mmegi correspondent MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE went to the Grand Palm to witness a donation of P10 million for tourism projects in Tsodilo Village, in the north-western recesses of the Okavango last Monday.

He interacts with community leader Qhao, his entourage and Debswana's Blackie Marole, whose words invoke Neil Armstrong's charactrisation of the astronaut's 1969 moon-landing "as a step for all mankind"

Xunta Qhao is the leader of the BaSarwa of Tsodilo Village, the Ju/'hoansi San. Infact, his village is named after Tsodilo Hills, recently described by a colleague of Qhao's as "a magnificent natural gallery of over 4, 000 San rock paintings."

Today, however, Qhao is not surrounded by the splendour of the giant male, female, and child hills of Tsodilo that stretch over 4,800 hectares inthe the deep reaches of the North West District of Botswana.

Qhao stands at 1.6m. He is in a suit and tie tonight, and is presently enjoying a drink of red wine at the glitzy Grand Palm Hotel in Gaborone. He is interacting with executives from De Beers and Debswana, archeologists from the National Museum and Art Gallery, university academics, politicians, and the media .

It is the evening of August 20, 2007 - a day that is likely to remain etched in the memory of the San chief whose people number a paltry 40.

"I am not a Kgosi," he says. "A kgosi is salaried, whereas I am not. I am just an elder to my people." The self-effacing San leader's presence at the Grand Palm tonight marks the beginning of what is hoped will be an abiding relationship between his people and two of the world's model diamond companies.

The newly formed Diamond Trust - a joint venture between De Beers and Debswana - is donating P10 million towards the development of the Ju/'hoansi San and the more preponderant HaMbukushu who inhabit the magnificent gallery of Qhao's people.

With this donation, De Beers and Debswana hopes to turn these 'remote area dwellers' into some of Africa's wealthiest communities by exploiting the potential of Tsodilo Hills, a World Tourism Site.

In terms of tourism on a commercial scale, much of Tsodilo Hills remains virgin, which is good for the San and HaMbukushu communities who will use their new 'endowment' to initiate and manage tourism projects.

The head of archeology at the National Museum and Art Gallery, Phillip Segadika, says Tsodilo has now become the most visited tourist site in the country, the majority of visitors being congregations of the so-called African independent churches who go to the hills for metaphysical reasons and other purposes.

With their gift from the Diamond Trust, members of these communities will undergo training in hospitality and leisure in preparation for establishing and running lodges, camping sites and hotels, as well as to become travel guides around the magnificent natural gallery.

These activities will be co-ordinated by the Tsodilo Hills Integrated Management Plan, which is the result of extensive consultations between certain government departments, the Okavango Cultural and Development Initiative, and the Letloa Trust which actually received the donation on behalf of the Tsodilo communities last Monday.

"We are very excited and thankful that our land has been recognised as worth investing in," says Qhao.

" My people understand very well what tonight means. Everything has been explained to them on several occasions. They know I am here to witness a donation for their economic empowerment.

"This money is going to water the wildlife in the area. It will also drill boreholes for domestic water needs; it will drill water for our livestock and build big hotels, lodges and campsites. Our people will own those things and finally say goodbye to poverty.

"I am an old man as you can see. But our children will start living well once these projects have taken off. We understand that the projects will be fast-tracked now that money is there. I am sure even an old geezer like myself will get something from the projects. "

Qhao's entourage includes a few dignitaries from Tsodilo, among them Poraki Katunda, a farmer who is also the Chairman of Tsodilo Trust which will oversee some of the proposed projects.

Another was Samson Mawano, the local councilor, who was overcome with joy: "We are more than happy tonight."

Mawano says the projects are not for the people of Tsodilo Village only, but will embrace all the 13,000 people of 'the magnificent gallery'.

As for Vista Moruti, the MP for the Okavango, whose 'voice in the wilderness' was beginning to assume an even more strident pitch for the development of Tsodilo's tourism potential, last Monday was simply a dream come true.

"The rock paintings of Tsodilo are unique," he says. "Found in the middle of the desert, the paintings are a wonder to behold. With this donation, Tsodilo will become a hit with tourists"

The Managing Director of Debswana Blackie Marole, who gave a vote of thanks, seemed to capture the entire mood of the evening when he said: "It is a noble task. We do those things as part of mankind to benefit the entire world."