The indigenous people of South Africa, the Bushmen, had a deep connection to nature that was reflected in their mythology. A group of “coloured” people in the Karoo village of Nieu Bethesda, in the Eastern Cape, completely lost their culture, language and identity during the genocide of the |Xam Bushmen during the colonial invasion. Through making art, they were able to recover from mental ill- health, loss of identity, and alcoholism, and to re-connect with the rich Bushman mythology of their ancestors. The agent of this change was poet and psychotherapist Jeni Couzyn who set up the Bethesda Arts Centre in Nieu Bethesda, and opened it to the coloured community. Over twenty years the Centre grew. Its participants were introduced to the manuscripts of Bleek and Lloyd, in which the Shaman ||Kabbo, and other |Xam Bushmen told their ancient creation mythology, before the |Xam became extinct. The giant tapestries exploring the creation of the sun, moon and stars, the cosmos and the earth, and humanity’s connection to nature through stories, began to be exhibited all over the world, including the African Art section of the British Museum, and the Iziko Museum. The Centre, now the Bushman Heritage Museum, has grown into a world class museum and heritage site. It was formally opened in 2018 by the San Bushman leader, Toetie Douw, and Professor Pippa Skotnes, founder of the Centre for Curating the Archive in Cape Town. It is a rich resource for research into Bushmen roots and art. The Museum also has a restaurant and tourist accommodation.
