“Soetwyn”: Visuality, Cultural Tourism, Desire Paths and the ≠Khomani

Alcohol abuse among the ≠Khomani people, a small community resettled on six farms totaling 40,000 hectares after a successful land claim in 1999, poses significant challenges to sustainable development. This study highlights the complex interplay between cultural tourism, desire paths, and alcohol use/abuse within the ≠Khomani Cultural Landscape, using visual traces of alcohol's presence in the sand-dune landscape. The research employs 'cultural mapping' techniques, focusing on visual stills collected during a 2011 trip to the Kalahari by University of KwaZulu–Natal researchers. It contrasts the corporeal existence of alcohol with commercial tourist branding, offering insights into the social dynamics and developmental struggles faced by this community.

Mboti, N. (2017). “Soetwyn”: Visuality, Cultural Tourism, Desire Paths and the ≠Khomani. Visual Anthropology, 30(1), 22–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/08949468.2017.1255502