Many of the people of the Limpopo River basin are originally from the linguistic group known as the Bantu linguistic family. The Bantu linguistic family originated in western Africa in 2 000 BC and subsequently spread south through a series of migrations. Although they share a historical origin, socio-political developments in the riparian states have created substantial cultural differences between this historically similar group (Earle et al.)This chapter looks first at the History of the Basin People, then the relationship between Culture and Water, before finally the Cultural Diversity that presently exists within the Limpopo River basin.
The countries represented in the Limpopo River basin are as follows.
Botswana
Mozambique
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Click here for more information on these countries.
Chapter Summary
This chapter covers the following concepts and materials:
The composition and distribution of population and health and well-being indicators for each riparian country within the Limpopo River basin
A brief history of the Limpopo River region
The cultural diversity within each of the riparian countries of the Limpopo River basin
Beliefs, customs and stories related to water
Indigenous and traditional knowledge
CHILDREN FISHING NEAR CHOKWÉ, MOZAMBIQUE. SOURCE: QWIST-HOFFMANN 2010
