Sekaukau (or ǂKxʼaoǁʼae) is a San language that is spoken in Botswana (mainly in Groote Laagte, East Hanahai, Kanagas and Ghanzi) and in Namibia (in Gobabis and eastern Namibia). In Botswana, most speakers can also speak Naro (Senaro) or Setswana (Tswana).
The San of the Kalahari Desert have diversified livelihoods that are undergoing significant change. Numbering some 130,000 people in eight countries (Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe), the San are made up of approximately 50 self-identifying groups, many of whom speak mother-tongue San languages.
Some San groups have been involuntarily moved from their ancestral lands by the establishment of protected areas, agricultural projects, commercial livestock ranches and mines. Many San also have had to deal with the criminalisation of their livelihood strategies, notably hunting and gathering.
This website provides some basic information for English speakers with any level of interest, especially to people who may want to visit Namibia or Botswana and interact with San people.
The following guide will let you try out some basic Sekaukau (from Ghanzi):
