Portrait of a San tribesman (Namibia).

The San people, commonly known as Bushmen, are the members of the indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures of southern Africa.

They are believed to be the earliest inhabitants of the region since their existence can be traced back 140,000 years here.

The San developed a rich culture of hunting rituals, spiritual ceremonies, complex rock paintings and trance-like healing dances.

These peaceful people have faced oppression and eviction from their homelands since the 17th century, when European colonialists pushed the San close to extinction.

The apartheid then perpetuated the oppression.

Nowadays about 100.000 San people are remaining.

But there is a glimmer of hope for this culture: a recent successful land claim has allowed some of the San to find a path out of poverty.

In this image the San tribesman among the shadows of his fellows, is intended to represent today's process of extinction.