Thursday, May 22, 2025 - A British tourist has been arrested by police in Namibia for alleged s£xual assault of more than 30 indigenous San children at a 'living museum'.
Douglas Robert Brook, 65, is accused of r@pe, indecently
assaulting dozens of children, human trafficking, 'crimen injuria', and child
exploitation.
Crimen injuria in Namibia refers to the act of 'unlawfully,
intentionally, and seriously impairing the dignity of another'.
Brook was arrested by police on Sunday after allegedly
telling San children at the living museum of the Ju'/Hoansi to undress for
naked photos and to be touched.
According to Mail Online, the man appeared at Grootfontein
Magistrates Court yesterday afternoon to face 38 charges of molesting San
children by prosecutor Kristiana Erastus.
He was accused of persuading 33 minors to strip to be
photographed and to let him touch their private parts in return for sweets he
had taken with him.
His crimes were said to be against the Child Care &
Protection Act of 2015 and read with the African Charter and United Nation
Convention & Protocols.
It was understood that no plea was taken and Magistrate
Abraham Abraham remanded him in custody to come before the court on June 19.
'The tourist remains in police custody,' Information
Minister Emma Theofelus told the BBC.
The tourist is being held pending his next appearance and it
is not yet known if he will be transferred to a main prison.
Namibian police inspector Maureen Mbeha said that he
allegedly touched the breasts and buttocks of 16 teenage girls, 14 teenage boys
and three minors.
He is said to have entered Namibia on May 15 on holiday and
drove to the remote San camp six-hours' drive from the capital, Windhoek, which
he visited
It is his third annual visit to the same camp where he was
known to staff and the manager. He arrived on Saturday and was arrested a day
later.
The Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism condemned
the alleged actions stating they were 'deeply disrespectful' to the people of
the San.
A spokesman said: 'The allegations are a serious violation
of our law regarding the protection of minors and it is unacceptable for
tourists to exploit them.
'We applaud the Namibia police for their swift actions in
attending to this matter and are confident that the law and justice will take
place in due course'.
The 'living museum' is a joint German-Namibian venture,
comprised of seven mock villages set up by the hunter-gatherer communities.
San 'present the old, almost forgotten culture in
traditional dresses in the midst of their reconstructed 'nomad-village' from
the ancient days,' the website says.
'The San of the Living Museum set a high value on presenting
the hunter-gatherer culture as [authentically] as possible.'
Visitors can choose from many experiences including a day
visit to shooting bows and arrows or dancing round a fire or a 3 day stay with
a San family.
The San actors encourage tourists to visit the craft shop to
buy traditional art and souvenirs and trade items such as pens or shoes and
clothes for goods.
Visitors are warned not to give sweets to children as there
are no local dentists. They are instead encouraged to make donations to group
who will ensure they receive gifts.
It is understood the actors wear antelope skins to cover
themselves, although some adult women still go topless, as was the traditional
dress.
The manager of the Ju'/Hoansi museum said that did not apply
to teenage girls who would remain fully covered up with leather dress from
antelopes.
There are seven 'living museums' in Namibia and the group
behind them the Living Culture Foundation Namibia was founded by German Dr Ralf
Kuhn in 2004.
He remains Chairman of the LCFN which relies heavily on
tourist money and donations to ensure the long culture and history of the San
is preserved.
The Living Museum Of The Ju'/Hoansi is near the village of
Grashoek.
The San are among the oldest surviving civilisations in
Southern Africa.
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