Week 9: Nothing Short of the North

Lauren, Jasmine, Catherine and RuthAnn

Before we departed for our break we headed farther north, to the town of Oshakati. Our experiences there helped show us the differences between city life in Windhoek and the rural north. It was important for us to visit the north as a good majority of the population live there and it served to expand our perspectives on life in Namibia.

Tuesday we visited the Nakambale museum to learn about the beginnings of Christianity in Namibia. The museum was located in the first missionary church in the country and we learned how the church functioned in the beginning with Martti Rautanen, a Finnish missionary. The museum also included a traditional village where we were able to see demonstrations on basket weaving, grinding grain, and making porridge. It seemed almost ironic to learn that with Christianity, traditional lifestyle was minimized, while at the same time it is preserved. We were pleased to see the traditional ways still survive today despite many modern conveniences that exist in urban areas and the historical pressure from the colonizer to abandon them.

Tuesday afternoon we headed further North to Oshikango, an Angolan border post. We were taken back by the amounts of people and economic activity present at the border who used the Export Processing Zone.

Wednesday we made a trip to Ruacana Dam (between Namibia and Angola) where we were able to take in the scenery. This experience was a contrast between the previous trip to the border—with only one border patrolman and a less secure gate into the country. Students in the group enjoyed hiking the dried up falls, and taking pictures along the Angolan border.

Thursday we traveled to the Ongwendiva Rural Development Center where people from the rural areas of Namibia can learn how to sustain themselves through using the land and natural resources. Many things found in nature in the region have a purpose; either to be used as food, seed, or to be sold. This was an unique organization as it was supported by the Namibian Government and it seemed to be teaching sustainable agricultural practices, which was a new encounter for us. Later we visited the Eudofano Women’s Cooperative to learn how the Marula nut is processed into oil. Although it was a smaller organization, it supported large amounts of people (both men and women) and reinforced a global perspective to find they were supplying oil for the International Body Shop.

For many students the highlight of the week was Fridays visit to Osire Refugee Camp. We drove through the camp and had the opportunity to engage in conversation with teachers at the local school who were also refugees. They shared with us about their experiences and their vocations. The refugee camp was different than expected. Arriving at the camp we were pleasantly surprised at the physical conditions, but as more time passed we became increasingly saddened by the circumstances of the refugees—poor food rations, lack of economic activity, internal conflicts, and the red tape around resettlement and repatriation. It was uncomfortable to think that people live in these conditions when we are accustomed to opportunity and prosperity.

This week expanded our knowledge and perspective of life in Namibia. It was fun to be able to learn about and experience rural life.

Week 8: Rural Homestay

Larry, Adil, Carlee, Jaclyn

While on our rural homestay near Khorixas , a small town in the North, we were given the chance to immerse ourselves in rural living by staying with individual families on communal farmland. While living on the farm we were welcomed as a member

of the family and took

part in daily activities, such as caring for the cows and goats, collecting water from the well, and cooking without any electricity.

Many students observed that most of the food that was prepared and consumed during the week was from the supplies that CGE provided, including loaves of bread, peanut butter, beans, and pasta. During the dry season the government provides food supplies to some of the vulnerable communities, and a few of the students participated in unloading the rations from the trucks that came during our stay. According to one of Carlee’s family members, the supply truck only comes once a year. While it provides food for a certain amount of time, it is not nearly enough food to sustain some families during the dry season, when food production is low. Larry asked his familyabout how long the government food lasted and they answered, “there are some times when we do not have food on our table.”

The observations we made during our homestays were put into context by the local organizations and speakers we visited. First, we were officially welcomed to Khorixas by the mayor.

Next, we visited with local high school students and compared the education system in rural Namibia with our experiences in the United States. We talked about some of the issues facing youth today, including drug use and teaching methods within school. Many of the students expressed the desire for most structured activities for themselves and their peers as a way to counter the draw towards drugs. We heard from numerous students that many teachers are lacking in qualifications, and since corporal punishment has been banned, many classrooms have struggled with the challenges of discipline. It was interesting for us to find many similarities between the Namibian students’ experiences and our own in the US, despite the differences in resources and infrastructure in the two countries. Many of us were challenged with thinking of solutions to educational problems even when the financial means are available.

We spent two out of the five days of our rural homestay exploring Khorixas as a group, then returned to our farms in the late afternoon for resting in the shade, cooking dinner over a fire, and counting the stars after the hot sun went down. We also visited with a member of the Community Development Center and discussed land reform and rural development. We received a brief tour of Khorixas, and heard from OYO, an organization working to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in the region. The issues of development that we have been discussing in class and in Windhoek took on a different quality when put into the context of the rural area surrounding Khorixas. Living in such a different environment challenged our assumptions about development and the needs of the community.

All in all, the time spent in and around Khorixas gave us a new perspective on life in rural Namibia. Much of the history that we have been learning about throughout the semester was brought alive by our firsthand experiences. The complexities of development were especially brought to light as we faced a lifestyle very different from our own. Although the families we stayed with did not have access to many of the resources that we are so accustomed to, we gained a lot from the personal relationships that were developed during the week.

Week 7: Classes

Leigh, Rae, Rachel

One of the highlights on week 7 was hearing Graham Hopwood from the NGO Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) spoke to our political science class. The IPPR is working to inform political and community debates, partially through an online site similar to those created in the USA during our recent elections. However, very few people in Namibia have reliable access to computers, which makes internet outreach seem ineffectual. He acknowledged that access to technology is a large problem and does impact voter education and outreach, but feels that small outreach is better than none.

An important unknown in the upcoming elections is the vote of the “born frees.” The generation born right before and during independence has the option to vote for SWAPO because their parents did, not to vote at all, or to critically vote for a party after forming their own political opinions. The three of us feel that voting is extremely important, and that it is the key to creating change and promoting democracy. Criticallyassessing the promises of the political parties is part of every citizen’s active duty and we feel that Graham’s organization, by advocating voter education is increasing people’s capacity to think critically about the government and create positive changes.

The religion class visited a pastor at the Dutch Reform Church. The pastor discussed the difficulties that the church faces today due to its former role in supporting Apartheid for so many years. The class was very interested in hearing this perspective because we have only heard negative opinions regarding this religious institution based on its role in apartheid. The history of the church that he presented to us was interesting because we were able to understand how church ideology can change with the times. He explained that the ideology changed by supporting the institutionalized separation, to the church supporting the oppressed like G-d and Jesus have always done. The church is embracing these changes, but there is still a difficult stigma to overcome with the local population. Our opinion in general is that the church was right for changing its ideology, but it should have never supported the Apartheid in the first place. Our class has been asking a lot of questions about the influence of church and state, and found it very interesting that the church did not speak out against Apartheid earlier due to political repercussions and consequences.

In history class, we compared Namibian and American racial histories and current realities. Dr. Christo Botha, an Afrikaaner professor at the University of Namibia, explained that apartheid was based partially on fear of black domination and also on cultural purity. A classmate stated that Apartheid seems good in theory but impossible in action. Preservation of culture is important, but many of us do not feel that institutionalized segregation can preserve culture. If the idea was to maintain cultural purity, so me of us questioned why the whites were not separated like the blacks were. The whites in South Africa were made up of Afrikaners and British, but they were not divided by ethnicity while the black people were divided were. We felt although racism in both countries is still prevalent, it is more openly acknowledged in Namibia,

while the US mentality

is that racism ended with the civil rights movement. Based on a class discussion that included individual’s experiences with racism in both Namibia and The States, the overwhelming anecdotal evidence was that Americans are much more politically correct with their racism or secretive, whereas people have encountered much more open racism in Namibia.

After working the prior week on a 5 to

7 page paper on globalization’s impact in Namibia and handing it in, the development class visited the USAID office and learned about the different jobs within USAID, the USAID relationship with the Namibian government, the current American foreign policies, and USAID programs. Some students thought USAID’s approach had no emotional connection to its aid recipients since it is a large-scale organization that dispenses aid to umbrella organizations, which then channel the money to its member grassroots organizations. Other students didn’t mind the “impersonal” approach that USAID takes, and could work for USAID as long as they knew they were helping others. Rachel feels that to make the most positive impact there must be personal involvement from the grassroots, and that while the money being distributed at the top may be helpful, the most effective change can be made on the ground. She also respects USAID for the positive programs it funds but feels that she could never work there.

We all agreed that the different paths each employee that spoke to us had taken were encouraging to hear, since some of us are interested in doing foreign aid work as an occupation Some of the class’ criticisms were that those who work there are forced to adhere to government policies that may not be the best policies for the situations at hand. For example during the Bush administration they were forced to teach abstinence instead of condom usage. However, most of us feel that abstinence will not help or protect prostitutes for example.

Week 6: Classes and the Coast

Catherine Raleigh, David Beck, Hannah Lee

Week six has been a busy week! We had a short week of classes followed by a long weekend on the coast. The highlights of our Political Science and Religion classes this week included a discussion regarding the Namibian Constitution, a trip to Parliament, and a lecture about the spread of Christianity throughout Southern Africa. Mr. Samson Ndeikwila[1] informed us about the creation and adoption of the Namibian Constitution. He explained that the Constitution is very progressive in regards to human and civil rights. However, it is difficult to amend and not understood by all Namibians because it has not been widely distributed in local languages and education in regards to its contents is limited. In Religion class, we discussed the pros and cons of the spread of Christianity to Namibia and its relation to traditional African religions. We (David and Hannah) have found the influence of Christianity in Namibia to be very interesting and multifaceted; Christianity has been used as a tool of oppression by colonial powers, as well as a force for mobilization during the liberation struggle, as well as today.

And then it was on to the coast! In meeting with the Walvis Bay Municipality, we learnt about the crucial role this port town plays in Namibia’s economic development. Walvis Bay is critical to the fishing industry, the movement of imports and exports, the tourism industry, as well as the mining industry. At the same time, Walvis Bay has 36% unemployment, while many of the companies that have invested in the area are foreign-owned[2]. We found it astonishing that the unemployment rate in the area was so high, as Walvis Bay has one of the strongest economies in the country, so we look forward to comparing it to other areas we will travel to later in the semester. This presents an example of the complexities surrounding economic development in Southern Africa, as well as around the world. We found it interesting that there was such a high concentration of foreign-owned companies in the area, for example the Mascato Fish Processing Company that we toured, which was Spanish-owned and sold to the Spanish economy.

Pertinent to the discussion about foreign investment was our trip to a factory that belongs to the Export Processing Zone (EPZ). One of the complexities in regards to EPZs, which we have talked about in class, is that attracting foreign investment is seemly beneficial to national economic development, but at the same time, most of the profit from the local operations leaves the country. We have found that this foreign investment and the presence of the EPZ is an example of the influence on globalization on Namibia, which has been a frequent topic of class discussion. It is also a topic that we have yet to reconcile, because while these economic activities seemingly stimulate development, we are unsure how sustainable and beneficial they are in the long term.

Another part of our time on the coast included a tour of Mondesa, one of Swakupmund’s former townships. This enabled us to see another side to an area that is simply assumed to be a tourist attraction by many, but which actually houses much of the local population. While apartheid has ended in Namibia, it is striking how it remains that areas of poverty are so separate from more popular tourist sections of town. We were glad to be able this area of Swakopmund, because it is far too easy bypass them for more affluent environments.

One of the highlights of this tour included a visit to Mondesa Youth Opportunities (MYO), an organization that takes gifted students from the area to further their education and provide opportunities which they may not have had access to otherwise. We also got to meet with Lindsay Hoover, a former CGE student now working with MYO.

This concluded our academic portion of the trip, but our time at the coast was also filled with climbing Dune 7, sea kayaking, skydiving, sandboarding and paragliding on our free day. While we enjoyed these “tourist” activities, we appreciated being able to see a more complex side of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.

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[1] Ndeilkwila, Samson, “Forum for the Future,” class discussion on September 22^nd, 2009 in Windhoek, Namibia.

[2] Marques, Nouto, with the Walvis Bay Municipality, presentation on September 24^th, 2009 in Walvis Bay, Namibia.

Week 5: Legacies of Colonialism

Rachel, Allison, Anna

The legacies of colonialism and apartheid still shape much of Namibian culture and society. This week we examined this from a variety of perspectives. On Monday, we continued our internships and volunteering. Rachel, working as an intern at Friendly Haven, was struck by how closely domestic abuse and poverty are related. Anna also came to the realization that feelings of helplessness are perpetuated by ensconced racial and economic barriers, which manifest themselves in poverty. This is one of the direct causes of gender based violence and child abuse in Namibia. Even after their conclusion, colonialism and apartheid left people--in particular adult males--hopeless. It is easy to view this situation as one sided especially when you are presented with the innocent victims. These are amazing women and children who are caught in a virtually inescapable situation. But this is not a black and white issue. The prevalence of the violence makes it clear that it is at least in part a result of a system of oppression, and it will not be fixed until the system is ultimately overhauled.

Tuesday’s Political Science class focused on the idea that the poor education of the indigenous people was an intentional creation of the colonial powers. The Bantu education system used language barriers to create a class of servants rather than scholars. Our speaker for this class, Mr. Elia Manga, the deputy director of the Ministry of Education, talked about what the current inadequacies are (early dropout and failure rates, school fees, inefficient allocation of funds) and what improvements are being attempted. Specifically, he told us about an online school that dropouts can use to try to continue their education. Although Apartheid has ended in name, its legacy continues to separate people based on class and race. Until there is a system in which all Namibians have equal access to education and opportunity, the system of separation and resentment will not end. It is crucial to be aware of the inequalities, and to address them directly. Pretending that the educational system is adequate will never fix the problems within it, and believing that all Namibians are equally protected under law will mean that the inequalities will never be addressed. We, in conjunction with Namibians, need to speak up about the injustices that we have been privileged enough to be educated about.

The written history of the colonial period has left many Namibians and foreigners with the impression that pre-colonial Africa was a godless society. Though Europeans brought Christianity to Africa, it was readily embraced by the indigenous societies in part because it resembled traditional religions. Our Religion speaker, the Reverend Kristoph, emphasized the fact that nearly all pre-colonial societies had a concept of a supreme being that Christians would call God. We did, however, spend much of the class discussing whether or not comparing the traditional religions to Christianity detracted from the religions in their own right. We came to the conclusion that while the colonial imposition of Christianity might have been problematic, it does not give us the right to question the faith of modern Africans. They best understand their own religions, and we must trust their opinions above all in a consideration of the overlap between indigenous religions and Christianity. Africans may have been coerced into Christianity at one point, but now it belongs to them, and they have adapted as well as integrated it.

In History class on Thursday, we listened to Uncle Paul discuss the role he played in the liberation struggle as a member of SWAPO. We had another speaker from Breaking the Wall of Silence who chronicled her tale of torture by the SWAPO party. Many students walked away from the class with troubled and conflicting ideas about how SWAPO influenced the liberation struggle. Though SWAPO's influence was instrumental in gaining liberation for thousands of people, they did so at the price of human rights for many others. In this case the question becomes do the means justify the ends? What are we willing to give up for freedom? Is freedom really just another word for nothing left to lose?

Development class on Friday finally put a more positive spin on the week. We went to the Basic Income Grant office to learn more about the grant and what it has done for the test village in which it was implemented. Overall, the BIG seems to have been effective at helping to alleviate poverty In the test village, Omitara/Otjibero, the program has been running since January 2008. The changes in the town have been immense. Malnutrition among children has decreased, independent businesses have started up, and drop-out rates have greatly declined. The BIG is an effective way to alleviate poverty and allows for a completely reasonable amount of redistribution of income. We then discussed how the concepts of economic-dominated minorities apply in Southern Africa. These groups represent a very small sector of the population but control a large majority of the economic resources. Despite the popularly elected government, the descendants of colonists still control the vast majority of the economy and means of production. This leads to continuing racial barriers and separation. It is hard for us to understand Namibian whites are not doing more to aid the economy. For example, Rachel was shocked to hear rich Namibians claiming that they were not interested in the BIG, because they were unwilling to sacrifice any of their privilege for the basic needs of others.