BLOG WEEK 5

Kristin Rogers, Kayla Griffin, Liz Mook

We thought this week would be a less exciting week of transitioning between returning to the CGE house from our homestays and departing for Swakopmund, but we were pleasantly surprised by a few of the experiences we had while anticipating our trip to the coast. The two experiences that impacted us the most were the trip to The Gymnasium, Namibia's number one private school, and hearing the story of Pauline Themba.

As we were driving to The Gymnasium we jokingly asked Urbanus whether the brick building resembling a castle or resort was the school we were going to. Much to our surprise, it was. The school looked much different than the few other schools we had seen which had, for the most part, been ones that served students in informal settlements and black townships. For me (Kayla) this was a radical change from my experiences at the remedial school program I intern at that serves many children in the squatter camps of Katutura. Early this week, I was surprised that they put the trust into me to lead a math program and not only that, but that they couldn't even find enough pencils for all the children to have one. They had to share pencils to do their math work. At "recess" time I was surprised to see the kids becoming very excited when the teachers brought out games made out of shoeboxes and cool drink bottle tops. So, coming to Gymnasium, this huge castle of a private school, was tremendously shocking to me. It seemed unreal that one group of children in Namibia were getting in fights over sharing a pencil to do their work, while another group of children in the same country had access to Smart Boards in every classroom, a computer lab, a science lab, and many other luxuries and technologies. One group of children had learned to be content with shoeboxes and bottle caps, while others had access to music and athletic lessons. The Gymnasium field trip left me very conflicted. I don't want to take the educational opportunities that Gymnasium offers away from any child, as education is a key factor to the success of a person's future. However, it just seems that if one person should get this education, all children should. Otherwise disparity will continue as a person's future is already mapped out for them.

(Photo: The Gymnasium, the number one private school in Namibia, and recipient of Gold and Platinum education awards.)

Thursday morning we went to the beautiful Heroes Acre Monument, a tribute to many of the political heroes of the liberation struggle. The monument consisted of an obelisk and a lot of steps leading up to the obelisk that contained the graves of the heroes. At the top of the steps was a statue of Sam Njoma, the first president of Namibia, and at the foot of the steps there was an eternal flame symbolic of the memory of the heroes that will live on forever. We spent some time climbing the stairs, enjoying the beautiful weather and taking some great photos of the Windhoek scenery before begrudgingly getting back on the bus. We even tried to convince Romanus to conduct the rest of the class at the monument. Had we known how influential the speaker we were about to hear was going to be, we would have readily returned to class. We were visited by Pauline Themba, a woman from the organization, Breaking the Wall of Silence and as soon as she started speaking we were captivated by her heart-wrenching story. Pauline was taken from her family, placed in exile, and tortured for 3 years as a political prisoner of SWAPO, the party she was previously a member of and with whom she was working towards liberation. We were shocked beyond words when she told us that after visiting the Holocaust Museum in Germany the only difference she saw between that and her experiences in the dungeons was that there were no ovens to burn the bodies in the dungeons. Almost as disturbing as her recollection of her experiences was the fact that SWAPO still refuses to admit that this ever happened, and thus much of the public is unaware or disbelieving of Pauline's story, and many people even still consider her to be a traitor. Our usually bubbly and social group was in such awe that you could have heard a pin drop. After hearing Pauline's story and learning about the Herero genocide, Liz and I left history class wondering what other parts of Namibia's history have been left out of the history books and hidden from society by those in power. It also left us curious about how these omissions have impacted society and the way Namibians as well as the international community think about and react to current events and social life.

The Heroes Acre Monument that contains many graves of political leaders and important people in the liberation struggle.

Urban Homestays

BLOG WEEK 4

Elacsha, Kevin, Donald

This week we got to experience a taste of real life in Namibia during our urban

home-stay, some people loved it and some found it to be a challenge. All of our families stayed throughout Windhoek, particularly in Khomasdal and Katutura, two formally disadvantaged townships of Windhoek. During Apartheid, whites got big houses, coloreds got smaller houses, and blacks got even smaller homes with showers outside the house. Instead, they got little sheds with showers in the yard. Kevin says, "I stayed in an apartheid-era home in Katutura with a shower shed in the back yard. This was one of the most shocking and difficult moments in the semester so far. Finally being able to put faces to humans that were once thought so little of that they were not allowed to have showers in their house? But we cannot leave that too much in the past. While my family now has an indoor shower, I was outside in front of my house and a taxi started trying to get me to ride with him. He could not fathom why a white person would be in Katutura. While apartheid no longer exists, my home stay led me to believe Namibian society is as divided as ever" but the division in communities by race and class is also something that we struggle with in the U.S. For example Elacsha lives in Chicago and the population is over 2.8 million people. While Chicago is know for its diversity there are also a lot of different neighborhoods where you would find more of a particular race then others. Some examples in Chicago are Chinatown, Greek Town, Pilsen (predominately hispanics), South and West side (predominately African Americans), North and the Suburbs (predominately white). While the city is open to everyone somehow people still create systems and invisible lines of separation for them selves.

Kevin and host-family at dinner

A lot of different tribes exist in South Africa. Elacsha and Donald's urban home-stay parents are from the Herero tribe. The Hereros are a group of people known for cattle-herding. During the early 1900's the Germans came over to do business with our people. The Germans figured out quickly that the Africans were not as literate as them. The Germans used the Africans illiteracy against them and eventually persuaded them to sell their land and work for them. When verbal persuasion did not work they used other tactics like alcohol and violence. In 1904 the Africans rebelled against the Germans killing over a hundred of their people. In return the commander of the Germans decided to wipe out all of the Herero people. Day after day they killed hundreds of Herero people by using violence, denying them food and water, and weather conditions. The people that were left were used as slaves and lived in extreme conditions in five different concentration camps. One of the concentration camps we learned a lot about was in Swakopmund. The history of the Herero people is really important. I am very knowledgeable about the genocide on the Jewish community and slavery in the U.S., but I think Americans forget that slavery was taking place in Africa as well. In school we learn about our ancestors being transported against there will from Africa to the U.S. but we never learn about the people that remained in Africa and the triumphs and challenges they faced, this reminded me of the book Lies My Teacher Told Me that we read in History class. The book was about history and how important facts are left out of history or changed and taught differently to society. I am shocked that such a major part of my history was left out and I am only learning it now, when I go home and as I continue to write I will have to make sure that my people and everyone else is well informed about the apartheid system that took place here.

In addition to all of the things we learned at our home-stay about the history of our people Donald's family took him to one of the old concentration camp areas, Swakopmund which he described as an experience he will never forget. The game drive and the scenery were beautiful. However, what was particularly interesting to me was the learning experiences I encountered both while in Swakopmund and what I learned about the gruesome past in history class. While inSwakopmund it was pretty clear that even though its a vacation spot, the city was divided on racial lines. I remember thinking how beautiful all the houses near the beach were, but I was wondering why I wasn't seeing any Black people in those houses. However, when we went into the city of Swakopmund, the houses looked less luxurious and the white faces faded and the black faces multiplied. The most profound part of this trip however was when my host mom pointed to a restaurant and said "that is for whites only". My host day corrected her and told me that it used to be like that during apartheid, but I could still tell by my mom's face that the effect of apartheid is still very real to her. Our urban home stays was a very influential part to our learning and understanding of Namibia. We look forward to our rural home-stays and being able to greet our families in Oshindonga which is the native language spoken there.

Blog Week 3 Caitlin, Jessica, and Lauren

Making Windhoek Home

Now that we have had the opportunity to make the White House our home, we spent this week and weekend making the city of Windhoek our home. Many of us have ventured out into the city to work with a variety of organizations for our internships and volunteer placements. We arrived at our internship sites with the words of Ivan Illich floating through our minds; he stated "you will not help anyone by your good intentions." Each of us needed to determine how, then, we would be most helpful to our organizations. Even though we were apprehensive about our first day at our internship, not exactly knowing what the day would bring, we went into the experience knowing that we were not the only ones who needed to adjust. Caitlin has been working in a classroom, assisting youth who are attempting to enter into third grade. While she is excited for the challenge ahead, it is definitely an adjustment for her and even more so for the children she is working with. While she has taught in a classroom before, the barer comes in remembering that English is a second language for these children and they did not grow up in her same culture. This immensely changes and shapes the way lessons are planned, what words Caitlin uses to construct sentences and the examples used to further teach.

Along with beginning our new internship experiences, classes also began. In our history class, titled "Racism and Resistance in Southern Africa and the United States," we discussed the importance of history and what it really is: "history is what we choose to remember about the past." We also discussed what role it plays for us living in Windhoek today. Romanus, our instructor, stated, "We use the past to understand the present. The past engages dialogue with the present." It is extremely important for us to know the past of Namibia and southern Africa because we are presently in this city; the history here will immensely shape our present experience. We visited the Owela Museum here in Windhoek and had the opportunity to expand our knowledge on native African tribes. For Jessica, this greatly shaped her understanding of her host family. Many of the cultural traditions of the Damara are present in her home stay. These can be challenging at times because the practices are unfamiliar due to her American cultural background. For example, Jessica is a vegetarian, and the family brought home a meat pizza and a "non-meat" pizza; the "non-meat" pizza in fact was a chili chicken pizza.

Jessica with her mom, Catherine and sisters, Tiaan and Kelley.

Our ten-day individual home stay was the final step in making Windhoek our home. We were warmly welcomed into everyone's households where they had a significant impact upon our lives as we did on theirs. In Lauren's home, she is sharing a bed with a 21-year old nursing student. Within the house, there is a limited supply of bed space and hot water. While living with this family, Lauren has learned that many families are very close, and as a result personal space is hard to come by. This is counterintuitive to American culture because personal space is a high commodity. As a result, Lauren feels like a burden to the family and this cultural difference is a stressor. As you can imagine, complete immersion into another culture is growing and learning experience for both the student and the family. There is adjustment to schedules, food, and other traditional practices. Overall, the home stay has truly shaped our time here in Windhoek and makes us feel more at home in the city.

Week 2: We Made it to Windhoek!

Kevin, Jess, Alison

This has been a week of many changes and new experiences. Having finished our home stays in Soweto, we gathered back together as a group and headed to Pretoria, the capital of South Africa. Although Pretoria is only forty-five minutes from Soweto it was drastically different geographically and socio-economically. Arid flat lands were replaced with rolling hills and the sea of black African faces became more mixed as white faces began to emerge.

On the outskirts of Pretoria lies the controversial Voortrekker Monument, an immense structure that looms high over the entire city. Erected in 1939, this monument was built to commemorate the trek of the white Afrikaners from Cape Town to present day Pretoria. Since its construction, the monument has elicited a number of responses due to its negative depiction of the Zulu people, a fact which also held true in our group. From Alison’s perspective, this was an interesting experience. Walking through the monument I was upset about the images depicting the slaughter of the Zulu people. However, I had to keep myself in check, realizing that we (Americans) have done the same thing to the Native Americans. Thus, I need to set aside my own feeling of self righteousness and recognize that my own past is just as gruesome. The following day brought the climax of our trip thus far; we were off to Windhoek (that’s home)! Stepping off the plane, we were greeted with sandy hills and baboons, leading us all to question where civilization actually lay. The luggage collected and the visas stamped we finally embarked to our beautiful home in Windhoek. Our house, the White House, is a two story home set in a residential neighborhood of Windhoek West, a ten minute walk from down town. Thus begins our intentional living learning community.

Finally settled in, we rolled out in our kombis (pronounced kom-bee), which are similar to oversized mini vans, for a driving tour of Windhoek. Led by our political science professor Urbanus Dax, we headed out to see many of the lasting effects of apartheid still present in this city. One of the places where this was most present was in the various graveyards scattered throughout the city. While the historically white graveyard was filled with perfect rows of tombstones flanked by fresh flowers, the headstones found in the predominantly black cemeteries were mere blocks with rough cut numbers. This was further reflected in Urbanus Dax’s remark, “we see apartheid even in death.” From Jess’ perspective: I really struggle with the lack of acknowledgement of humanity in death. For me, birth and death are two places in the life of humanity where we are the same. Everyone is born and everyone must die; these occur despite a person’s race, class, ethnic background, history. To me, the inability to recognize a person as human in death is one of the rawest forms of true racism I have ever encountered.

Tombstones at Old Location Cemetery

During this tour we also passed by the informal settlements located in Katutura (meaning “the place where no one wants to live” or “we won’t live there”), the predominantly black township. An illegal settlement built upon a hillside, this small city is composed of tin huts, each lacking common utilities; there is no electricity, public toilets are few and water is not readily available. From Kevin’s perspective: I was hit really hard by our time in the informal settlements in Katutura. The conditions were dreadful; the housing was far more primitive than anything I have seen in the United States. According to Urbanus, these settlements are growing at a tremendous rate due to people moving from the villages in hopes of a better life. I have no idea what village life looks like in Namibia but it either must be really bad or people are moving to Windhoek misinformed. Seeing how people are uprooting their lives to live in an aluminum shack without plumbing, I cannot help but suspect that no solution to the urban, migrant poverty in Windhoek exists. Instead, I would like to further explore if there are ways to make village life more economically viable, in order to prevent over population in Windhoek and to maintain tribal culture that seems to be quickly and tragically becoming extinct.

On Friday, we participated in a “quest” in which several members of Katutura took us around in small groups. As there were many different groups all of us had vastly different experiences. Alison’s group visited the Small Business Incubators, a kind of market where many Namibians have set up a variety of businesses. We ended up walking around and talking to many of the shop owners including a jewelry maker, soap maker, wedding planner, dress maker and a caterer. Next, we traveled to Young Achievers, an organization that helps kids identify and pursue their goals. Overall, this day was an extremely positive experience as it showed a different picture of Katutura. While there are many problems facing it, there are numerous organizations and people working to better the community and their lives, you just have to look a bit harder to find them.

As we headed into the weekend we were excited for time to explore Windhoek on our own, embracing our new found freedom, and anxious to begin our internships and classes the next week.

Week 1: And So It Begins…

Kristin Rogers

Alissa Kretzman
Claire Bergren
Caitlin Fleck

After landing in Johannesburg completely exhausted from our 17 hour flight we had no clue how to prepare for the intense amount of information that we were going to receive in our first week in Africa. While we didn’t know what exactly to expect, once we got here it was clear that we were in store for a broad spectrum of experiences. Most of our expectations were based on perceptions that had been influenced from media and personal ignorance. Instead we discovered social, economic, and political diversity. It became obvious that we were not able to put all of South Africa into one box, and we needed to adapt our preconceived notions in order to leave space for real people and real experiences. This is when we started to break down our perceptions and labels, allowing us to build a new and more realistic image of what Southern Africa really is.

One of the things that overwhelmed us the most were the amounts of contradictions that we experienced and learned about. This further established our need to accept the idea of a broader Africa. Some of the few contradictions that we saw were very present in our daily experiences. There was an expectation to be in the position where we would confront racism but it was not something that any of us experienced at all. Instead we were welcomed with warmth and excitement about everyone mixing into one South Africa. One experience that has stayed with us is the trip into Kliptown right after learning about the Freedom Charter. The principles referenced in the Freedom Charter were a result of a survey done by 50,000 volunteers who were sent out to hear the freedom demands from the people of South Africa. The Freedom Charter then became the core principles of the African National Congress (ANC). (For the full text of the Freedom Charter click here: Freedom Charter) After seeing this we felt positive about the stance that the ANC had taken and the direction that South Africa was moving in as a nation.

Then we were taken over to the other side of the railroad tracks where it became evident that the promises of the Freedom Charter had not been carried into fruition. Before us stood the poverty stricken Kliptown; which is referred to as an informal settlement. As we walked further in, we experienced a severe contradiction to the principles that the Freedom Charter had promised. Streams of sewage and litter ran through the dirt streets, and women and children carried water jugs from the local spigot to their shanty houses made of tin scraps. Immediately, it was obvious that shared wealth, land, accessible employment and housing were not a reality for the residents of Kliptown. Many people that we talked to expressed their frustration with their living conditions, placing blame on the government. Their disappointment with Nelson Mandela and the ANC shocked us, however, we quickly found ourselves placing blame as well. As easy as it was to justify the disparity by pointing fingers, we slowly began to realize the many parallels between South Africa’s disappointing history and our own.

After being struck by several negative contradictions during our first week in South Africa, one glaring positive aspect followed us at every place we went. Despite the lack of sanitation in areas like Kliptown, trash and filth in every neighborhood, and an unprecedented and rising unemployment rate, the people of Soweto continuously greeted us with smiles, handshakes, warm conversations and an interest in what had brought us to their community. Although our group experienced things that angered us and challenged our feelings towards the injustices facing Southern Africa, the overwhelming joy and positivity from the people of Soweto has set the tone for the rest of our semester.

Week 12: Classes and the South

Nathalie, Kelley, Maggie, Antonio

This week was divided between classes here in Windhoek and a travel seminar to southern Namibia. Early in the week, we were all busy preparing our creative presentations for History class which focused on identifying and comparing an aspect of the histories of racism and the resistance to racism in the U.S. and southern Africa. We were instructed to analyze the gap between the formal victories over apartheid and racist legislation and the economic, social, political, and psychological effects that are still lingering today. It was clear that everyone put in a great amount of effort and thought, and the projects did not disappoint! People chose several different interesting formats, including skits, photo exhibits, and interactive games and discussions. We also did an exercise that was intended to display the various backgrounds that people come from and the kind of privileges that we have grown up with. The exercise brought the discussion of race and discrimination to a much more personal level and left us all questioning some of our preconceived notions about the connection between privilege and race. I was personally impressed by Antonio, Martin and John’s presentation. Antonio played the role of a SWAPO party member, John was a preacher, and Martin was an Afrikaner. Their dialogue was very intense, for it touched on issues of Truth and Reconciliation, segregation and racism in the U.S and South Africa.

After history class, we all packed our bags and hopped into the CGE van for our final travel seminar of the semester (tear....). The weekend was focused on sustainable development and different types of tourism in Namibia. We spent our first night at a government-owned campsite at Hardap Dam in Mariental. Our night was full of delicious food, lots of games of Uno and Bananagrams, and group bonding time. The next morning we had a brief development class to discuss some of the themes that this trip was designed to focus on, including how we define sustainable development and the types of participation that take place. Next, we explored the dam a bit on our own and were impressed by how it was so well-integrated into its natural environment.

Then it was off to the rural town of Berseba to camp out for the night at a community-run campsite at the foot of the Brukkaros mountain. Upon our arrival, we met with the Community Campsite Committee and heard from Petrus Fleermuys, the chair of the Committee. They gave us some general background on the campsite and the various plans they have to overcome some of the challenges they have been facing. The campsite was started in hopes of attracting tourists to make money in order to fund community based projects that would improve the standard of living of Berseba. We were all struck by the beauty of the location and how much potential this site has, but couldn't help but notice some of the obstacles they will have to overcome in order to sustain this project. The main challenges seem to be that they are quite far from a bustling town center and are lacking easy access to water. We also were a little surprised at the fact that although this campsite is community-run, there were only 2 employees, which seems unfortunate. The next day, most of us woke up extra early to hike up the mountain. By the time we got back to the bottom, we were even more aware of the lack of shade, which was the reason for our project that morning: planting trees with students from the local secondary school. Although, most of us were quite skeptical of the success rate of the trees, considering water was very scarce; but we remained hopeful. After some hard work digging holes and planting the trees, we enjoyed a music-filled lunch at the school, where CGE divas John Rogers and Holland Hamilton displayed their musical talents and sang When You Believe by Whitney Houston, sending chills down all of our spines! The students also sang some very beautiful songs in their mother tongue, again, giving us all goosebumps!

After a nice day with the students, we headed back to Mariental to camp at the privately-owned Gondwana Kalahair Anib Lodge. That night, some of us enjoyed the luxury of having a pool, while others prepared a delicious chili dinner for the group. As this was our last night camping as a group, we all stayed up much past our bedtimes and hung out by the fire under the beautiful Namibian stars. The following morning, we heard from co-owner, Jaco. He discussed the three pillars of the company's philosophy: financial sustainability, social responsibility, and land conservation. We were all very impressed by the company's commitment to balancing their own success with the moral responsibility to better the community through their training and employment programs, which would in turn help fight poverty and hunger. They are also very dedicated to conserving the land and the wildlife, which is an area where Namibia has been quite well-respected.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable, relaxing, and informative weekend in the southern part of Namibia. We all came back with new perspectives on the different forms of tourism and sustainable development projects. It was a bittersweet bus ride home, knowing it was our last long drive in the kombi, but we are all looking forward to taking full advantage of our last three weeks here in Windhoek!

Week 9: Northern Namibia Travel Seminar

Nathalie, Kelley G., Kate, Morgan

In the week following our rural homestay, we traveled through northern Namibia stopping in the town of Opuwo in the Kunene region. We spent the remainder of the week in Etosha National Park learning about the issues of environmental degradation in Namibia and the connection between conservation and tourism. However, what separated this travel seminar from our previous trips and from our day to day life in Windhoek was the opportunity to interact with Namibians living in rural communities.

After a week of adjusting to a very new set of hygiene practices and the extensive use of baby wipes and buckets of water, we were happy to reach a Guest House equipped with the amenities of home when we reached the town of Opuwo. Morgan was especially interested in our first speaker in the Opuwo region, Mr. Kavari, a representative of the Hizetwa Indigenous People’s Organization (HIPO). This organization is a collaboration between the four indigenous sub-groups of the Ovaherero. Before traveling to the north, she was unaware that there were so many different subgroups of the various tribal groups of Namibia. In the United States, she believes that Americans often perceive Africans to be one general ethnic group. However, this travel seminar, along with many other speakers on the trip, show that there are many subgroups and ethnic tribes that Namibians affiliate with. Mr. Kavari also taught the students about the development of the Opuwo region and the socio-economic issues facing these sub-groups. Through this discussion, we gained our first insight in to the debate over modernity and traditionalism that manifests itself in this region of Namibia. One of the main issues that he connected to this debate was the issue of money, and the perception of modernity based on the availability of money and Westernization in the towns. Walking through the town of Opuwo, we could see this manifestation in the variations in clothing that people were wearing. For example, while waiting in downtown Opuwo for the kombi ride to our campsite, many women could be seen wearing the traditional clothing of the Ovahimba people, the skins and bones of cattle. It was astonishing for Nathalie and other students to see some of the women having contemporary handbags over their arms. She was intrigued by seeing this fusion of tribal and modern styles. This clash of perceived modernity and traditionalism was a common theme over the following week.

Our next example of this debate lay in our trip to the Ondao Mobile School. Mobile schools aim to provide consistent basic education to children of semi-nomadic communities that migrate seasonally. This particular school caters primarily to the Ovahimba and the Ovadhema tribes of the north. We had the opportunity to observe two different classes of Grades 1 and 2.

These CGE students had very memorable experiences while visiting this school. Nathalie and Kelley were fascinated by the interactions with the students and the creativity of their drawings. With the language barrier, the most prevalent type of communication between the CGE students and the Mobile School students was through drawings. To show their names, many of the students wrote their names in the sand or drew their own pictures and wrote their names on paper. Morgan was especially interested in the clothing that the children were wearing. Some of the kids were dressed in the traditional clothing of the Ovahimba, the skins of their cattle, and the Ovadhema, wearing cloth wraps and beads in their hair. However, other children were wearing what she, as an American, perceived as being more modern, with sports sneakers, long sleeve shirts and wind pants. The debate between modernity and traditionalism infiltrated all of her observations during the week. In addition to these issues, those of the development of the Mobile school itself were fascinating to CGE students. For example, the Mobile School started as a Norwegian NGO project and then, when the Namibian government became aware of the idea of a mobile school, decided to fully fund the program. Mobile schools around northern Namibia now stand as schools that are funded only by the government.

During our visit to the school, the CGE students learned that the Mobile School was lacking a lot of supplies and recreational materials. The CGE students learned from both the instructors and from their observations that there was a large need for recreational materials at the school. They were barely able to afford school notebooks and pencils, and had no money to spend on playground materials. Therefore, a few of the students returned to the school the following day with soccer balls, tennis balls, playground balls and jump ropes. Kate specifically was interested in seeing the fact that these kids did not have balls and toys to play with, when these materials were such an important part of her experiences in school. While playing with the kids and their new materials, she realized that even though she could not necessarily communicate with these kids through language, through sport and fun, they could interact in much deeper ways.

The CGE students had more interesting experiences learning about traditional customs, clothing and hairstyles from the Himba village that they spent two nights next to. Their first night at the campsite was spent primarily in the actual Himba corral, learning about their traditional ways and the Holy Fire that they celebrate. For example, children wearing one braid in the front of their head means that their father has died. Another child wearing two braids in the front means that their father is alive. Both the ankle bracelets and the three different types of belts represent the amount of children that a woman has. These are just a few examples of the various traditional styles of the Ovahimba people that the CGE students observed on their trip.

The most central tradition that the CGE students experienced was the reverence surrounding the Holy Fire. One of the most interesting aspects of the Holy Fire is its representation of the differences and rights between genders. For example, any person of the male gender can tend to the fire. However, while young girls can also touch the fire, after women have started their menstrual cycles, they are no longer allowed. In addition, this tradition is also related to the sacrifice of cattle for food and skins. This fire holds a deep connection to the spirituality of each corral and the families within. It was an interesting experience, camping next to a traditional Ovahimba village while we set up our tents next to their huts and ate lots of food cooked to us on a gas stove.

The students finished our trip at the Namutoni Lodge at the Environmental Education Center of Etosha National Park. This experience was one of the first in which the students were able to see the indigenous wildlife if Namibia – giraffes, zebras and springbok as the most present. While the trip to the park was quite the adventure, participating in game drives and seeing various snakes, the students had been provided with a couple of articles about the issues with the site. These articles made Kelley think about the perceptions that they held about Africa before their trip to Namibia. For example, this trip fulfilled the original, stereotypical idea that many foreigners coming to Africa have, especially that that there are wild animals roaming free around the land.

Through this travel seminar, the students saw the stereotypes that people at home have about Africa. The students lived with families in huts and homesteads that work the land and live without electricity and running water. The students got to travel to Etosha National Park and see wild animals drinking at water holes, speaking references to the Lion King. They got to see these stereotypes, but as a comparison to the rest of our experiences in Namibia, especially living in Windhoek, students have realized that Namibians are living in many different ways – some in huts in Outapi, some in houses in Windhoek. It was an eye opening experience, and helped students see a much better rounded piece of Namibia.

Week 8: Rural Homestay

Kelley G., John, Holland, Morgan

On Monday we traveled to the north to participate in week long rural homestays in the town of Outapi. Each student stayed with a different family in this rural area, some working in the fields, others washing dishes by starlight, while some helped to brew beer. We are CGE. These are our stories.

During the latter part of the week, we were given an opportunity to visit a school called Ponhofi Secondary School. It was private and surprisingly reminded Holland of Oberlin College because they had over half the student population living on school grounds (‘on campus’). As usual, we had our tour guides and split into groups. Holland was very excited to see that in almost every classroom there was a poster that had information about HIV and AIDS. At her homestay, she noticed that the majority of people she met wore a red ribbon. She asked her homestay uncle about it and he explained there was a popular program in the schools up there called “Window of Hope.” It teaches young people in local schools about health (specifically HIV and AIDS), mostly through performing and visual arts. Apparently, many parents objected to the program at first because they thought it was promoting increased sexual activity. Soon, however, they found out that wasn’t true (particularly from the students) and then the program picked up support.

Holland left her homestay feeling very encouraged by the people she met there. While the group spends a lot of time in class trying to figure out how to change young peoples’ mindsets, it would seem that there are a few minds that have already been changed. Holland’s homestay brother explained that if he changed his mind, he could only hope that his friends would change their minds as well and then their friends would change their mind and so on.

John’s rural homestay experience was shaped by the Kashima family and the values they practiced each day. Aside from a prayer before each meal, the Kashimas never verbalized their faith; instead they expressed it through their actions. As soon as our first hug, I was embraced as a member of the family. I am sure my struggles to adjust to culture tested their patience, but they never let it show. Whether it was forgetting to end a greeting in Oshivambo with Tate or Meme or making their work more difficult in the fields, my stumbles gave my family reasons for frustration. Thankfully, the Kashimas viewed me as family. With a sense of understanding, they acted on the philosophy: what child doesn’t give their parents daily annoyances? The three sons also never led with any judgment; instead they were equally willing to act as my teacher. One afternoon, we were walking around the outside of the family’s property when we stumbled upon a goat that was unable to move, because of the number of ticks lodged into his foot. Without pausing, the middle son pulled out the machete as the younger one held the animal down. Tired from a long day of speakers and excursions, I was not ready to see this poor animal get killed. Instead, my brother went straight to work scrapping countless ticks from the bottom of the goat’s foot. Once I learned to ignore the goat’s agonizing screams, I took the machete and finished the job. To complete the mission, the youngest son and I grabbed both ends of the goat and threw it over the fence, just to see it slowly stand up and walk away.

With all these small acts of kindness, I was not surprised that my family was directly related to Rev. Kashima, a respected elder in the community and one of our speakers. Rev. Kashima spoke to our group about the role of the church in post-independence Namibia. He primarily focused on the challenges faces the church, mainly corruption, unemployment, HIV/AIDS, economic empowerment, suicide/murder, and building more hospitals. Between the Rev. Kashima’s passion as he spoke on these national issues and enter present benevolence in the Kashima home, it was clear that my homestay family was actively trying to live into their faith for the benefit of others.

One of the major highlights of our travel seminar to the north was our visit to the palace of the Uukwaluudhi King where King Shikongo Taapopi welcomed us to the region. He explained to us the changes being made in the area such as the current building of a new community center near the palace that would provide needed services to the people. During our tour, we were taught a lot about the culture and traditions of the Ovambo people, including the proper way to greet the king by touching your elbow when you shake his hand and bending your knees slightly if you are a woman or nodding your head if you are a man. Lauren’s host mother, Meme Albertina, joined us in our meeting with the king as she is the head women of her region. We enjoyed a traditional meal that was prepared for us at the palace and watched as they performed songs and dances, with some of the students and Meme Albertina even jumping in to learn the dances. Overall, it was a very interesting experience to meet the royalty and leaders of the Ovambo tribe and gave us a view into the structure and traditions of the group.

During her homestay, Kelley learned more about the importance of the King and the role of the head men and women in the community through her host mother, Meme Helvi, the daughter-in-law of the regional head woman Meme Albertina. When Meme Helvi found out Kelley was going to visit the King, she was very excited so she picked out the clothes she should wear and taught her ahead of time how to respectfully greet the king. After making her promise to give her a detailed description of the king and the palace when she returned, Meme Helvi explained to Kelley some of the tradition behind the leadership of the Ovambo tribe. For example, she explained how the succession line for the throne does not follow direct lineage, but rather the sons of the king’s siblings are next in line for the title. Because of the family connection with the regional leader, her husband’s mother being the head woman, Meme Helvi explained the importance of the head men and women in the community and how they bring the concerns and ideas of the people in their region to the king. She also explained the succession line of head persons staying within the family, with the head man or women deciding when to pass their position to another family member. From just interacting with her host family and extended family, Kelley was able to see the pride that comes along with the important position of having a head woman in the family as well as the respect that is shown to them by the community.

One of the longest distances that we traveled during our rural homestay was an hour and a half kombi ride to the town of Oshikango. This town contains one of the most accessible border posts between Angola and Namibia, and we traveled there to learn about the issues surrounding the porous boundary. We arrived at the border post around ten in the morning, exiting the kombi in to the extreme heat of far northern Namibia, as well as holding our cameras and bags closely to us because of the large number of people and the high rate of crime in the area. This crime was one of the most prevalent topics of discussion that we had while visiting the border. For example, the moment that I told my host mother from my rural homestay that we were traveling to Oshikango, the first thing that she said was, “be careful.” Not only is the town of Oshikango well populated, but also criminals tend to travel there because of the ease of crossing the border over to Angola. In order to cross the border, from either country to the other, your first and only step is to go to the office near to the border itself, tell the officer why you want to cross and for how long you will be there, get a piece of paper signed with that information posted, and cross over. The lack of security here makes it quite easy for people to cross the border. It is extremely easy to cross this border, mainly because the Angolan people come over to Namibia and sell cheap goods to Namibian people. In addition, the town of Oshikango is industry-based, and so the presence of the export processing zones leaves a large focus on money making and the exchange of goods – the reason for Angola and Namibia’s porous borders.

The ease of crossing this border has also created a large population of “street kids” from Angola taking up “residence” in Oshikango, Namibia. These kids cross over, with no money and no housing, and live on the streets, working anywhere that they can and begging for scraps. In addition, many of these children result to a life of necessary crime to survive. The issue of “street kids” was one that interested many students. A few students had host mothers that were teachers in either primary or secondary school, so comparing the discussion on education in the rural areas a bit south of Oshikango to that going on in the packed town was an interesting one. For example, Morgan’s host mother was a primary school teacher in Outapi. They had one conversation after dark, as most conversations took place over a cup of tea under the stars, about the languages that she spoke and they spoke in her school. English is the official language in Namibia, but we had talked a little bit about the issue of the native language of Oshiwambo in the region. This was also a discussion that connected back to our Politics class, and the debate over the age at which students should start being taught only in English. My host mother was very knowledgeable in English, and she taught her classes in English. However, in a place like Oshikango where there are many young children being enrolled in schools from Angola, where the official language is Portuguese, has an interesting comparison. Even in Oshikango, the teachers in the schools are not allowed to teach in any language but English. Therefore, the students coming from Angola are at an extreme disadvantage in Namibian schools, as they attempt to catch up on English and in classes. After this homestay, CGE students knew just how difficult it could be, as they were very limited in their Oshiwambo language skills!

Week 7: Classes

Antonio, Martin, Lindsey

In history class, we visited a professor at the University of Namibia who spoke about apartheid from a perspective we had not yet encountered on this program. Dr. Christo Botha gave a realist presentation on the origins, practices and justifications of apartheid. As an Afrikaner who fought against apartheid but whose grandfather campaigned in Namibia for the National Socialist Party, he provided us with a very well-developed and multi-faceted analysis of apartheid. His unique position as a university professor, historical analyst and white Namibian allowed Dr. Botha to speak from a much more objective position than we usually hear from speakers. Obviously his view was not entirely objective, but because he was not part of the oppressed group during apartheid his view was much less emotional and much more factual. His presentation focused primarily on the origins and political development of apartheid rather than the lasting psychological, social and economic effects we generally encounter. When we left UNam, the group continued the dialogue. We realized that although we all understood the power structure of apartheid, until hearing from Dr. Botha, we didn’t fully grasp the roots of apartheid as an institution. Dr. Botha was able to effectively convey the fear white South Africans felt. This fear was manifested in segregationist policies that claimed to provide protection of African culture and give black Africans a road to freedom.

I (Martin) particularly enjoyed this speaker. I believe that he was a very genuine speaker, and was effected by apartheid in a very different way than any other speaker we had in the past. Beacuase of this the history of apartheid that he gave made me think of that time from a very different perspective. His talk highlighted the appalling rhetoric that South African’s believed and used as a basis for a racist policy. They talked of African freedom, and building African culture but what they really wanted was to keep Africans from moving forward into education and employment. It was heartbreaking to hear the way Afrikaans leaders gave speeches, hear how absurd the things they said were, but also know how many people followed those men. It was eye opening in a way none of the other speakers had been on the same subject. It is amazing to me how multiple perspectives can finally put together a picture that was very confusing from only one. Now not only do I know what happened, I know why, which might be most important.

At the end of the week, we visited a San farm as part of our politics class. Earlier in the week, in Urbanus’ class, we learned about land reform and redistribution in Namibia. When we arrived at the San farm, we received a brief introduction from the chief and a visiting government official, Gerson Kamatuka. The farm was essentially a project of the Namibian government aimed at rebuilding the lives of the displaced San people. The relocation of this farm forced the San people to drop many of their traditional practices and conform to a more modern way of life. Traditionally, the San were a nomadic hunting and gathering tribe, but what we saw was a permanent community with concrete houses and tin shacks. The government official present at the farm described the government’s goal as being the development and improvement of life for this group of people. However, many of us struggled with the fact that so many aspects of the San peoples’ lives had been drastically changed and even outlawed (such as hunting). Our apprehensions were confirmed by talking to residents of the farm and from observations we made during our tour. Our tour guide, in particular, revealed that the people had not even been consulted before moving onto the farm. We were quite disturbed by the fact that such a huge change to the San way of life would be undertaken by the Namibian government without even an attempt at consultation. I (Lindsey) personally have been struggling with this contradiction of development. Oftentimes, the results of development-oriented projects do not benefit the people for which they propose to. More theoretically, the San farm visit forced me to consider the point of development. Is the goal of development increased happiness? More stable income? Better resources? Security? More importantly, shouldn’t it be up to the people, rather than the government, to evaluate their own happiness or stability? When development isn’t initiated or demanded by the people themselves, it likely isn’t what the people want; and if the people don’t want it, why is it being done? There are so many contradictions inherent in development that this program has forced me to grapple with. The conflicts between development, modernization, traditional life, Westernization and culture seem almost irreconcilable at this point in the program. However, I hold out hope that with more travel seminars and experiences in Namibia, I will be able to move toward formulating some concrete ideas about the good and bad of development. On Thursday, for History we had Lily Azrat, an American, give a brief overview on American history. I (Antonio) was overall fairly impressed by the way Lily Azrat approached the lecture. Ms. Azrand began the conversation with a brief question and answer session on the numerous ethnic groups, disenfranchised in the U.S. We then took those race issues and compared their similarities to Apartheid. The overall objective of the lecture was to show that racism in America is very similar to South African Apartheid.

Week 6: Classes and the Coast

Jenna, Caitlin, and Lauren

The highlight of this week was by far our trip to Swakopmund on the coast of Namibia. We had so many amazing opportunities while we were there, that touching them briefly in this blog would be doing them a serious injustice--so we are going to focus on the some of the highlights.

When we arrived in Swakopmund, we waited almost an entire five minutes before rushing of to the beach where many of us jumped into the water in our clothes. Everyone was really happy. To solidify our happy feelings, CGE treated us to dinner at the Lighthouse, which is a very nice restaurant.

Thursday morning we went on a tour of Swakopmund with our tour guide, Beatles. Beatles was incredibly insightful as to all the various factors of Swakopmund life and culture. We took a tour of Mondesa, the township of Swakopmund. It was interesting to see how the city of Swakopmund had dealt with issues of overcrowding in the township by moving people into the DRC which is essentially an informal settlement. It was only a temporary fix however since more people quickly moved back into the DRC filling the spaces others had left. The wealth disparity was made obvious by the difference in housing structures between the tourist areas of town and the townships. There were also long stretches of land which were equipped with power but which held no households. Many of us questioned afterwards why this land remained so habitable, yet no one lived there when there were so many issues of overcrowding. In Swakopmund, similar to in Windhoek, it is always surprising at how clear the towns transition into the townships and then the informal settlements. It is almost like these invisible boundaries exist which isolate people into a certain caste. In the DRC, we were shocked to learn about how water access was regulated and all the factors which are going into the pricing of water. Essentially, the city can only charge people in this area for water, so when determining water prices at the communal taps in the area, they factor in all expenditures that the local government needs to spend and adds that to the cost of water. We were alarmed at how such a basic necessity like water was so difficult to access because of the high costs on water. Since the system was also pre-paid, there is no way for people without credit to purchase water. We absolutely take advantage of water in the United States, and seeing a part of the world where water is one of the most valuable entities a person can have had a serious impact on all of us. We walked down the streets of Swakopmund with children swarming us from all sides. As we walked the streets, neighborhood kids all came out to walk the tour with us. Walking through the streets and seeing the children was incredibly inspiring. It never ceases to amaze us how despite great poverty and sometimes less than admirable situations, Namibian children never stop smiling. Beatles also took us to meet the Damara chief at her home. This was really interesting because we all felt like we were meeting a celebrity, and the Chief is also the first woman chief in the tribe--which is quite progressive. Namibia is working really hard to create equality between the sexes so seeing the first woman Chief felt like being a part of history.

That same day, we had the opportunity to go to Mondesa Youth Opportunities which is an after school program for the top students in each grade level across the city’s public school system. The Manager Naethra Sreekrishna, is an American volunteer who was able to inspire us because of her experience in Namibia and how she was able to explain it in a relatable way. She talked to us about the challenges facing the school as well as the amazing successes which were constantly occurring in the program. Before we had to ask, she explained why the program was targeting kids who were excelling and not children who were falling behind and needed extra help and she explained that the children who excel receive less attention in public schools and had already proven their motivation to succeed. Some of us had an in depth conversation with Naethra about how difficult it is to get working and volunteer visas in Namibia and how that has made it challenging to find teacher volunteers from other countries. It was interesting to see how the Namibian government is making it so difficult for foreigners to get working permits and to prevent them from being able to claim residency. While it is frustrating from the perspective of someone trying to get one of those permits, most of us agreed that we could understand how this was the government taking accountability for the high rates of unemployment by attempting to secure jobs for more Namibians. We had the opportunity to tour the site, and watch some of the children perform a dance. Then we played games with the kids--they were fascinating soccer players. The people in our group were so inspired by this visit, that many of them have chosen to spend their spring breaks volunteering with the organization.

As a wind down from our busy day, we all climbed up Dune 7 one evening and had the chance to see the most beautiful view of downtown Walvis Bay and the ocean. Many of us were able to conquer our fear of heights, and we all received a sufficient work out. We were all really sad when we had to say good-bye to the beach and head back to Windhoek.

Week 5: Classes

Andy, Lizzy and Sam

Going into week five, we anticipated a normal week of internships, volunteering, and classes. The first few days matched our expectations, but we were shocked on Wednesday when Romanus presented us with the opportunity to delay class and attend the Southern African Genome Sequencing Project Symposium. Initially, we were excited by the prospect of getting out of class. Romanus quickly dashed those hopes by telling us that our class activities would be rescheduled for another day. He brought down the mood even more by announcing an early departure time and the requirement of formal dress. However, these petty complaints went out the window when we found out that Archbishop Desmond Tutu would be in attendance.

Not fully knowing what to expect, we left the Center at eight the next morning eager to even see such an important, influential, accomplished international leader. When we arrived at the Safari Hotel, we were very surprised to find that the conference was much smaller and more intimate than we had expected. There were probably not more than a couple hundred people in attendance, possibly due to the lack of a particularly developed scientific community in Namibia.

When the symposium began, we were all star-struck by the entrance of Prime Minister Nahas Angula and the Archbishop. After the national anthem and the African Union anthem, the Archbishop opened the ceremony with a prayer. Our reactions to this prayer were mulit-faceted. First, we were honored to even be in the presence of the Archbishop as he continued to fulfill his vocation as a religious leader. We had never imagined we might see him, let alone hear his moving words. On the other hand, that a scientific conference began with a prayer caught us off guard since, in the West, there is often such a perceived gap between religion and science.

When the researchers took the podium, they stressed time and time again that their research had confirmed the theory that Africa is indeed the cradle of humanity. They found that there is as much genetic diversity between individuals from Southern and Western Africa as there is between a European and a West African. The conference was at once a celebration of the diversity of human life, and a reminder of our commonalities. This served to reinforce one of Urbanus’ favorite sayings: “There is one race: the human race.”

The Archbishop gave a wonderful speech full of insight and humor. He is a remarkable example of humility, as a man who has accomplished so much and been honored countless times, yet still does not take himself too seriously. He spent much of his speech cracking jokes, even while discussing such grave matters as systematic racism and political violence. He spoke about both distant and recent atrocities, stating that the so-called “superior” European was responsible for slavery, the Holocaust, and Apartheid. However, he also mentioned genocides in Rwanda and Darfur, in which Africans perpetuated inhumane violence upon each other. As Westerners, the majority of whom are of European descent, we felt a certain implied guilt. While many of us have no direct connections to any of these atrocities, the legacy of the injustice is felt globally. Furthermore, having learned of the United States actions, or inactions during all of these atrocities, we felt even more responsible.

His speech was as much an overview of his participation in the program as it was a call to action. For instance, he said, “Wake up! We can get rid of poverty.” His hope in spite of all he has witnessed, and his continued struggle for humanity inspired us to realize that, if we all treated each other as brothers and sisters as he instructed, we could all live better lives.

After the break, one of the researchers was interrupted before his presentation by a professor from the University of Namibia. He objected to the previous presenter’s characterization of the San people as “short, brown-skinned, and speaking a click language”. He also objected to the way that the San who were featured in a cultural representation were dressed, saying that they were being exploited for their image. He believed that the San representatives had been asked to dress in traditional dress. Finally, he objected his inference of the implication that the San were still completely separate from developed society. The researcher stated clearly that the project was meant to show commonalities rather than differences. Furthermore, he said that the San representatives were told that they could wear whatever they chose, which was confirmed by the fact that other San representatives were dressed in modern dress clothes.

This objector’s passion was representative of not only ethnic division in Southern Africa, but also the division between modern and traditional cultures. The researchers were quick to point out that many San do live in modern culture, but that they were very interested in those who still live a traditional lifestyle. While we were at the symposium, another member of our group was in Tsumkwe working on a development project to provide electricity to a group of San people. These parallel events highlight that there is development occurring throughout the region, be it in rural or urban areas, among San, Herero, Ovamba and others. Challenges are constant with these projects, as outsiders work to reconcile their beliefs about what infrastructure is necessary with the concerns of the community that they are trying to help. These massive obstacles often seem insurmountable as we consider the development of Namibia to Western standards.