Alte Feste

Taryn and Faye
Week 5

This past week at CGE we were reminded of how difficult it is to find equilibrium in our thoughts and actions when the story of our experience here is laden with so many contradictions and complexities. It is a challenge to simultaneously balance our classes, internships, health, social life and cultural exploration while making sure that we are entirely present in each and every experience that we are involved in. This week our health failed to find balance! Ten of the fifteen students became ill at the same time, and time did not pause for them. Internships and schoolwork zoomed forward; expectations and reliance on us from our internships and comrades were not paused; and the sun continued to rise and set at its alarming rate (Photo: www.tracks4africa.co.za).

By now, it is fair to say that most of us have realized CGE’s strategy of teaching, which in part means witnessing paradoxes first hand by exploring several opposing angles of an issue. We are placed in situations where we are often baffled and frustrated by much of what we hear, and eventually reach a place where we can apply context and translate that frustration into a bud for understanding. This week we explored the Herero Genocide through several lenses, most of which sparked surges of frustration within us, causing us to question the history we knew, and the future of Namibia we envisioned. Through visiting a museum, exploring videos, and speaking with a German pastor, we began to wonder how so much of Namibia’s history had disappeared. Finding balance in our lives here in order to stay afloat and engaged, and negotiating through the many contradictions blaring in front of us were constant themes woven into this week’s experience here in Namibia.

So far our classes have been well balanced at least; most of the professors do a great job of providing us with different ways of learning through lectures, videos, speakers, discussions, and visiting museums. Romanus, our history professor, took us to the Alte Feste Museum in Windhoek on Thursday, the 15^th of September. Each group was asked to look for particular things within the museum, one of which being hidden messages. When we approached the front of the fort, along the walls were German weapons, and vehicles proudly welcoming us into the building. In the far right corner sat a large woven basket, seeming to be of African design. Inside that basket hidden in that corner was garbage. Maybe it was purely coincidental, but when asked to look for symbolism, symbolism is what you see, and it seemed as though to be a symbol of the garbage that German Colonization made out of African Culture. This is evident in the museum.

The museum was poorly funded. Pictures of black prisoners standing with German guards and militia were mounted on cardboard. These pictures were simply labeled in this way with the dates. Few stories of events were told within the museum. We then saw pictures of black leaders and black prisoners. The museum then continued into a celebration of Namibian Independence. We then walked into a room filled with information about wall paintings. The sign before the room dared to ask something along the lines of, “Do African wall paintings have any meaning?” This is an example of how the German creators of this museum have made a mockery of African culture.

A mix of German and African artifacts filled another room dominated by the German artifacts, just as tribes were dominated by German culture. Upon leaving I asked the black guard behind the desk, “Who created these exhibits?” He replied, “The Germans.” To him I responded, “What audience is this museum intended for?” “The Germans,” he replied, “White, white, white, white…” he said as he pointed to the walls with distain. From his tone, and from walking through the museum we gathered that he felt as though African history and culture was not being represented in the right way. We left the Alte Feste museum disappointed with the lack of information about the struggle of tribes during colonization. After leaving class that day we felt disgust, for we had learned that the Alte Feste Museum and many Germans neglected to tell the tale of another part of Namibia’s history- the Herero Genocide.

Outside the very walls of this fort stand a statue which commemorates Germany colonizing Namibia while inside those very walls thousands of Hereros were murdered during the Herero Genocide. Alte Feste fails to mention that part of Namibia’s history within its walls. Germany fails to recognize the horrors that built their colony. It is almost if they chose to forget. The Herero Genocide went from 1904 to 1909. Seventy-five percent of Hereros were killed. Fifty percent of the Nama people were killed as well, but not one official monument stands for either group who died. Yet outside of the Alte Feste Museum stands a proud statue commemorating German’s influence on Windhoek. Influence comes more easily when there are less people to influence; sixty-five thousand less people.

Lothar Von Trotha, the leader of the genocide deliberately sanctioned the annihilation of all Herero people. The soldiers drove them to the Kalahari desert and then fenced them in causing many to die of starvation and thirst; that was only the beginning. Concentration camps were in Windhoek and Swakopmund and forced labor was imposed upon the Herero people. It is horrible to think that so much of Namibia has been created by oppression. The beautiful parliament building and rail road tracks have been built by the hands of the oppressed. Thousands were oppressed brutally though starvation, thirst, and being over-worked, often resulting in death. Death certificates were printed ahead of time saying “died of exhaustion,” and once they were worked literally to the bone, their bodies were thrown carelessly into mass, unmarked graves in the desert like garbage being tossed into a waste bin.

The museum in many ways effectively hides the truths of the past, instead of offering accounts and explorations of reality. We must actively work to search for truths, for as we have noticed, many layers of colonial influence, re-written history, shame and discomfort obscure them. Our upcoming trip to Swakopmund will test our ability to search for truth in history. We must balance the experience of being in a beautiful place with a history that is painfully ugly. The graves of murdered Herero people remain hidden under the sand of Swakop, the very sand that we were so excited to quad bike over before learning the truth. How can we balance being a tourist and visitor of Swakopmund with our duties as students and conscious beings? The benefits of being challenged each and every day in this program, however, insurmountably out way the benefits of remaining ignorant to history’s truths.

SWAPO, and Other Discontent: An Urban Homestay Experience

Week 4
Charlotte and Hunter

Just as we were becoming more comfortable with our classes, internships, and new Namibian crib, we each were whisked away by our respective Namibian families to spend one week in our urban homestays. Our time with these families provided a more complete understanding of the vast array of cultures and narratives that compose modern Namibian identities.

Although it would be inappropriate for us as bloggers to speak for all CGE student and family experiences, one sentiment that we experienced both in class and in our homestays was that of discontent with party politics in Namibia. In both of our homes, we listened to our surrogate families speak about their misgivings with SWAPO domination of the Namibian government and national discourse.

In the eyes of our family members, SWAPO has consistently failed to serve the best interest of the majority of Namibians since its historic ascent to power in 1990. Both of our host families felt that SWAPO, still riding on the momentum of being the liberation party during Namibia’s apartheid and purporting to bring greater egalitarianism to Namibian society, had not lived up to this promising potential and in fact stood as a road block to greater Namibian growth. One student’s host mom Kaitlin*, a secretary for a government school in Windhoek, revealed that she still sees inefficiencies within the education system such as frequent curricula changes that prevent an effective educational experience as well as consistently overcrowded classes (50+ plus students to a class). Another student’s host brother James*, a 24-year-old student at the Polytechnic, expressed similar frustration at the Ministry of Education for refusing to recognize the honors programs from the Polytechnic while simultaneously recognizing identical degrees from partner universities. He explained that, as a result of this policy, his job prospects are limited and his future paycheck will suffer.

For both, the largest problem facing Namibia is corruption of party leaders as they have experienced through the lens of education. They each provided two different solutions. Kaitlin suggested more diverse voices within government to break down the monolithic SWAPO black liberation party identity. James offered a more provocative solution to government corruption. He believes that SWAPO will ultimately be ousted by popular revolt, likely led by poor Namibians. Herbert Jauch, on the other hand, provides a third possibility.

Herbert Jauch, a Namibian labor activist and researcher, spoke to the CGE Development class last Friday about the current economic structure in Namibia and where he believed the country is headed. Unlike Kaitlin and James, Jauch firmly believes that SWAPO is a fixture in the Namibian political scene, and must be pressured rather than radically changed or rejected by the electorate. While presenting the proposed Basic Income Grant bill, a program that attempts to address glaring structural poverty in Namibia, Jauch suggested that the bill could be passed via direct and unified pressure from key constituencies, primarily in the north of Namibia where SWAPO comfortably dominates the vote (98% according to Jauch). Using Jauch’s model, corruption and government inefficiency can best be addressed by awareness and mobilization among long-standing supporters of SWAPO, thereby recognizing the reality of SWAPO’s dominance in Namibian government.

In considering all of these responses to SWAPO’s current political agenda, we gravitated towards Jauch’s solution because it has the potential to do the least damage to the nation while delivering substantial policy changes. By asserting that a series of peaceful populist protests would effectively convince government officials to meet citizen demands, Jauch is positing that a democracy in the purest sense of the word is a possibility in Namibia. However, while we are hopeful that Jauch’s solution could become a reality, we recognize our predominantly academic and Western, liberal lens in assessing such remedies predisposes us to a more theoretical analysis and perhaps idealistic notion of civil unrest. Our host families, on the other hand, have deeply personal understandings of SWAPO that we lack. As such, their suggestions will be highly contextualized to their specific lenses and are no less valid. Both of their solutions, while not as appealing to Westerners, may in fact be more astute assessments of what may come in Namibia. In short, all three solutions are viable and possible inasmuch as they reflect three nuanced perspectives on the political economy of Namibia.

Both through living with Namibian families and hearing Jauch’s analysis of the Namibian socio-economic scene, we were able to continue broadening our perspectives and knowledge of Namibian politics and culture. While these issues have no easy solution, it is refreshing to experience first-hand counter-narratives that challenge the dominant Namibian political discourse.

*pseudonym

Egg Races and Safe Places: The Team Goes to Elisenheim Guestfarm

Week 3
Daniel and Hunter

Our first full week in Namibia was a busy one. Our schedule included activities like the “Katutura Quest,” where the CGE students explored the expansive Katutura neighborhood via the complicated Namibian taxi system (with lots of help from the Young Achievers, a youth group from Windhoek).These excursions, combined with our first classes, provided little time to truly settle into our new surroundings. However, an unexpected highlight of our first week was getting to know the fulltime staff in Windhoek, and this was invaluable for our acclimation to our Namibian home. (Photo 1: Students and Staff during Circle Ice-breaker)

While we had spent time in Johannesburg with our International Resident Advisor Jessy Spanswick and Development Studies professor Linda Raven, we were still unfamiliar with the rest of the Namibia crew. So, on Tuesday, August 30th, the entirety of the Center for Global Education Namibia staff and student body piled into CGE “adventure van” and drove to Elisenheim Guestfarm for the aptly named “team-building retreat.”

Nestled amongst the craggy hills outside of Windhoek, Elisenheim Guestfarm is a peculiar mixture of back-country campground, horse farm and safari lodge. After a long ride down unpaved roads, we arrived just in time for second breakfast: tea and open-faced sandwiches.

The rest of the day consisted of team building activities and discussions about identity. We were invited to explain those aspects which we felt contributed to our individuality; topics ranged from gender and religion to class and nationality. These sorts of conversations were not easy ones to have, however, the supportive atmosphere created by staff and student alike allowed for judgment-free discussions. Specifically as students, we tried to keep in mind that many of the members of the staff had been sharing their lives with students for years, so that in a way, this was part of a larger project. This also explains why the staff members were the best at strategizing during the “run backwards with an egg on a spoon relay while blindfolded competition” (We’ll get you next time, Uncle Passat!).

In another display of community growth, Linda gave interested students and staff a short, impromptu yoga lesson after lunch. Seated in a circle on the grass, Linda led the group in a series of stretches. Together, we labored through the motions, laughing at our inability to touch our toes. Program Coordinator Nespect Salom had the greatest difficulty, and he endured some teasing from the staff on the sidelines. Yet much to everyone’s delight, he persevered in good humor. By the end, a few adventurous students tried headstands, with very mixed results.

While we all learned a lot at Elisenheim Guestfarm the learning did not take place through the traditional academic method. We did not learn about the lasting impacts of colonialism in formal manner and at no point did we dissect any of the key concepts of “globalization, nation-building” or “decolonizing the mind” in a classroom setting.

Nonetheless, reflecting on this experience, we learned a great deal about the roles that are played by staff and students in CGE and in the broader community. We also had the opportunity to begin to talk about our personal experiences and how they were impacting our time in Namibia today. Sharing our opinions and interacting with others in this way helped push us to critically reflect on the reasons we visited Elisenheim Guestfarm in the first place. (Photo 2: Students and Staff during the Egg Races)

In retrospect, this experience also allowed us to talk with a wide variety of people from a wide variety of backgrounds about a wide variety of difficult topics. Our time at Elisenheim Guestfarm not only gave us a better understanding of where our colleagues were coming from, but also practical experience in cross-cultural communication. As with just about every activity since our arrival in Johannesburg 3 weeks ago, the “team-building retreat” served multiple purposes: it gave us, both staff and students, time to familiarize ourselves with one another, something essential for people who will be living and working together for the next three months. It also helped build confidence in cross-cultural communication, a skill that will continue to be necessary at our internships and host-stays.

For fear of disclosing information that may be confidential and in keeping with the idea of our time at the guesthouse as a safe place, we will not disclose the content of the various conversations that took place.

A Youthful Perspective

Week 2

Gloria and Leah

Our second week was full of many speakers and tours, which served to both expand our knowledge base and simultaneously draw attention to growing contradictions. The more we are learning about South Africa’s past and present, the more it seems that it is riddled with inconsistencies and conflicting ideologies.(Photo 1 "Eternal Flame in Freedom Park")

We had the amazing opportunity to meet with a group of inspiring students at the St. Martin’s school, a Semi-private school located in Soweto. They helped us to get a more personal and youthful explanation of South Africa’s history and a hopeful taste of what the future can become. Students from the Leadership Council brought us into several different classrooms in small groups. In each classroom, important questions about the history and development of the United States, comparing and contrasting issues in the USA and South Africa, as well as questions related to race were brought up to us by the students.

Having spent much of the past week hearing from adults in positions of power, many of us felt shocked and refreshed by the new perspective these students shared with us about their opinions of the future. Meetings with the dominant and competing political parties had left us with a cynical sense of South Africa’s ability to combat much of its inequity. Host families and speakers alike expressed frustration with fellow South Africans whom they believed were either unable to forget enough of the Apartheid injustices or too quickly forgetting their past. In both instances, there was no common ground to allow for people to move forward. For many of the older generation, the firsthand trauma they went through during the liberation struggle is still fresh in their minds and is preventing a clearer vision for true unification. Students at St. Martin’s, however, readily identified the need to find a balance (Photo 2 "Members of the Saint Martin's Leadership Council with CGE students") between remembering and forgetting in order for progress to be made.

Many of these “born-frees” (children born after 1994) have been able to understand the injustices suffered by their parents, but are simultaneously able to distance themselves enough to allow for a more open approach to reconciliation. Our interactions with these energetic and bright students characterized the hope and promise of the upcoming generation, who are fighting and working hard for a better South Africa. We left the school humbled by the spirit, openness and self-motivation of the students. The energy and optimism we witnessed at St. Martin’s was a refreshing contrast to the negativity we had been hearing from many of the older generation. Our experiences at the school served to break down much of the cynicism some of us had built up about South Africa’s future.

In leaving the school, however, we couldn’t help but also hesitate in thinking about the motivations for many of the students. We were asked a multitude of questions about wealth and prosperity in the United States, and there seemed to be a devaluing of South Africa in favor of an idolization of the US. We have seen the damage that the implementation of western ideals can cause, and can’t help but fear that for many young South Africans, “progress” really means Westernization.

After ten days of examining the competing narratives of South Africa’s past and present, we departed the country to head to Namibia. Once there, we settled into what will be our home for the next three months and got to know the staff who will be living and working with us. We are all very excited and eager to learn more about the past and present struggles and hopes of the Namibian people, with a careful eye toward the similarities and differences to what we have experienced already in the different townships throughout South Africa.