Exploring Western Influence Week 5

Amy & Abigail


After wonderful experiences with our homestay families, it was nice to come back to the CGE house and settle back into a routine. Throughout the previous week, our families introduced us to traditional Namibian cultural practices…we even received traditional dresses according to our families tribes! Amy’s dress was Nama while Abigail’s dress was Oshiwambo. However, after this cultural immersion, we experienced an interesting contrast as our classes focused on Western influence in Namibia’s development.
First, our history class focused on the role of German colonization. We learned about the Herero/Nama genocide that happened in 1904 and decimated 80% of the Herero population and 40% of the Nama. Through a captivating documentary and a powerful guest speaker, we learned about Germany’s aggression in order to gain more land in the fertile farming regions. After a few battles, Germany assembled a large army and the Herero and Nama were rounded up into concentration camps and forced to do hard labor with little food. During class we visited the Alta Feste Museum, home of one of the old German forts and concentration camps. It served as a physical reminder of the atrocities that happened over a hundred years ago.
In our religion class, we discussed the influence of Christianity on traditional African religions in Namibia. It was interesting to see the differing perspectives on the integration of Christianity. Some thought it was positive while some thought it was simply a method of colonization and Western influence. In lieu of our discussions, we took a field trip to visit a Traditional Healer. She was able to give us a picture of the work she did and the differences between traditional healing and hospitalization. Though she claimed this was her calling from God, it seemed as though she mixed some of her traditional beliefs with her current Christian faith. Nonetheless, it was neat to see the powerful influence religion has in the lives of many Namibian people.
Politics was spent studying the creation of the Namibian constitution and its influence from Western powers. We were surprised to learn that nations such as the United States and Europe, forming the Western Contact Group, gave extensive suggestions for the constitution. Partly because they wanted to ensure that Namibia became a democracy since the constitution was written towards the end of the Cold War, the Western Contact Group played a hands-on role in the constitutional proceedings. Additionally, the Constitution borrowed many principles from the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
Lastly, in our development class on Friday we discussed the effects of globalization on Namibia’s economy. We heard from Herbert Jauch, a labor researcher, who thought that some aspects of globalization negatively impacted Namibia. He told a story of an export-processing zone, a tax-free area meant to attract foreign investors that hired female laborers and made them work in unfair conditions. In his opinion, a solution to Namibia’s high unemployment rates and poverty is the Basic Income Grant. This fund would provide each person in the country with a small stipend each month, in the process allowing for more children to go to school and more small businesses to be formed. His talk generated a lot of debate among the class, as some students felt like his ideas were utopian and too difficult to be implemented, while others thought his strategy was a positive way forward. Overall, his talk gave us a good picture of Namibia’s economy situation and a unique strategy to improve it.
In all, this week allowed us to experience a variety of different perspectives regarding Western influence and its role in the shaping of past, present, and future Namibia. We are looking forward to our travel to Swakopmund this weekend, a city that's architecture reflects its heavy German influence, so we can continue to see the impact of the West on Africa.

Urban Homestays Week 4

Cara & Elise


This week the group departed for the urban homestays. Sunday evening our homestay families came to pick us up, and were all scattered around different parts of Windhoek and some in the township of Katutura and Khomasdal. For my homestay (Elise) I was placed with a family of three in a house in Katutura. The family consisted of two parents and an adorable 2-year-old boy. The family spoke English, however, their first language is Damara. They tried to teach me the vowels you use by clicking your tongue on the roof of your mouth but it was very difficult! The family was so friendly and welcoming, and for the weekend they took me and the family to visit my host father’s mother in Swakopmund on the coast of Namibia. The coast was beautiful and they invited me into their brother-in-law’s home for dinner and conversation. I talked with my host father’s sister about the issue of HIV/AIDS in southern Africa and how it has affected their family. While there has been some improvement in awareness and prevention of HIV/AIDS, it is still a major issue. Before about one in four people in Namibia were affected by HIV or AIDS, but now it has decreased to one in five. She told me that it is still a serious issue, and as a tear rolled down her cheek she explained that she had to bury several family members within the past few years due to AIDS. As Americans, I think it is hard for us to realize the magnitude of the issue, and the experience was very eye opening for me.
My (Cara’s) family lived in Khomasdal and consisted of a mother, 11- and 13-year-old sisters, and a 23-year-old brother. They also spoke Damara as their first language, and taught me basic phrases like "Good morning,"" How are you?," and "I love you." The most important thing to my family is their religion; they are all born-again Christians and my mother has devoted her life to serving God and her church. Having never been particularly religious, it was truly a gift to me to be welcomed at their church and to have many enlightening conversations with my mother about the strength and inspiration she receives each day through her relationship with God. It really changed my outlook on religion. We also talked a lot about the Namibian school system as my mother is a school secretary. She feels very angered by the corruption in the SWAPO government which deprives her school, located in a very poor area, of funding for even basic resources like enough textbooks for all students. My mother even took me to her school, and I saw up to fifty students crammed into a room; many of them were standing or sitting on the floor, or didn’t have proper uniforms. This was an extremely eye-opening experience. Society tends to blame teachers, but the idea of giving children the education they need and deserve seems next to impossible considering the conditions of these schools, especially since many students come to school hungry or come from incredibly poor or violent homes. My host mother blames the government for failing to alleviate inequality, only directing money towards those in power and not those who need it the most desperately. My homestay was truly a learning experience I could not have had in a classroom; I both witnessed and discussed issues that I’d only known about conceptually before.
My family was also just incredibly welcoming. They served me delicious food every night and took me on numerous outings. My host brother took me out with his friends. My mother and sisters took me to the National Museum of Namibia, which has incredible exhibits about Namibian tribes and animals, and to Hero’s Acre, a gorgeous monument on a mountain. Not only does it commemorate the Namibian struggle for liberation but it provides an absolutely breath-taking view of all of Windhoek and its surrounding mountains. Finally we went to Avis Dam where we saw a gorgeous Namibian sunset. I will never forget my homestay family or the amazing life lessons and experiences they gave me!This week the group departed for the urban homestays. Sunday evening our homestay families came to pick us up, and were all scattered around different parts of Windhoek and some in the township of Katutura and Khomasdal. For my homestay (Elise) I was placed with a family of three in a house in Katutura. The family consisted of two parents and an adorable 2-year-old boy. The family spoke English, however, their first language is Damara. They tried to teach me the vowels you use by clicking your tongue on the roof of your mouth but it was very difficult! The family was so friendly and welcoming, and for the weekend they took me and the family to visit my host father’s mother in Swakopmund on the coast of Namibia. The coast was beautiful and they invited me into their brother-in-law’s home for dinner and conversation. I talked with my host father’s sister about the issue of HIV/AIDS in southern Africa and how it has affected their family. While there has been some improvement in awareness and prevention of HIV/AIDS, it is still a major issue. Before about one in four people in Namibia were affected by HIV or AIDS, but now it has decreased to one in five. She told me that it is still a serious issue, and as a tear rolled down her cheek she explained that she had to bury several family members within the past few years due to AIDS. As Americans, I think it is hard for us to realize the magnitude of the issue, and the experience was very eye opening for me.
My (Cara’s) family lived in Khomasdal and consisted of a mother, 11- and 13-year-old sisters, and a 23-year-old brother. They also spoke Damara as their first language, and taught me basic phrases like "Good morning,"" How are you?," and "I love you." The most important thing to my family is their religion; they are all born-again Christians and my mother has devoted her life to serving God and her church. Having never been particularly religious, it was truly a gift to me to be welcomed at their church and to have many enlightening conversations with my mother about the strength and inspiration she receives each day through her relationship with God. It really changed my outlook on religion. We also talked a lot about the Namibian school system as my mother is a school secretary. She feels very angered by the corruption in the SWAPO government which deprives her school, located in a very poor area, of funding for even basic resources like enough textbooks for all students. My mother even took me to her school, and I saw up to fifty students crammed into a room; many of them were standing or sitting on the floor, or didn’t have proper uniforms. This was an extremely eye-opening experience. Society tends to blame teachers, but the idea of giving children the education they need and deserve seems next to impossible considering the conditions of these schools, especially since many students come to school hungry or come from incredibly poor or violent homes. My host mother blames the government for failing to alleviate inequality, only directing money towards those in power and not those who need it the most desperately. My homestay was truly a learning experience I could not have had in a classroom; I both witnessed and discussed issues that I’d only known about conceptually before.
My family was also just incredibly welcoming. They served me delicious food every night and took me on numerous outings. My host brother took me out with his friends. My mother and sisters took me to the National Museum of Namibia, which has incredible exhibits about Namibian tribes and animals, and to Hero’s Acre, a gorgeous monument on a mountain. Not only does it commemorate the Namibian struggle for liberation but it provides an absolutely breath-taking view of all of Windhoek and its surrounding mountains. Finally we went to Avis Dam where we saw a gorgeous Namibian sunset. I will never forget my homestay family or the amazing life lessons and experiences they gave me!

Retreat Building and Internships Week 3 (Gabrielle and Charise)

On Tuesday everyone—students and faculty—drove to a retreat center in the countryside about thirty minutes away from where we’re residing. The lush vegetation resembled a picture-perfect scene from The Lion King. Some of the most interesting segments were the identity sessions and the team-legged race.
We kicked off our day dividing into small groups of four and discussing the various ways in which our identity has been formed. Each identity station lasted fifteen minutes, and every station had a different group of people, a mix of students and faculty. Listening to students and faculty share their experiences was interesting and led us to realize that despite an age gap, we could still relate well with our fellow faculty. The most thought-provoking conversations were about religion and our socio-economic status. Talking to the people within our groups convinced both of us that it doesn’t matter what we believe as long as our heart is in the right place. The socio-economic class discussion allowed us to realize how subjective “class” is; in one area you may be considered poor, but in another part of the world you can be considered wealthy. We feel like we became closer to our classmates and the faculty, which will make it easier to work with them later on.
We took a break halfway through the conversation to celebrate Ndaku and Sarah’s birthdays by eating an assortment of cake. So delicious!
After the rest of the discussions we had lunch where we ate kudu for the first time. We are determined to find this meat in a United States grocery store! After lunch, we divided into small groups and partook in a team-legged race. In the first race, we divided up into four groups of four. Afterward, the four groups merged into two groups and raced, and finally, we all tied our feet together and tried running to the finish line. Figuring out a speedy system within our group of four was easy, but the larger the group became, the more difficult it was to have everyone listen to one another and figure out how we were going to move. The purpose of this activity was obviously to point out the importance of communication and teamwork. Communication skills, no matter how many games or practice one has, can always use improvement.
Many of the students in our group learned about the importance of communication on the first day of internships on Monday. Upon arriving to our internships, we had to communicate with our supervisors what projects we were going to work on throughout the semester.
For my (Charise’s) internship, I was assigned to work with the Namibian Women’s Health Network (NWHN) on the English literacy project as well as the human rights advocacy campaign. On the first day, I was walked through the mission of the organization, and briefed on some of the recent projects. I was informed that I would be working with several of their support groups across Windhoek to improve English literacy amongst women and youth affected by HIV/AIDS in order to facilitate effective conversations with their medical professionals. This project is to be particularly significant for their campaign against forced sterilization since these women and youth will be empowered to confront the Namibian health and legal systems about the injustices they have faced. They are working to end the practice of medical professionals tricking them into signing a consent form, which was not translated into their native tongue, to be sterilized upon giving birth on the basis of preventing further transmission of HIV. On my second day of interning, I was able to sit in on a meeting with two of the women who had been unknowingly sterilized. Hearing their stories made the campaign real for me, and really motivated me for all the work ahead during the rest of the semester.

“Goodbye South Africa, Hello Namibia”

WEEK TWO
By: Sarah Caska, Emily Newton & Amanda Audet-Griffin

What a whirlwind of adventure it has been so far. We started out the week returning from our home stays in Soweto, excited to tell each other about the families we lived with over the weekend. We all agree that everything from attending church, going to an amusement park, eating traditional South African foods, were all once in a lifetime experiences. With high spirits, our first stop following our home-stays Monday morning was meeting and talking with the students at one of the local semi-private schools in Soweto. It was a learning experience for both the students and us, as we exchanged knowledge regarding educational systems in the U.S. and South Africa.
Tuesday was our last day in South Africa and we spent the day visiting the country’s capital, Pretoria. While in Pretoria we got to learn about the history of the Afrikaner people, speak with a professor regarding the Great Trek, and most of us got our first glimpse of wild Zebras. Later we enjoyed a group dinner at Mimmos, reveling in our memories created so far in Africa. We talked with excitement about the upcoming journey in Windhoek, where we would be spending the next three months.
We left early Wednesday morning for Windhoek. From the second we arrived on Namibian soil, its beautiful landscape and friendly people amazed us. We arrived at our house, met the CGE staff and began exploring the surrounding neighborhood. After a night of group bonding, we spent Thursday exploring the city and learning about its history. We were given instructions to begin finding our way around the downtown area, becoming acquainted with our home for the next three months. We are excited to take advantage of everything Windhoek has to offer, from its museums, its cultural centers, to its shopping plazas. In particular we hope to take advantage of the craft center and the beautiful parks. After a trip to the US Embassy, we all feel more at ease with our surroundings and intend to utilize what the city has to offer.
The week ended with a guided walking tour through Katutura, a historically black township in Windhoek. Guided by the Young Achievers, we had the opportunity to meet with various local organizations, such as an art center, a local radio station and NAMCOL the Namibian College of Open Learning, we all learned how the local people are involved in the community. By talking in small groups with these different organizations’ members, we were reminded of the powerful sense of community present in Windhoek.
We are looking forward to branching out and making a positive impact in Namibia. We’re excited about beginning classes and our internships next week, bringing the knowledge gained over the past two weeks into a more analytical setting.

HELLO SOUTH AFRICA! ! !

WEEK ONE

By:Amanda Audet – Griffin ,Emma Currie ,Helena Kruger

The first week flew by faster than anyone could have imagined. The 17 hour plane ride left us feeling jet lagged and exhausted. The first official day consisted of waking up at 7 am, and early morning rises have continued regularly. Although we were all exhausted, it was exciting to be in a new environment with different people, social norms, and lifestyles.
On Tuesday January 17th, we participated in a tour of Soweto. This gave us a brief overview of the different lifestyles of local residents. Our day began with a tour of the Regina Mundi Church, which is the largest Catholic Church in Soweto. It seats approximately 2,000 people and has a strong historical background. It has been visited by many influential people, including Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. When the Soweto uprisings occurred on June 16, 1976 students took refuge in its safety. Sadly, the police fired ammunition at the Church so we were able to see numerous bullet holes through it. There was also a photography exhibit depicting the struggles of Apartheid as well as the progress of equality in Soweto. After the Regina mundi’s church we went on to tour the Nelson Mandela's home as well as the Hector Peterson museum.

The following day was an eye opening experience, which shocked many of us. We took a tour of Kliptown, which is the most impoverished part of Soweto. We were astounded to see sewage running through the middle of their dirt ridden streets. On top of the sewage there was little access to sanitary water and electricity was not affordable for many. However, the settlement we walked through is not recognized by the government but they used funding to build a ramp to "prevent" people from crossing the railroad tracks. In our opinion, this seems like an improper investment when there are people living without basic needs such as water and food. It is hard to comprehend why the government would spend funds on a walkway when the money could be spent to better the lives of many people.
The rest of the first week consisted of various different speakers, ranging from the Democratic Alliance, to the ANC, and the South African Council of Churches. It was fascinating to hear many different opinions on the history of Apartheid and where the speakers see South African developing in the future. We wrapped the week up with home stays throughout various parts of Soweto. For us, this was the most exciting and best way to learn about the culture of South Africa. We were able to communicate with individuals and hear their opinions ranging from gender issues, to political issues, and the cultural importance of food. It was clear that sexism is still rampant and men are viewed as superior to women. Despite this, everyone we met welcomed us into their homes and was happy to have American guests. From the home stays it was apparent that there are strong moral values that guide positive action and the large sense of community.
All in all it was an amazing first week with countless new experiences. We are looking forward to what the rest of the trip has to offer and growing to understand different aspects of people's cultures.