Week 13: Classes

Lizzie Cohen, Hannah Lee, Catherine Raleigh

This week marked the beginning of class wrap-ups, filled with lots of presentations and finishing assignments. Tuesday in Political Science class we continued our presentations, with groups presenting on democracy, African politics, apartheid, and the Basic Income Grant. The presentations ranged in creativity, from a game to a rap. That night, we had the Hour of Power swimming relay, in honor of Ted Mullin, our own Catherine Mullin’s brother. We were a part of the five continents that participated in the event, which is a fund and awareness raiser for Sarcoma cancer[1].

In Religion class this week we visited the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN), which works with recent migrants to Windhoek, many of whom have relocated to the informal settlements. ECLIN’s major focus includes HIV/AIDs prevention, providing programs for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs), and income-generation. We visited a bread-baking project and a pre-primary school. It was great to see the support that religious organizations are providing to those in need, because of the extent to which we have studied religion, particularly Christianity, in Namibia, as well as the importance of NGOs. It is clear that ECLIN plays a central role in the informal settlements, providing services and advocating for those that are disadvantaged. ECLIN is primarily funded by the Finnish government, but is responsible for the allocation of such funds, and they emphasized the importance of development projects being managed by the community itself, a theme we have seen throughout the semester.

History class consisted of an anti-racism workshop, where Romanus had prepared several activities for us. They included defining racism, prejudice and bias, and giving serious thought to our encounters with and beliefs about racism. This also pushed us to think deeply about ‘white privilege’ and the extent to which it affects Southern African and American societies. This drew attention to the fact that while we conceptualize racism as historically being more prevalent in Southern Africa, it has been equally widespread in the US.

Friday’s Development class focused on health and its connections to development. We first visited the Roman Catholic Hospital. At the hospital we analyzed the differences between private and public healthcare. Speaking with nurses at the hospital, we learned about how the different facilities are funded, what services they have to offer, and how the healthcare professionals are educated. Following our visit to the hospital, we went to the home of Ms. Makhosi, a traditional healer.

Makhosi explained to us how her “gift” for healing works and her reliance on God to do her job. It was very interesting to learn about the various services she provides, including spiritual, mental, and physical healing. Even with the availability of Western medicine, the services of a traditional healer are still significant within Namibian society. We can see a significant contrast between the acceptance of holistic healing in the United States versus Namibia, due to the dominance of Western medicine in U.S. society. It was also apparent that religion and spirituality is important to Namibian traditional healing, which is very different from Western, scientific medical care.

On Saturday, I (Lizzie) arranged for Dr. King Holmes, head of public health at the University of Washington, to speak to some of the group about his role in global health today and in particular, his connections to the University of Namibia’s medical program. On Tuesday, Dr. Holmes will be unveiling a simulation laboratory at the University of Namibia. He highlighted on the idea that funding for medical research will soon start to shift from HIV/AIDS to maternal health. The most interesting part of the conversation was when Dr. Holmes asked us to connect our future careers to global health in some manner. We all realized that while we might not be studying medicine itself, our majors of development, international relations and conflict management all tie into global health in some form. This fits in well with the idea that we are all working on our integrative projects and connecting the ideas that we have learned in every class.

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[1] Hour of Power Relay for Cancer Research. Carleton College, 13 November 2009. Web. 15 November

2009. http://go.carleton.edu/HourOfPower.

Week 12: Classes and Southern Namibia

Ken, Julia, Jasmine

This week was divided between attending classes and traveling to the southern part of Namibia. Political Science class convened on Tuesday. This session included presentations on land reform and education, especially regarding English language education in Namibia. There was a heated debate on whether English should be used as the language of instruction in schools. We also discussed the importance of preservation of culture and vernacular languages. It was difficult for our class to reach a consensus on the extent to which English should be used, because we believe it is important for students to become fluent in English in order to become (financially) successful in both Namibia and the world. Some of us (Julia) felt that the most central problem was the lack of functional literacy among teachers, regardless of when English is implemented in primary education.

Tuesday afternoon, the internship class went to hear a panel of United States citizens who currently work abroad. The panel presentations and discussions that followed were fascinating, because they provided students with information and perspectives on positive and negative aspects of life abroad. For example, panelists spoke of opportunities to become acquainted with new cultures, meet different people, and do fulfilling work in impoverished communities. Challenges faced by the panelists as they have worked abroad range from difficulty relating to friends and family at home to limited salaries and complications meeting basic needs, like quality healthcare. After hearing about some of the negative aspects of life abroad, Jasmine began to question her plans for an international career. Loneliness, going long periods without seeing family and friends, and a general disconnect from life at home are all difficult and constant parts of living abroad.

Wednesday, Religion class briefly discussed the role of minority religions, such as Judaism and Islam, in the history of Namibia and South Africa. We then traveled to the local Islamic Center. Instructor Paulus and the students were all able to ask questions of a local Islamic scholar. There was a strong focus on explaining the theological pillars of Islam, as well as dispelling misconceptions surrounding this religion. Some of us (Ken) were very interested in learning about the contributions of Islamic people in the liberation struggle against apartheid.

In Thursday’s history class, students very creatively presented on topics relating to the Civil Rights movement in the United States and the Liberation Struggle in Southern Africa. These presentations were followed by an activity prepared by instructor Romanus, which revealed the way students’ experiences and backgrounds represent differences in racial and socioeconomic privilege. Students were surprised to observe that the divisions present at the end of the exercise were not reflective of friendships within the CGE community.

After class on Thursday, we packed up and traveled south to a government-owned campsite at the Hardap Dam. Friday morning, after a brief tour of the dam, we traveled to Mariental municipality to hear from public relations officer, Catherine Boois, a former CGE intern. Ms. Boois explained the history and culture of the Nama people, as well as the history and political, economic, and environmental impact

the Hardap Dam has on the community of Mariental. We then traveled onward to Berseba, a rural town located at the foot of Brukkaros mountain. We met with Petrus Fleermuys, the chair of the Brukkaros Community Campsite Committee. We learned about the organization of a campsite near the mountain in order to attract tourists and earn profits that can be used to benefit the Berseba community. Mr

Fleermuys mentioned a proposed lodge, which would have employed fifty people. This

proposal was turned down, as the lodge would compete with

the community run campsite, which has one employee. Even though the current campsite is owned and run by community members, the potential creation of jobs and increase in tourism of a private lodge would bring greater financial benefits to Berseba. We spent the night at the campground and spent the next day with the local youth club. We planted trees in a nearby cemetery and played icebreaker games to get to know each other. This interaction and the conversations that followed were highlights for many students. We were able to learn a lot from the perspectives and experiences from our new friends, especially regarding education, politics, and HIV/AIDS.

For our final night of travel, we went to a privately owned campsite at the Gondwana Kalahari Anib Lodge. On Sunday morning, we heard one of the owners speak on the three pillars of the business of the Gondwana Lodge group: conservation, financial stability, and social responsibility. During this discussion, the presenter mentioned that he and the Gondwana group were denied permission to build a lodge in Berseba, because it would conflict with local interests. It seemed to many of us that this private company would have done good things for the community of Berseba, as the facilities at Gondwana were much nicer than those at the Brukkaros campsite.

Overall, students returned from the trip having gained a wide variety of perspectives regarding issues of private vs. public ownership of businesses, weighing the benefits of each as tools for development. We also had discussion on foreign aid and investment, government’s role in job creation, and conservation in northern and southern regions of Namibia.

Week 11: Namibia in Retrospect

Allison, Anna, Julia

This week was a transition, as we returned to classes and internships after three weeks of travel and fall break. On Monday, many students continued their internships. Some felt overwhelmed by the amount of work still to be done.

On Tuesday, Politics class focused on the idea of land as a human right and different views on land ownership in the post-colonial era. A land panel presented their views on how Namibian land could be used to benefit the most people. One of the panel presenters, Mrs. Sululu Isaacs, was involved in a legal controversy over a farm curre

ntly owned by an absentee landlord, but pre-Apartheid inhabited by Mrs. Isaacs family. After Mrs. Isaacs was denied permission to bury her mother on this farm, a group named “Ancestral Fire” attempted to reclaim the land, but they were unsuccessful. Mrs. Isaacs’ organization argues that unused land, especially that which has sacred significance, should be returned to the ancestral farmers who had a closer tie to the land. We

also heard from Herald Schutt, a land consultant. He spoke about differences between traditional African views of land and modern attitudes. Controversies over communal versus commercial land, and issues of land distribution in general, comprise a fascinating part of Namibian history and political debate. As is clear from the multitudes of opinions, land reform is a very complex issue. None of us were able to come up with a coherent solution to the problem. While we all sympathized with people like Mrs. Isaacs, we could also recognize the rights of whites to land they had owned for several generations. Like in the United States, there is no easy answer, and we struggled to come up with something that was just for everyone.

On Wednesday, some of us returned to our internships while others attended Religion class. A representative of the Namibian Human Rights Coalition presented his personal beliefs about human rights and explained the role of his organization to prevent these abuses. For example, his organization has worked against the church in issues of homosexual and women’s rights. We all found it refreshing to hear from a Namibian NGO seeking to correct the many problems we have seen throughout the semester. Women still do not have a safe place in all homes in Namibia. Children are still often abused and neglected, and homosexuals are a taboo category. To see so many groups still marginalized in a country that prides itself on a democratic constitution is scary for all of us. Just legislation demanding equal rights is not enough.

On Thursday in our Racism and Resistance class, we visited the National Archives, where we saw historical maps of Namibia and spoke of the pre-colonial tribal movement. In the afternoon, we went to the UN headquarters in Namibia and listened to a presentation that showed the change in the HDI in post-independence Namibia. In particular, many of us were shocked to see how much the average lifespan, income, school enrollment and quality of life fell because of the widespread affects of HIV/AIDS. On the bright side, however, the destructive course of the disease seems to be slowing down and in a few cases reversing, and literacy in the country has increased. Ultimately, most of us left the talk sobered by the toll that the disease has taken on the country but hopeful that recovery has begun.

Friday’s Development class featured a speaker on the role of women during and after the liberation struggle. Women’s contributions were limited to the Youth League, or to domestic tasks, such as braaiing. These braais were very effective in disguising political meetings that would otherwise have been banned. Women also contributed greatly to the exposure of domestic issues during this time. Coming from the United States, where women have made great strides towards equal rights, many of us were appalled by the lack of these in many aspects of Namibian life. It was difficult to comprehend the many ways women are threatened by issues like domestic violence and HIV even today.

Week 9: Nothing Short of the North

Lauren, Jasmine, Catherine and RuthAnn

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Week 8: Rural Homestay

Larry, Adil, Carlee, Jaclyn

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

of the family and took

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

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

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

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

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

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

Week 7: Classes

Leigh, Rae, Rachel

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

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

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

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

while the US mentality

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

After working the prior week on a 5 to

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

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

Week 6: Classes and the Coast

Catherine Raleigh, David Beck, Hannah Lee

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Week 5: Legacies of Colonialism

Rachel, Allison, Anna

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

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

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

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

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

Week 4: Classes and Urban Homestays

By: RuthAnn, Jessica, Rae, and Alex!

During our fourth week, academic reality set it as we had our first full week of classes and began learning the language of Damara from Baby, a former Peace Corps language teacher. We will be staying with a rural family later who speaks Damara. In addition to dealing with the stress of classes and homework, we began our 10-day urban homestay. This homestay was more difficult than the homestay in Soweto because we were flying solo in a foreign culture and didn’t have another student for support. We concluded that there is no one “Namibian family”; tribe, race, and language played a major difference in the family makeup. For example, some students lived with Damaras while others lived with Ovambos. Some students had a distinct advantage by practicing Damara with their host families. Other students lived in the historically “colored” area of Khomasdal, while other students lived in the “black” township of Katutura. During our homestays, we were introduced to English-dubbed Spanish telenovelas, referred to as “Soapies”. Most students quickly developed favorite characters from the two most popular shows, “Lorenzo’s Wife” and “Storm over Paradise.”

In Development class, Herbert Jauch from the Labor Resource and Research Institution spoke about development in Namibia and the vast level of inequalities that make Namibia number one on the GINI scale. He promoted a Basic Income Grant (BIG) to jumpstart the process of narrowing inequality by giving each Namibian 100 dollars a month from birth until the age of 65 when individuals would qualify for their pension. We can see more than one side to this proposal: some students think that it is a wonderful idea and would benefit those poor Namibians, while others are more concerned about the potential problems in restructuring the taxation system. He also proposed fair land distribution, pointing to Zimbabwe as an example of what happens due in part to unresolved land issues.

We visited the Alte Feste Museum, a former German fort with information about rock drawings, the liberation struggle, and colonialism. Later in history class, we watched a BBC movie on the Herero genocide of 1904 and found out that the museum we had visited earlier was in fact a concentration camp for the Herero people. The students were dumbfounded that our tour guide did not mention that the fort was a concentration camp; we assumed that information would be a key part of museum presentation. We feel this example underscores the idea that history is selectively created from events strung together based on a certain perspective. A speaker in the BBC movie, Professor Kerina, the first Namibian UN representative, came to our class to speak about the liberation struggle and the challenges following independence. Saying, “only dogs and slaves are named by their masters. Free men name themselves,” Kerina emphasized the need for a country to choose its name.

Week 3: Classes

Catherine Mullin, Leigh Isaacson, Lizzie Cohen

This was our first full week in Windhoek so it was action packed to say the least. The main events of the week included starting our internships, a team building retreat, the beginning of classes, along with the start of our urban homestays.

All students doing internships started bright and early Monday, September 1st. The internships range from NGO’s like the Namibia Development Foundation to Women’s Solidarity. Though most students had a slow first day, and felt that often things at the organizations were done on “Africa time”, all emerged feeling hopeful about the situation at their organization.

Tuesday was all about team building activities at a ranch outside the city center. It was a long day, but we all enjoyed ourselves and learned a lot about our fellow students and the staff here at CGE. Activities included creating a yarn web and two egg races. The rest of the day was designated for us to present our “road maps”. The road maps were designed to explain how each of us came to be who we are today and some of the main events in our life. It is clear we have a really diverse group, with people coming from all different backgrounds, but we all are united by our desire to learn and experience new things during our time in southern Africa.

Classes kicked off this week with a look at some Namibian pre-colonial history with Romanus on Thursday. The class, which includes the majority of students on the program, traveled to the National Museum of Namibia. We were able to see traditional clothing, food preparation and geographical areas of the different tribes in Namibia. We also got a sneak preview to what our rural homestay might look like at one of the exhibits on typical housing for the different tribes.
Thursday night marked the beginning of our 10- day urban homestay. Nervous and excited, we were picked up by our host families and we spent the weekend living life like a typical Namibian. With the longer duration of this homestay students were immediately accepted as part of the family and were exposed to opinions on apartheid and the current political situation.

The school week ended on Friday, with Linda’s development class. The first class we discussed the meaning of development and the proper terms associated with describing different states and levels of development. Some students were distraught over the use of terms “developed”/ “developing” because of what each word implies about a country’s status and a long debate pursued. With the different backgrounds on development students brought to the class some were offended by the implications of the terms. It is clear that we are a diverse group and that we’re not afraid to share our opinions.

We also started our Damara language class, taught by Baby Doeseb. For most students this experience was out of their comfort zone and we all need some serious practice to get those “clicks” down before our rural homestays!

Week 2: South Africa and the Great Beyond

Ken, Margaret, Carlee

After a weekend homestay in Soweto our group travelled to Pretoria on August 24. First we visited the US Embassy and talked to Foreign Service Officer Jonathan Smallridge. Since we had heard a variety of South African perspectives, hearing both US foreign policy and the official US stance on South African politics broadened our perspective and educational experience. Particularly interesting was his statement that “South Africa is seen as the pillar of Africa” since all of our previous speakers and activities focused on the challenges that South Africa faced. Those of us considering a career in Foreign Service also enjoyed Mr. Smallridge’s advice and stories about becoming a member of the US bureaucracy.

Our trip to the Voortrekker Monument on Tuesday, August 25th proved to be a contrast to the two museums that we visited in Johannesburg. Those (the Hector Pieterson Museum and the Apartheid Museum) focused on apartheid and, as such, placed the Afrikaners in a vilified position. While some members of our group (Ken) found the museum to be racially biased and imperialistic, others (Margaret) thought that it provided an interesting counterpoint to the first two museums. Ultimately, the juxtaposition of the three museums provided yet another example of a theme of the semester: a need to consider sources and avoid immediate judgment.

Later in the afternoon, we went to the University of Pretoria and heard from Professor Jackie Grobler on the subject of Afrikaner identity. Carlee thought that Grobler displayed an obvious bias. Margaret and Ken found his presentation and response to the group’s rather pointed questions to be quite impressive. He did not attempt to justify apartheid, but rather explained his own personal experience and observations during the apartheid era. By avoiding both denial and apology, he offered an Afrikaner perspective that seemed realistic, regardless of the listener’s personal opinion.

After our flight to Windhoek on Wednesday, August 26th and our introduction to the CGE house (which all three of us love!!!) we took a tour of the city on Thursday. There we learned about the history of apartheid in Namibia and about the current situation in the informal settlements. We were able to compare and contrast the settlements in Kliptown, South Africa with the settlements in Katatura, Namibia. The Namibian settlements appeared to have a much higher level of service provision than the South African settlements, but that difference may have been caused by the attitudes of our tour guides. In Kliptown, we were led through the streets by local residents who advocated against privatization; in Katatura, we looked down on the settlements from a nearby hill with professional tour guides.

We are looking forward to exploring more of the politics and history of Namibia in our classes and in our daily activities, so that we can understand whether the differences we observed were a matter of perspective or of tangible change and improvement. On Friday, we went to various political and social organizations in Katatura with local students as our guides. Saturday and Sunday we had free time and got to go out and explore the city and its nightlife, as well as having some much needed down time to prepare for our internships, scheduled to start on Monday, August 31. A highlight of the week was hearing local bands perform in a festival at Zoo Park on Saturday and we are looking forward to the remainder of our semester!

Week 1: Welcome to Johannesburg!

The first week of the program was a whirl-wind full of visits to surrounding communities, lectures, museums and cultural experiences.

Monday morning, still jet lagged, we began our adventures with a brief history of apartheid and the liberation struggle in South Africa. Mr. Molefi Mataboge provided background for a two-day tour of Soweto that would follow. During our tour of Soweto (South Western Township) we were able to see various informal settlements within the community, where citizens have built many tin shacks. Views of poverty and lingering oppression quickly became evident and many questions were formed within the group: Why does it seem that the government has not done much to improve the lives of its people after apartheid? What legislation has been put into place to improve the quality of life? How can people live in the conditions of poverty and oppression?

Throughout the rest of the week we gained a better understanding of the events that have affected the people of Soweto with visits to the Regina Mundi church (a place that played an integral role in the fight against apartheid), the Hector Peterson museum (a commemoration of the student uprising against the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in schools), a semi-private school (where we were able to communicate with students about their experiences in Soweto), and the Apartheid museum (which gave us a better understanding of the history and events of apartheid).

In between visits to the different locations we met with a variety of speakers and organizations, including the Anti-Privatization Forum (APF), the South African Council of Churches (SACC), and the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC)—who addressed issues, current events, and their perspectives concerning the future of South Africa.

One of our favorite lectures were with members of the TAC, who informed us about their organization and their efforts to combat HIV/ AIDS in South Africa. The organization works with health and human rights issues, providing education and resources to the public. Tristen Taylor, an environmentalist, talked to us about the economy of South Africa, providing insight into the economic future of the country. He explained how the end of apartheid was “political freedom, but not economic freedom” for the people, and that [apartheid] has remaining implications on the current economy and the future. Taylor provided a vision for what the year 2020 may look like, suggesting that the prices of basic resources (like oil and water) will have detrimental affects on not only the people of South Africa.

We also explored the political climate with Mr. Michael, a member of the African National Congress (ANC), who discussed his involvement in the political party and its original platform. In addition we met with the current opposition party of the ANC, the Democratic Alliance (DA), to discuss their political views. Both political parties shared similar views on many issues facing South Africa—housing, education, privatization of utilities, HIV/AIDS, etc.—however, their methods of attainment differed.

At the end of the week we departed in pairs for our homestays in Soweto for the weekend. This experience allowed us to expand upon what we had learned over the course of the week through the lens of a South African family. During our homestays we were encouraged to become part of the family, participating in daily activities (cooking, cleaning, running errands, family outings, etc.) The time spent with these families provided a new perspective on the lives of those living in Soweto today. Some students experienced the traditional food (chicken feet, fat cakes, pop), funerals, parties, church services, and braais (BBQ’s).

This week has been an adjustment for all of us—getting to know each other and the country. We have been thrown out of our comfort zones and have confronted questions concerning our observations and experiences. We have wrestled with ideas surrounding race, gender, privilege, economic status, and political ideology. Through this we have gained a better understanding of the history and struggles of South Africa, providing a basic framework for our upcoming classes and experiences during the semester.

Captions:

1. Members of the Fall 2009 Crew met up to board the plane to Johannesburg in the Washington Dulles Airport.
2. The Regina Mundi Church, a place where citizens of Soweto gathered during apartheid, and was a hotspot for police activity.
3. A view overlooking Kliptown, a part of Soweto that has remained extremely impoverished even after the end of apartheid.

Week 13: Classes

Caity Wilson
Maggie Broad

This week, for most students, was focused heavily upon the idea of foreign/international aid. Through our course of study here in Namibia we have constantly been exposed to different people and organizations that are heavily effected by international aid. Many of our internships rely on international donors to keep their doors open and programs running smoothly. When we were given the opportunity to meet with aid organizations and discuss the topic of international aid in our development course, we were all very excited. We learned lots of interesting things in Politics, History, and Religion class, but a large part of the week was spent on international aid which is why we have chosen to focus this blog primarily on that topic.

For development class this week students were asked to arrange meetings with different aid organizations and agencies working within Namibia to fit in with our focus on international aid. One group organized a meeting with UNAIDS. Students attending this meeting met with Ms. Gloria Billy, a program officer at the agency. Ms. Billy explained to the students about the work of UNAIDS and its leadership role among non-governmental organizations within Namibia that deal with HIV/AIDS related issues.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the conversation, however, was when students asked Ms. Billy about her personal opinion about the work of HIV/AIDS organizations within Namibia. Ms. Billy replied that while many organizations are doing good work within the country, there are so many organizations and few, if any, are coordinating their efforts to both stop the spread of the virus and provide treatment for those who are already infected. Students also learned that many organizations have failed to develop any system within their organization for sustainability meaning that they constantly depend on more money from outside donors to keep their programs running rather than finding a way to gain support from the Namibian government or ways to fund themselves. These organizations can end up hindering development rather than helping it along. This was a very important meeting for students as it helped shine some light on questions students had raised about the number of organizations working with HIV/AIDS and the sustainability of such organizations.

Another group visited the Finnish Embassy, which was practically a cultural exchange in itself. The embassy, employing just nine people, was set on a plush green property. The students met with the Chancellor of Development, Janne Sykkõ. During that time, Mr. Sykkõ was more than happy to talk us through the history of both Finland and the relationship between Finland and Namibia. As he continued, his humility, honesty, and genuine nature was more than evident, and his hospitable nature was just astounding.

Speaking to Americans, he was more than aware of the amount of aid Finland offered in comparison to the US; however he admitted that with the little aid given they still tried their best to support locals and see long-term sustainability in each project. He also commented on the people of Finland’s desire to see their corporations continue to follow the same fair labor policies abroad and did their best to follow up on companies such as Nokia. Although some of us wish Americans did the same, we are often criticized for our lack of knowledge and desire to follow up on US companies’ actions abroad.

One question asked was about the nature or hidden agendas of international aid organizations and if he felt this was often true of international aid. His response was once again very genuine, and he admitted that sometimes there are personal goals acting as a driving force however, most often the goals of international aid are to see long term sustainable development. Although many of us wanted to agree with him, some felt that too many times international aid’s main purpose is other than seeing to long-term efficient development or change. Never the less, Mr. Sykkõ was able to inspire us to believe in the good nature many international aid groups claim to achieve.

Following our visits to the different embassies and agencies, our academic week culminated with a visit to USAID with the development class. The visit was very pertinent as a lot of students work at internships funded by international donors and/or USAID. At USAID we met with Debra Mosel, the assistant mission director of USAID in Namibia. Debra offered us a lot of insight into the work that USAID does both within Namibia and globally as well as insight into how the agency works with a foreign country while still holding to US foreign policies. Prior to the meeting, some in the group had expressed concern over the fact that the aid provided is strictly controlled and monitored by the US government and its foreign policies. This has the potential to conflict with the plans and ideas of the host country.

This meeting however helped some to see the different sides to various situation and organizations, helping to inspire a bit more faith in the development field.
Students seemed very drawn to the discussion of the work of the emergency department of USAID as they provide basic services quickly and with very little intervention from the US government. Overall the experience was a very important one as it allowed students the opportunity to not only find out more fully about the work of USAID, but also provided a forum for students to ask a lot of the lingering questions that had remained with many of us throughout the semester.

Although the visit with USAID was interesting, its slogan “USAID, from the American people”, struck a lot of students. This idea of aid coming from the “American people” is almost humorous when in fact not only do most US citizens not know where Namibia is, let alone how to pronounce it, but most are not even aware of USAID itself. This is perhaps a representation of the lack of care or understanding Americans have for countries outside of the US, but could also be related to the fact that most Americans have very little to do with where the aid goes and how it is used.

After the meeting one student had an interesting conversation with a local Namibian who works closely with such organizations as USAID, UNAIDS, PEPFAR, CDC, and other international aid organizations. During that conversation the student was trying to get a local’s perspective on these organizations work in regards to sustainability. During that conversation however, USAID was highly regarded as a flexible, well organized, and sustainability concerned organization. But, CDC, UNAIDS, and PEPFAR were noted to be result seeking organizations which do not look at sustainability, let alone the needs of locals. Instead, these other organizations were commented upon as being irresponsible and personal-agenda driven foreign aid groups - exactly what develop class has been critical of.

Week 12

Hannah Miner
Colleen Keeney


Easter week at CGE there was very little time for breaks or celebration. With the semester winding down the week was filled with classes, internships, speakers, a panel, and papers. On Easter Sunday we did take a break to enjoy some Easter festivities. Justine and Kristin planned a community event of egg dying, an Easter egg hunt and making deviled eggs. Overall, as we scramble to finish up our final papers and projects the reality of leaving is also setting in.


In internship class, on Tuesday, we had a panel of Americans working in Namibia. They spoke about their different experiences working and living in Namibia. The first speaker was Lucy Steinitz who is a Regional Technical Advisor for Family Health International, and covers the entire continent of Africa. Originally a New Yorker, she was very easy to relate to. When she spoke about her initial move to Zimbabwe, her return to the US, and later relocation back to Namibia, she stated, “I have always had Africa and adventure on the brain.” This is a feeling that drew many of the students to Namibia to study. She also spoke about the different kind of life that you find outside the US, which is closer to what really matters. It is these other kinds of things that has taken hold of many of us and made us love Namibia. It comes in the intimate relationships we have formed, the ten small conversations you have while walking down the street, the lack of TV watching, and the homemade bread we eat regularly. MaryBeth Gallagher was another captivating panel member. She recalled multiple stories from time spent in San Francisco as a Jesuit Volunteer Corp member, in El Salvador and Bangladesh through Maryknoll Mission Society, and finally at Catholic AIDS Action in Namibia. She quoted Mother Theresa saying, “When you are doing God’s work, God will provide for you.” She made clear that this statement has proved true in her life. Both of these speakers, along with the rest of the panel, told us to take risks and love what we are doing--if we do these things then we have very little to worry about. The final two speakers were Nick Deluca, who works the US Center for Disease Control and a member of the foreign service. They both gave us the perspective on working for the US government abroad and the benefits that can come along with that. All of the speakers were obviously very passionate about what they doing in Namibia, and gave us a lot to think about in terms of working abroad when we graduate college.


The religion class was also extremely privileged this week when they visited the Islamic Center here is Windhoek. With only five thousand Muslims living in Namibia, which is an extremely Christian country, it was insightful to meet with Imam Shafi to get a deeper look into Islam. He referred to Islam as, "not only a religion. Religion is the narrowest title that can be given to Islam. Islam is a complete way of life.” He spoke in-depth about how a commitment to the way of life of Islam is promoting social change in Namibia. Not that they are trying to convert people, but they want all Muslims to be the best Muslim in all areas of their life. His talk was very interesting because it was a reminder that all change does not come in the form of mass social movements, instead it can be a personal self-transformation and be reflected in how you live day to day. The meeting was an excellent exchange and both parties felt as though there was not enough time, so Imam Shafi invited back for dinner at a later date.


In History this past week, we considered racism through the lens of privilege by creatively presenting on either our own experiences with racism and how our position within society relates to one aspect of Namibian history or by comparing one facet of the history of racism and resistance in Namibia with one within the history of the United States. Students presented on important leaders in both liberation movements, including one of architects of apartheid, the parallels that exists between both apartheid and the separate but equal Jim Crow Laws and the Civil Rights Movement, particularly in Alaska, and the struggle for Independence, as well as womens rights in Namibia, South Africa and the U.S. The presentations provided an excellent segue into discussing our own personal experiences with racism, including when we first experienced racism and how racism manifests itself within us and affects our actions. In general, the conversation was very open, with many people giving testimony on a very emotional and charged topic. I was very impressed with my colleagues’ honesty and courage to face a topic that is often considered to be taboo in the U.S.


We closed our history class that day with an exercise about diversity and privilege. In this exercise we lined up in a straight line and then responded to a series of statements like “If there were more than 50 books in your house when you grew up, take one step forward” and “If you were raised in an area where there was prostitution, drug activity, etc. take one step back.” At the end of the exercise we were left scattered across our carport, with those people who identified themselves as being more privileged standing only a short distance from the electric fence that surrounds out guesthouse (coincidence?) In the discussion that followed several students expressed surprise at how pervasive privilege and oppression can be and how interrelated race and socio-economic class are, noting how both have the potential to positively or negatively influence every aspect of our lives, from how we travel from one place to the next to how many books we had in our houses as we were growing up. It was also mentioned that the diversity found within our small group of twenty was impressive, though it was also acknowledged that despite some of us having at one point in our lives been at a greater or lesser advantage than others, we, as American college students are privileged relative to the rest of the world.


We started our The Development Process class on Friday by talking briefly about feminism. Essentially, feminism, in this educational context, refers to the attempt to create a space in which everyone--women, men, black, white, rich, poor, have the opportunity to speak about their experience in order to create an atmosphere and dialogue that is more diverse. This includes acknowledging that there are different knowledge systems dictating how we know, experience, and convey information. We then had a speaker from *Women’s Solidarity,* Rosa Namilas, come to out class to speak about gendered social justice issues found within Namibia focusing specifically on issues facing women and children, including corporeal punishment in the school system, the lack of participation of women in politics, and HIV/AIDS in an attempt to gain perspective on how the development process affects different groups of people.


Despite feeling overworked having handed in several papers this passed week, us students were still out in full force exploring Windhoek nightlife over the weekend. Several students were out late on Saturday in order to see a well-known local artist, Gazza, perform. We only have a few weeks left so we’re trying to enjoy every minute while staying on top of schoolwork.