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I’ve covered a lot of ground here in Namibia and South Africa during my 57 days. The sights, people, and experiences have been life changing and I can’t wait to come back for round two. Thank-you to all who made this first tour so successful and such a memorable experience for me. Time just flew and I feel like I just arrived. I’ll be leaving on a jet plane from Jo’berg to the states on Monday and Tuesday and can’t wait to see my family and friends. My sister is going to be finally marrying her fiancé of 5 years this coming Saturday.
I realized I still need to blog about Etosha, but that gives me a good 20-hour plane project to work on. So please stay tuned.
Few brief notes on my research:
My freehold conservancy research is starting to take off and I can’t wait to come back and collect data! The questionnaire is going to be quite large and will cover tourism, bush meat, and agriculture benefits in two conservancy areas, so we can figure out more about land use and values. No one has collected any recent data on freehold [private land] conservancies in quiet awhile and this research will be extremely beneficial to Namibia landscape level conservation and the Northern Great Plains. John Barnes, a natural resource economist who worked for WWF and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism for a long time, gave me nearly 90 scholarly articles related to the economics of tourism in Namibian that will keep me busy on my 20 hour flight from Jo’Berg to the States. I have a huge list of book titles I need to track down also!
Boring!!! Now onto other things 8D
Katutura [Otjiherero meaning "The place where people do not want to live"]: The Brief History of Apartheid in Namibia and My Experiences With Uapii’s Katutura Family.
“I’m going to show you the real Africa,” Uapii said when we started the tour from his sister’s house on Bahamas Street. “You will not just meet people, you will know them.” This started my Katutura experience and I’m in so much debt to Uapii for everything he has shown me about Namibia from his farm in Kunene to the dirt bustling streets of Katutura.
In the back of my mind, I could already think and see Katutura is a good place to start, and with a guide like Uapii I was in safe hands and in for a great experience. Uapii's track record with helping with Fulbright Scholar professors and others doing research in Namibia is flawless and he’s been a great window for his American friends to learn about Namibia and its unique culture/history.
According to Uapii’s family, its probably safe to say, maybe 1 in a 100 visitors coming to Windhoek have a chance to tour Kat like I was able to with my good friend; not just drive by the township on Independence Ave point and say, “Oh, that’s Kat,” but actually step foot on the dusty streets, walk through the many markets, drink Namibian beer with the locals at Herero Mall and The Lodge, and meet his friends and family who live here and talk about many issues in Kat.
Uapii’s sister and family wanted me to come over and have a traditional meal of Oryx [the tasty critters with two long black horns and grey fur, look like horses –see pics] and celebrate my first Namibia tour. I gladly accepted the offer! The food was amazing and many laughs were filling the atmosphere on the front porch overlooking a valley that was all Kat.
And to point out the obvious question many readers probably have in their head, yes, I was the only white guy I saw that whole day and night. In these situations, you learn to carry yourself well and be open in the process. I was truly out of my element and this is how one should learn. Sadly, I think others miss this opportunity by a long shot.
Windhoek is usually a stop over for many tourists going to the communal lands or hunting trophies on freehold ranches, and for one to truly experience the unique history and people here in Namibia –its essential for one to visit Katutura and the communal lands along with the mainstream stuff.
I’m counting my blessings.
The same issue exists in the communal areas with tourists/people just passing through or not even visiting.
I refuse to let myself fall into this category.
History of Katatura [Brief]:
Katutura was originally an all-black community created by the apartheid ruling governments. Many of the people’s ancestors here in Kat have a long history of being uprooted and faced the worst systematic machine of the apartheid processes. The pain is still present today from what little I’ve seen.
During Germany’s rule over Namibia during 1913, many blacks were relocated to Old Location and Klein Windhoek [where my apartment is close to work] by the town’s council. During this time marriage between a black and white was prohibited and reached over into the bedroom and forbid sexual intercourse between black and whites.
During WWI South Africa took over Namibia and it was decided between ZA and Windhoek officials to move all the blacks to what is known as Katutura, with much resistance being met in the process. This continued and during 1959 [when nearly all blacks were moved to Kat], large protests were occurring about the forced movement of individuals and a large police confrontation killed 13 individuals. During this time, all the blacks from Old Location and Klein Windhoek were moved to Kat. It is said among many residents here, that SWAPO, South Western Africa People’s Organization, started in Kat shortly after this police confrontation. SWAPO is still the ruling party today post independence and will be challenged again this November when Namibians go to the polling booths.
When Namibia won their independence from South Africa in 1990, large changes in how people lived occurred and many were able to travel to other places in Windhoek, buy homes, receive loans, and begin living better lives post-apartheid. Yet today, its still a hard life in this newly formed country.
“I still can’t go get a loan from the bank today,” someone told me. “Its almost the case every time if you’re white, you’ll be the one getting the loan, not me. I’ve never had a chance to get ahead man” as a sharp finger founds its way to my chest.
Many of the businesses that are forming are unofficial ones and usually are small food stands selling cell phone minutes or barber or saloon shops.
It’s still apparent to anyone walking these streets that generations of oppression still exist making it difficult to “just pull up your boot-straps.” Many tourists and others have preconceptions about Katutura most likely from impressions of other slums or reservations, but it has never failed me: when one immerses themselves with respect, challenge yourself, you’ll find things are not as they seem and barriers fall.
There’s such a strong spirit here and many other good things sprout up if people look closer.
To take the camera or not to take the camera:
I decided to take my Canon with me and almost decided to leave it at his sister’s house. No one will deny petty theft is a huge issue. I just knew there would be some unique photo opps many don’t even come close to shooting, and I’m so happy I brought it along for the ride. It can only help when it comes to blogging. I've found its best to tell stories through pictures.
During the tour, Uapii was my second set of eyes and it was a quick pull out the camera, rapid fire shots, and place it back in the non-conspicuous K-Way bag, and carry on. I’ll just say there were many photos I wanted to take, but it just wasn’t safe or a very good idea to pull it out and I listened very closely to Uapii when he said to “leave it in the bag.” I become so immersed in the camera viewfinder sometimes.
But good shots don’t happen if one doesn’t take a chance. We both took one that day.
Overall, I felt very safe in Kat. There were probably 3 or 4 instances where a group was following us but if you stay smart, keep on the main streets, and ect. you’ll be just fine. I can see where people fall into certain traps and can carry the mentality of “Oh, I might get mugged.” People can read it from a mile away –and it will most likely happen with that mentality. But there are many things one can do to still keep safe and experience areas at the same time and not feel totally sheltered. See the early blogs with Nick Kristof of the NY Times advice.
Dusty Streets and Shoes:
Upon entering Katutura, one see’s a stark contrast in living conditions and it hits deep. You see a few things you don’t want to see, but it’s the reality a majority of Namibians in Windhoek [over half] face on a daily basis. Unemployment is high and one study marks it around 25% in 2001, but Uapii said that’s not even close to being correct and its way over 50% and closer to 75%. HIV/Aids and tuberculosis are still a huge problem for people living here. Drinking and drug use is also high and visible.
Bottom line-it’s a rough place to live and one struggles to find opportunity.
To the ignorant traveler [like I was prior], it’s almost like someone drew a line in the sand between Independence Ave and Hans-Dietrich Genscer St. Looking back upon the apartheid history -that did happen. One truly enters into another world of Windhoek that was created by apartheid rule, the forced political separation of people based on race.
Katutura translates into the place where people do not want to live and reflects the heavy history of apartheid in Namibia and South Africa in this diverse community.
Its probably safe to say a little over half of the people in Windhoek live in Katutura, and its tough to account for the refugees and others who are just moving from the communal areas just north of Kat creating “informal settlements.” It’s a struggle to designate the most run down tin house in the IS as a housing lot to receive the basics of flowing water and flushing toilets. The majority are young young people my age or less.
From my first brief trip to Kat with Uapii about a month ago, I didn’t realize how big this section of town was in comparison to other districts in Windhoek, and how densely populated it is. It pays to get out of the taxi and walk around a bit.
We started the tour walking up to the research center on top of a large hill overlooking Windhoek. This center has been doing a lot of research with solar energy recently and the heavily fortified front gate has an amazing array of shovels and odds and ins making an interesting rusted art piece.
We continued to the area known as the Soweto Market where one can find butchers, seamstress, and shoe shops. In the center is a large dome with pool tables many of the youth [10 or less] come and pay pool. One lonely video game machine filled the air with fake gunfire and a rapidly repeating plastic clank noise with words I’m guessing was swearing words. Uapii introduced me to his friend who owns a meat shop.
He said the end of the month is always a lively time in Kat. Its payday, its probably been a long month, and business owners can expect a sharp increase in sales. He said I picked a good time to tour Kat, because people were out shopping and filling the streets. There was a lively feel to the atmosphere.
We ventured over to a clothing shop where everything is hand made on the spot. We were looking for quilting cloth for my grandmother, but the place specialized more in clothing vs. selling cloth.
One can see walking around this market how people are struggling to start up businesses and improve their standard of living. Many of the informal barber and saloon shops are located in a little area –maybe 10 feet by 10 feet, and will have 3 or 4 friends or family members pushing clients through the area splitting the profits.
My camera eye kept thinking, “Shoot, there is a good shot, oh damn, there is another one, ah!” And I’m finally fully comfortable with approaching people now and just saying, “I’m a photographer from the states and I was wondering if I could please take your picture for memory sake.” It pays to be blunt sometimes and relaxes people more for the shots.
Another interesting place we visited was called the Un Plaza. It was another open market with a large meat grill out front. I was pretty hungry at this point and the grilling meat was only making we want to taste the Oryx, the cattleman, aka Uapii, was going to cook that night. We first walked over to a large mound of dirt that lined one side of the wall surrounding the market.
Here wood was being chopped. For heat and cooking, wood fire is heavily used in Kat and from this point I snapped a few photos.
The butchers here had meat in the open air and it made me think about all the code violations this place would generate, but it was amazing to see people huddled around grills ordering up their favorite cuts of meat and conversing about daily life.
Swinging meat cleavers, congregated boxes full of freshly slaughtered cattle, goat, and sheep lined the top of old wooden tables and benches for the entire length of the covered area.
Everyone lined up around the grills:
We met a woman selling a variety of beans, sardines, and some type of barely used for brewing beer at home. I’m also a home brewing and found a couple of contacts who said they’d show me the local brew variety in Kat upon my return from my sister’s wedding. Her picture is one of my favorite portraits so far. Her smile is so warm.
We wrapped up the tour by visiting the Single Quarter [basketball quart near a KFC], Pick N Pay [where I saw a guard with a loaded gun arming a cell phone store], Woerman Bockman, and other areas filled with small food stands and informal businesses.
I was sure ready to eat a good meal after all the miles we covered that morning and afternoon.
When I walked by the young man with the rifle, I took about three more steps and he was out of view and my left hand reached down for the plastic clip securing the cover over my camera. In my head I thought, "Now that is a good picture." My head turned again to examine the lighting situation.
Uapii, "I have to go back and take a picture." I asked him to watch my back and I walked back [Uapii's face told me this is not the best idea but I could stop myself], waved at the guard, a confused look filled the guard's face, I hand signaled a camera sign and waited for the "yes its OK' nod.
The man immediately stood up attentively and nodded. I signaled to relax again and snapped away.
"Is your gun loaded?" I asked. The Tango phone minutes guard said, "Yes."
This was the only visible armed guard I saw the whole time.
Back Home At Uapii's Sister's House:
After diner everyone loaded up in Uapii’s brother’s car and we headed out to The Lodge for a few drinks. Basically, you drive to and from this area and NEVER walk outside for long distances. There was a bustling scene inside this bar and it was all young people 30 or less. The music wasn't very loud, which makes it easier on my concert ears to hear and listen to all the various languages around me. It was half freezing cold and my fleece jacket could barely keep me warm enough and prevent shivers.
We all ran into people Uapii or his family knew and I was quickly introduced. One guy actually has a long lost brother who lives in Nebraska and does research at "a med center somewhere," and I'm guessing its at UNMC in Omaha. This bar is filled with animal skins around the walls and Windhoek Lager is flowing steadily. Many pint beer cases are used as seats and there are many people bringing in their own bottles and buying soda for mixers.
Everyone was friendly toward me and people kept asking me, “So what do you think about this place? How do people treat you?”
I said I was having a great time and felt people were being exceptionally nice to me and curious about my background and why I was in Namibia.
We eventually went down to the Herero Mall, another area full of bars and open food stands. It was a great night of good laughs, fun, and making new friends I’ll be visiting again soon.
It pays to get off the beaten path. This has been the most memorable night I’ve had in Namibia to date and wish it would have happened sooner. I encourage everyone to do the same.
The main message of the night came from Uapii's cousin who translated a song's verse for me: "Don't be afraid. Wherever you go, there is somebody there who knows you." We heard this song before going to The Lodge and I thought it was the perfect song for the perfect night.
"Don't worry if you can't understand us when we speak Herero," said Uapii's cousin. "We're not excluding you. Its not like that at all. You're part of the family now" Hands clasped for a mutual respect. "We just like to speak our Herero language. You know people in Kataura now."
Where things started:
Group Photo:
This is by far the most challenging post to write about, but definitely my most rewarding Namibian experience. You wonder about how much detail you should go into, yet I'm still just beginning to understand Namibia and South Africa's unique history. On my way back to Namibia to finish up my research at WWF, I want to visit the Apartheid Museum and others.
No one wants to keep hearing bad news coming from Africa. Yet, everyday I think about waking up on a continent that experiences so much pain and trauma and what can be done. Then some days you want to tune out all the bad. I think the CBNRM is a good step, but the issue is so complex it can't be simplified or easily analyzed. People and ecosystems are too complex. Even the ABC crew told me they enjoyed telling the communal story because its a great "happy" story vs the other norm of subjects they've covered in the past.
I hope this blog can shed some light on the issues and conditions, yet show good connections/friendships can still be built with the right attitudes.
The next question is, well, what can I do to help? I think a good step is getting off the beaten trail and engaging in conversations/issues with people and don't come in with answers -just listen.
.............
Hope all is well with everyone! See some of you in Nebraska shortly!!!
As always, thanks for reading!
Cheers,
A.E. Price
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