Note: As I have written this post and looked back at previous ones, I’ve realized that my situational humor has become a little more deadpan, perhaps a bit satirical. Note that with love I critique, and with gratuitous respect for my community I laugh alongside social/cultural incongruities.
Home to over 11 major tribes, 20 native languages, 400 woody plant species, hundreds of lions, elephants, giraffes, and a whole lot of termite mounds, Namibia is extremely rich in cultural and ecological diversity. Fun fact: locals tell me that their traditional mud huts are made using this special termite mud! The ethnic diversity in Namibia is extensive, ranging from Damara and Herero groups in the Southern parts of Namibia, to the majority Owambo, Kanvango (my people!!!), and Caprivian people of the North. A majority of local languages are Bantu languages. The lighter-skinned Damara and Nama people primarily speak Khoekhoegowab, referred to as KKG, where 4 clicks are used. KKG is in the Khoe-Kwadi language family. In writing, the 4 clicks are ! , | , ||, and 干. That last one was called the peanut butter click by our Peace Corps language teacher, an especially difficult sound to make. He named it due to a mouthful of peanut butter actually helping KKG language learners make the sound. Unfortunately for me, I was never successful with the peanut butter click. Good thing I spent my first three months in Namibia learning RuKwangali.
There are 11 major ethnic groups and 13 regions in the country. A majority of the Namibian population lives in the North, including the 49% Oshiwambo-dialect speaking households, 9% RuKwangali speaking, and 100% of the malaria-carrying mosquito population (as it is now winter, malaria cases have gone down significantly in my Northern region; yippee!!!). Afrikaans, a Dutch derived language brought to South Africa/Namibia by European colonialists, is widely spoken in the South by both black and white populations. A majority of the white population also resides in the Southern regions of Namibia. Here in Rundu, I see very few Afrikaners/Germans. Due to Namibia’s goals for development and the wide range of local languages, when Namibia got its independence in 1990, Namibians declared English as their National Language. However, only 3.4% of the population speaks English as their native language (I’ve actually never met a Namibian who is a native English speaker).
Namibia has a long history of colonialism, as do many African countries. Namibian was only named once the country got its independence in 1990, making it one of the newest countries in the world. Before Namibia, the country was called German South West Africa under German rule and later, South West Africa under South African rule. Deemed by Germans as the only suitable African country for whites, in the early 1900s thousands of Germans settled in the Southern region of Namibia. German rulers used a “red line” to separate the North and the South where they had a more direct colonial rule. Later, this also contributed to economic disadvantages in the North. Today, Namibia has the second largest wealth inequality index in the world due to Windhoek and other heavily white populated areas in the South owning over 70% of the country’s farmland and industry.
After WWI, the League of Nations mandated that South West Africa was to be administered under South African rule. The intentions were for South Africa to promote progress, but Namibia had never been more divided. Apartheid had heavily affected the people of Namibia, leading to racial tensions and segregation still seen today. People often believe me to be an Afrikaner and sometimes try to speak to me in Afrikaans or German. In Rundu, there is a white-owned business called Culture Cafe. On Google maps, this place appears awesome, and it totally is! They have coffee, avocado toast, amazing ciabatta bread and lots of yummy pastries. As an American, this place is super cozy and familiar-feeling. However, occupying the space is strange. Taxi drivers have a hard time locating it because it isn’t visited by the majority. When they drop me off there, they tell me it’s a place for white people. Of course now that apartheid has ended, everyone is welcome at Culture Cafe, but the attitudes of segregation and unwelcome feelings in this space due to the country’s history have never gone away. It remains an interesting and complicated place for me to occupy, but my fellow Peace Corps volunteer Maame and I love to occasionally share a Culture Cafe brunch together.
As I have seen today, Namibia navigates complex benefits and hardships of neocolonialism, including German/Afrikaner land ownership, economic dependency on South Africa, and Chinese investments. The paved road from Rundu that goes all the way to my house in Kayengona was built only a few years back, contracted by a Chinese company as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Locals have mixed feelings about these investments from China. Do they benefit the country by increasing connectivity and development? Certainly. Namibia is without a doubt bettering from new infrastructure. However, locals fairly critique the working conditions and low wages (less than minimum wage, about 60 cents/hour USD) provided by Chinese companies. In contrast, I also hear locals critiquing themselves; their business strategies and their country’s reliance on others. Additionally, a majority of Namibia’s goods are imported from South Africa. The two countries have signed many agreements which boost industrialization in Namibia. South Africa therefore dominates Namibian trade and disadvantages local businesses who have to compete with South African industry.
Learning about Namibia through my experiences continues to impress me and challenge me. Today is 10 days shy of 11 months since I arrived. I’ve learned SO much, and I hope you learned a little something about Namibia today too! Everyday I feel more connected to Namibia, and a little more connected and disconnected from my own American identity. 1 year and 4 months to go!
Take a look at the photos tab on the home page for new pictures.
Leave a Reply