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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| November 25, 2004 |
Walvis Bay, Namibia – A day with the Damaran people |
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| Damaran children singing a song |
Namibia literally means “Desert Country”. Vast, dry open spaces of rippled sand dunes make up a large percentage of the country’s geography. Eleven different tribes constitute the ethnic diversity of the Namibian people, who, for centuries, have co-existed with the Namib desert. This is the world’s oldest arid region, some 80 million years old. However as the European invasion started in the 19th century, the indigenous people’s land was stolen and they were forced to move from place to place in search of new territory. Initially colonized by Germany and later South Africa, Namibia gained independence only very recently in 1990. 50 Peace Boat participants went on a one-day cultural visit to the Damara ethnic group, to see how they live today and what legacies Apartheid and South African rule has left. |
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| A typical house at the DRC |
“Hata Angu” means “Let’s get to know each other” in the Damaran language and is the name of the cultural tour company who facilitated Peace Boat’s visit to the local community. Currently ten percent of the Namibian population belong to the Damara ethnic group, who, among others, suffered huge upheaval and resettlement during South African rule. They were relocated to “townships” outside of the cities, in order to keep people of different races and ethnic backgrounds separate. We started our day with a visit to a township called Mondesa, located in the suburbs of the town of Swakopmund which was formed in the 1960s and where currently around 11,000 people reside. |
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| Lena in typical costume |
80 year old Lena of the Damara tribe and Naftaline of the Herero ethnic group, greeted Peace Boat wearing their traditional costumes. They gave brief explanations of their ancient traditions and customs and Naftaline talked about her “Positive Living” group, which offers counselling and support to HIV/AIDS victims in the community. The houses here are made from brick or concrete, and while poverty is high, there is a friendly atmosphere on the streets and in no time at all Peace Boat visitors were walking hand in hand with the local children. |
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| Hata Angu tour guide, Eben explaining how the blue water pump box works |
Four years ago, a big clean up campaign was carried out by the authorities and all the inhabitants of Mondesa who didn’t have permanent residency (some 4,000) were relocated to an area just outside the township, known as the DRC (Democratic Resettlement Community). Originally set up as land for temporary residency, the houses are all made of tin and cardboard, the toilets are outside and there is no water nor electricity supply in the houses. The village has water pumps and a pre-paid card must be inserted in order to obtain water. The government has recently started a housing project to bring these displaced people back to Mondesa, but the waiting list is long and government funds are limited. With a 5,000 US dollar government loan, the people of DRC are able to start building their own houses on plots of land in Mondesa, but they must pay the loan back within 15 years. |
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| Bonding with the local children |
Participants were heartily welcomed by the teacher and children at “Mercy Kindergarten” in the DRC with songs, dances and a play to show some of their traditional ways of life. A local Damaran woman, Christina, founded the kindergarten in 2000 to get children off the street and give them a good foundation in basic literacy before they move onto primary education. It costs around 7 US dollars per child, per month, to attend the kindergarten everyday. 50 percent of the fee paid by participants to join this tour was donated to the kindergarten and the positive living HIV/AIDS center. |
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| Looking at the interesting herbal remedies |
After sampling the traditional local specialities of mopane worms, wild spinach and local beans, Peace Boat’s visit was rounded off with a visit to the home of locals Ernst and Elsie, where a herbal doctor, Stanley Witbooi gave a talk on traditional medicine. Ernst is an eccentric artist, who has built his house from recycled materials in the DRC and painted them in vibrant colours and participants enjoyed a cup of fresh mint tea with him and his wife as they passed around samples of traditional herbs. Wide eyes and gasps showed how shocked everyone was to learn that elephant excrement is a good mosquito repellent, that seal oil helps with rheumatoid arthritis, that wolf droppings can cure headaches and that certain roots cleanse the stomach and liver.
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| Time for reflection in the Namib desert |
Finally, a visit to the town of Swakopmund highlighted the very high living standards enjoyed by most of the settler class. Peace Boat participants were deeply affected by this glaring social injustice. On the way back to the ship, a visit to the sand dunes gave people the chance to reflect upon their jam-packed day of events and learning. |
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| The Hata Angu leaders |
Hata Angu is currently building a football club in the DRC to bring children off the streets. They accept donations for their local community projects. For further information on local health and educational projects or their cultural exposure tours, visit their website at – www.natron.net/hata-angu or email directly to Michelle or Raymond at – hata-angu@mail.na |
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