Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Alte Feste-Winhoek's Oldest Building
The Alte Feste is actually a German fort built in 1890-1892 and was the headquarters of German occupied Africa
. Today it is a museum with an interesting division of white history and black history in Namibia. The black history is all about the wars and struggle for independence. The white history has antique furniture and musical instruments used by the early German settlers.
. Today it is a museum with an interesting division of white history and black history in Namibia. The black history is all about the wars and struggle for independence. The white history has antique furniture and musical instruments used by the early German settlers.Herero Dress
This woman is wearing the traditional dress of the Herero tribe. I had just spent several hours in Windhoek's excellent anthropology museum learning more about the different tribes when I walked past this woman in downtown Windhoek. She let me take her picture for 10 Rand (about one dollar).
This is my 7th African country and I have a feeling that Namibia has more of the "traditional" Africa that we Americans have come to expect - based on what we have read in "National Geographic" and what we have seen and heard in movies. For example,
I heard my first click today. In movies somewhere in my past I remember hearing Africans speaking with a clicking noise. Today at the museum, 2 women were chatting and the conversation was filled with clicks. My guide Etienne explained that the Dama language actually has 6 different clicking noises that are used as part of speech. It's amazing hearing all 6 of them - especially when I can hardly make one basic click. Six variations are impossible for me.
Secondly, the anthropology museum showed that there are several tribes who have decided not to dress as missionaries have taught - but to maintain their original tribal outfits. For women it means topless (except for beautiful jewelry) and a short leather mini skirt. The Himba, in northern Namibia continue to dress like this and also cover their bodies in a red clay.
I've been told that most tribes people will dress differently when they come to town, but at home, they wear the traditional dress.
This is my 7th African country and I have a feeling that Namibia has more of the "traditional" Africa that we Americans have come to expect - based on what we have read in "National Geographic" and what we have seen and heard in movies. For example,
I heard my first click today. In movies somewhere in my past I remember hearing Africans speaking with a clicking noise. Today at the museum, 2 women were chatting and the conversation was filled with clicks. My guide Etienne explained that the Dama language actually has 6 different clicking noises that are used as part of speech. It's amazing hearing all 6 of them - especially when I can hardly make one basic click. Six variations are impossible for me.
Secondly, the anthropology museum showed that there are several tribes who have decided not to dress as missionaries have taught - but to maintain their original tribal outfits. For women it means topless (except for beautiful jewelry) and a short leather mini skirt. The Himba, in northern Namibia continue to dress like this and also cover their bodies in a red clay.
I've been told that most tribes people will dress differently when they come to town, but at home, they wear the traditional dress.
The City of Windhoek
It's the capital of Namibia and has 240,000 people. Namibia has 1.8 million people
.
.Windhoek -100 years ago
This is the same church from the previous photo. The hotel where I am staying, the Thuringerhof, is covered in huge black and white photos of Windhoek's early days - and this is a photo of one of their wall hangings. 
Christuskirche. Windkoek, Namibia
The name means Christ Church in German and it is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Windhoek. It is over 100 years old and has never needed any repairs to the exterior. You can see it through a beautiful park near the Namibia Parliament Building.
My guide, Etienne, said that a new Presidential Building is currently being built and costs have already exceeded 1 Billion Rand (about $150 million US dollars), and they are asking for several million more Rand to finish it. This seems a little excessive in a country where 50% of the population is unemployed.
My guide, Etienne, said that a new Presidential Building is currently being built and costs have already exceeded 1 Billion Rand (about $150 million US dollars), and they are asking for several million more Rand to finish it. This seems a little excessive in a country where 50% of the population is unemployed.
Plenty of Room to Land
The Windhoek, Namibia Airport has one runway in an immense area. (The runway is the gray strip in the upper right hand corner of the photo. The ride to town was through beautiful mountains covered in green
.
Namibia is one of the newest countries in Africa and this week it celebrates the 20th anniversay of its' independence from Germany. There are reminders of the German influence in its' architecture, religion (it's almost 90% Lutheran - my Mom would be ecstatic), and its white population - the descendents of the original white immigrants.
The original settlers of Namibia are represented by the 10 different ethnic groups (tribes) that live there. 50% come from the Owambo tribe and others include Kavango(9%), Herero/Himba (7%), Damara (7%), Caprivian (4%), Nama (5%), Baster (6.5%), San (1%), and Tswana (.5%). The white population (German and Afrikaner - Dutch/South African) make up 6%.
.Namibia is one of the newest countries in Africa and this week it celebrates the 20th anniversay of its' independence from Germany. There are reminders of the German influence in its' architecture, religion (it's almost 90% Lutheran - my Mom would be ecstatic), and its white population - the descendents of the original white immigrants.
The original settlers of Namibia are represented by the 10 different ethnic groups (tribes) that live there. 50% come from the Owambo tribe and others include Kavango(9%), Herero/Himba (7%), Damara (7%), Caprivian (4%), Nama (5%), Baster (6.5%), San (1%), and Tswana (.5%). The white population (German and Afrikaner - Dutch/South African) make up 6%.
Trip to Windhoek, Namibia
When the plane leaves Capetown, it flies northeast up the Atlantic coastline of South Africa. When it crosses the border into Namibia, it begins to head east toward the city of Windhoek and the terrain changes to desert and bizarre valleys. I wonder where the road goes that seems to end in the coils of the snake-like valley
.
.Leavin' Capetown
It's hard to take a bad picture of Capetown (this from the Queen of bad photography!) As the plane flew out of Capetown on its way to Windhoek, Namibia, I had a final chance to take a last few hundred photos.
Just before I left, I found out that Lance Armstrong and I have something in common. He was in Capetown early for their annual bicycle race, but he had been detained at the airport for several days because he didn't have enough pages in his passport.
I have been fuming about Kenya and my experience there, but the problem wasn't Kenya - it was South Africa. It turns out that if South Africa doesn't feel that you have an adequate number of pages in your passport, they will actually put you on the next plane back to the city you came from. Kenya has enough experience with this happening that they are extra strict about it. So sorry Kenya, that I've been so angry with you. It should have been directed at South Africa!!
And a last comment on photography - Sonny asked me if all the photos in the blog are my own. Yes they are. If I use a picture from another source, I always acknowledge them in the text next to the photo. Considering that Sonny is one of the best photographers I know - this is one of the nicest questions anyone has ever asked me.
Just before I left, I found out that Lance Armstrong and I have something in common. He was in Capetown early for their annual bicycle race, but he had been detained at the airport for several days because he didn't have enough pages in his passport.
I have been fuming about Kenya and my experience there, but the problem wasn't Kenya - it was South Africa. It turns out that if South Africa doesn't feel that you have an adequate number of pages in your passport, they will actually put you on the next plane back to the city you came from. Kenya has enough experience with this happening that they are extra strict about it. So sorry Kenya, that I've been so angry with you. It should have been directed at South Africa!!And a last comment on photography - Sonny asked me if all the photos in the blog are my own. Yes they are. If I use a picture from another source, I always acknowledge them in the text next to the photo. Considering that Sonny is one of the best photographers I know - this is one of the nicest questions anyone has ever asked me.
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