(written last weekend)
Today was my best day in Namibia. We harvested our community garden. For someone who has never gardened before, it was like many small miracles. In Namibia, the climate is so dry and hot, that vegetables sprout out like mad. Last year, the community in which I live was awarded a “U.S. Ambassador Self-Help Gran” to expand a garden and open a soup kitchen for individuals living with HIV/AIDs. A lot of time went into planning, shopping, planting, and finally today; we harvested some of the vegetables to sell to generate income to move the project towards self-sustainability.
We harvested HUGE beets, carrots, onions, and spinach. The people working on the project are amazing. We are very fortunate to have a stellar community leader who conceptualized and initiated the project, and she is able to command the support of many community members. Those that come to garden volunteer their time in order to help their community. In a very small, rural Namibian village where you literally cannot buy fresh vegetables, the project is helping many people by making these available to them.
Figures vary; but between 25 and 40% of Namibians are infected with HIV. Infection rates vary widely throughout the country. In my village, there are many people infected with HIV. In Namibia, anti-retrovirals (ARVs) are free. While it is fortunate that they are provided free of charge, ARVs wreak havoc on the body, weakening the body. It is thus very important that one on ARVs eats very nutritious food, exercises, and generally takes excellent care of their body. Due to extremely high poverty rates and unemployment, this is often not possible for people here. The project therefore aims provide these people with at least 1-2 healthy meals per week, full of fresh vegetables and nutrients.
The soup kitchen will be launched soon. We are optimistic about the positive impact that it may have on the community. There are always challenges and temporary setbacks with community development work, but incremental change is certainly possible.
Below are photos of the community garden, harvest, and preparation for sale in the village:
This is what the beets look like cut. I had to photograph them, because the vitamins practically jump out and into you!
Later in the weekend, I visited another friend in the location. She showed me these beautiful, neon-green worms, with silver detail. They eat them! Below are the worms, my friend, and her daughter.
Finally, I was very impressed with the boarding school students this weekend. About 6 of them came over Sunday morning, and told me they were going to church –without an adult, just small groups of kids, taking the impetus to get up, decide to go to church, and to get dressed up. Here is a photo of two of them:
School has begun again. The academic here runs Jan – Dec rather than Sept – May like in the U.S. The start of the school year is, um, sloowwww. We are still registering students, creating a timetable, etc. It is frustrating, but after a year and a half here, I at least know what to expect.
I will still be teaching English and Basic Information Science (I.T., research skills, information careers, working to foster a “reading culture,” etc.) Peace Corps Volunteers are mandated to cut our teaching load to 50% during our second year soas to focus more on our secondary projects. So Pena and I will continue with our community garden and soup kitchen for individuals living with HIV and AIDs, as well as our women’s group. At school, we will continue our spelling bees, debate team, and our Club Glow (leadership club).
Continuing to learn and to be challenged on a daily basis – essentially, I will be headed home in less than 8 months. Looking forward to next steps, but set to make the most out of the coming months.
Below are some photos from my village:
First, some of the kids who like to come over to play and colour ~
Recent rain, and a recent sunset ~
Village shots~
And a current photo of my community counterpart and my garden and soup kitchen project. The soup kitchen will serve individuals living with HIV and AIDs.
Below are photos from the December / January holidays. I was in Namibia and in Cape Town, South Africa.
While still in Namibia, my colleagues and I went on a retreat to Etosha National Park. Below you can see a photo of a white rhino and some photos from a beautiful lodge we stopped at on our way back.
Moving on to Cape Town…most of the photos can be divided into the categories of nature, and museums.
Nature: Beaches, Ocean, Coast, and Penguins
Below, you can see several shots of the beautiful Atlantic Ocean coast, and some African Penguins ~
Table Mountain
One day my friend Amandla (which means “power” in Xhosa, as in “Amandla Awetu,” or “the power is ours,” which was a common freedom slogan during the anti-apartheid struggle) and I hiked Table Mountain. It was an INCREDIBLE hike. I was completely high on the stunning natural beauty and epic vistas throughout the hike. Here are some shots from the top:
Bo Kaap
The Bo-Kaap neighborhood of Cape Town is famous for these brightly coloured houses. It is a dynamic neighborhood with a strong Muslim influence, and a small museum.
Museums: Iziko Slave Lodge, District Six Museum, Robben Island, Cape Town Civic Center Nelson Mandela Exhibition
Cape Town boasts many museums, many of which are free or very low in cost. They proved most interesting, and throughout my stay I gained a deeper and more expansive view of the history of South Africa, from slavery and apartheid to Cape Town today. It is clear that the country is a place of both tremendous struggle and tremendous triumph.
The Iziko Slave Lodge succeeds at paying tribute to both the pain and injustice of slavery as well as the tremendous economic impact that slaves had on the creation of Cape Town as a city. As the sign from the lodge below reminds, us, “powerful global economics throughout history have made profits and accumulated wealth through the slave trade.”
A memorial there honors the memories of the slaves that passed away in Cape Town. It reads:
“In the light of memory and remembering
Through the streams of our senses
Reconnecting ~ Recollecting ~ We find our way home.”
- Slave Dream, by Ma ika Ndloru, commissioned specially for the Slave Lodge
The District Six Museum pays tribute to the forced eviction of many black South Africans during apartheid. They were forced from their homes, and the entire District Six neighborhood was destroyed. Until today, the region has not been re-developed, because there is much political contention regarding how best to use the land, to remember and to pay tribute to those who were killed and/or lost their homes during this ugly part of history.
Next, came Robben Island. Robben Island is again a stunning tribute- honoring the memory of those who triumphed in the face of the worst kind of persecution: one that robs you of your very human dignity and self-worth. Prisoners of Robben Island were mistreated, abused, at times kept in solitary confinement, forced to work, all within view of the majesty and promise of freedom which Table Mountain symbolized. It is said that this was one of the most frustrating parts of being confined there; freedom was in plain view, but unobtainable. I marveled as I visited the island: how did Nelson Mandela and so many others maintain their hope, vision, and solidarity for a free and just South Africa? It is in this that Madiba embodied true leadership; he sacrificed everything for a cause much greater than himself, greater than any one individual.
Below are some of the locks of Robben Island...
I was truly humbled by the visit to Robben Island; and one exchange stands out in particular. All of the tour guides on the island are former prisoners. There was a moment when I came to be standing next to our tour guide. Not knowing how to show my appreciation for his sharing the historical site with us, I simply thanked him. Then I asked the first, and biggest, question that came into my mind.
“When you were freed, didn’t you want to get far away from this place?”
I asked, thinking he would not want to come back. His response saddened me, and illustrates the dark legacy of apartheid, the lingering economic inequality, and the imbalance in opportunity for certain segments of the population. He said he indeed did want to be far away from the former prison, and that initially he spent time far away. But when he was contacted and offered a position as a tour guide in his former prison, he felt forced to accept due to the high unemployment rate in South Africa. This man symbolizes what is often the case throughout the world. What was once political apartheid has been replaced by global economic apartheid. I will never forget the man’s face as he earnestly responded to my question. I hope that for his children and grandchildren, there will come a day when they enjoy greater equality, both in opportunity and in social status.
The Cape Town Civic Center is currently featuring an exhibition honoring and remembering Mandela. Below are some highlights of photos of Mandela, as well as some of his most stunning quotes. His words speak to his legacy: a true champion of human rights and social justice.
I was also proud that President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were honored with Cape Town’s “Freedom of the City” award:
Coming back from Robben Island, in the Cape Town harbor, resides the statue below of Reverend Desmond Tutu:
And in the festive spirit, some new NIA friends and I enjoyed these pomegranate mojitos on one of my last evenings in Cape Town:
Finally, I am including photos below of hartebeest and a vista from a farm near Windhoek, Namibia’s capitol city.
I will conclude with a quote by Oliver Tambo, who was a prominent apartheid freedom fighter who worked closely with Mandela.
“The ‘haves’ cannot continue to exist at the expense of the ‘have-nots’ – freedom has to reflect a difference in the conditions of life.”
Here is to justice, freedom, reconciliation, and respect amongst us as individuals, all groups of people, and countries of the world into 2014 and beyond. Cape Town is an amazing testament to the triumph of justice over bigotry and to the power of good and its inevitable triumph over evil.
