Namibia: Land of Contrasts

As stated in the Namibian national anthem (see end of blog post), Namibia is truly a land of striking contrasts. Here are a few that stand out:

- Namibia is a true rainbow of people: colored or mixed (these terms may sound strange to Americans, but they are used widely in Namibia), white, black, Asian (mainly Chinese) and many more

- Reconciling a history of colonialism and then apartheid with today’s modern, integrated Namibia

- Small, primitive villages vs. the modern capitol of Windhoek which resembles an U.S. or European city

- Language: Afrikaans vs. English vs. the many tribal languages. In 1990, when Namibia achieved independence from South Africa, the language of instruction in schools changed overnight from Afrikaans to English. This was also when Namibia invited the Peace Corps into Namibian schools to help bolster the education system and the transition to English as the language of instruction.

- In terms of geography:

o Sand dunes vs. ocean

o Desert vs. jungle

o Dry landscapes vs. floods in the north

o Cool, humid coast vs. unrelentingly dry and hot desserts in the middle and south of Namibia

- Lifestyles and people:

o In the small villages of the north: homesteads and huts, usually no electricity or water, inhabitants have to carry water in jerry cans for many miles to meet their basic needs

o In the south, there are many modern, contemporary structures. There is westernized architecture and housing. The reason for the big difference between infrastructure in the north and the south is that under German colonial rule and then the South African apartheid regimes, southern Namibia was built up and modernized with roads, water pipelines, electricity, etc., while northern Namibia was left mainly to the native people and not “developed” as much in terms of infrastructure.

- Namibia has great inequality. It is one of the countries with the highest Gini coefficients (measure of inequality within a country - 0 being the most equal, 100 being the most unequal). Compare Namibia (63.9) to the U.S. (40.8) and Brazil (54.7) in terms of their Gini coefficients. This is strikingly apparent – in Windhoek, one can see many people driving luxury vehicles and dressed to the nines; meanwhile, in many of the townships and villages, people are literally on the brink of starvation, fighting to survive day to day.

- One can also perceive a contrast or struggle in terms of the human rights movement in Namibia. The liberation struggle was led by the current government party (SWAPO – Southwest Africa People’s Organization), championing ideals of freedom, liberation and democracy. However, there is today a conflict between some of the human rights organizations in Namibia who accuse the government of acting too slowly to realize the human rights language that is in the Namibian constitution into an applied praxis for Namibians. The government has been known to vocally criticize these organizations for accusing them of not realizing human rights ideals when they are the “liberators” of the country. It will take time for human rights norms to truly be actualized and embedded in the fabric of Namibian society – but this can be said of most nations of the world!

There are many more contours and contrasts within Namibia, but these are some of the most apparent. It is a diverse, multifaceted, beautiful country – and one that I am constantly learning from and about. Below is the Namibian national anthem, which as I mentioned, emphasizes Namibia as a land of contrasts.

Namibia, land of the brave

Freedom fight we have won

Glory to their bravery

Whose blood waters our freedom

We give our love and loyalty

Together in unity

Contrasting beautiful Namibia

Namibia our country

Beloved land of savannahs,

Hold high the banner of liberty

Namibia our Country,

Namibia Motherland,

We love thee.

(** Also, as soon as I return to my site I will post photos from recent holiday travels. ** ) HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE! Sending big love and light to all family and friends!