Sheebeen Culture in Northern Namibia

Club Shandy Bar

The sheebeen culture is prominent to northern Namibia and our time in Oniipa suggests this. A sheebeen can simply be defined as an unlicensed drinking establishment. However, the meaning in the Namibian context is different in that most sheebeens are now legal, so they can essentially be considered bars.Sheebeens and other bars are scattered along the main street in Oniipa and play an important role in everyday life in the town. Some people sit outside of the bars talking and enjoying their time in a very casual atmosphere. Beers are cheap and locally brewed beers extremely cheap. Local beers are typically made from the sorghum plant, while some can be prepared from the mahangu grain.

The names of the sheebeens and bars have provided great amusement to our group and it is often a wonder as to how they came about. Some of our favorites are as follows: We Like Sheebeen, Lucky Special Sheebeen, Waka Dog Bar, Happy Bar, Mr LifeBar, Days of our Life Bar, Town Life Bar, Professor Bar, The Bar, Sun Set Bar, VIP Bar, Plan B Bar, Eden Bar House, Mad Dogs Bar, Cool Life Bar, Reality Bar, Ostrich Bar, New Vision Bar, Vuvuzela Bar, New York City Bar, Las Vegas Bar and Good Struggle Never Lose Bar. 

The Traditional Homestead

main house building

traditional kitchen

The homestead was separated into two residential areas inside of one yard: both traditional and non-traditional housing structures. The main building is a pretty rural looking, one story house with a kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedrooms. On the other section of the yard is the traditional side, separated by brick walls and containing a couple smaller buildings and an open area. There is a location for washing clothes and a kitchen containing a fire place and a stove on the ground. The stove is made up of three car wheels- without the tires- put together as a stand for the positioning of cooking pots. In the middle is where the wood is placed for the fire. The traditional elements of home life were present in the making of porridge, mahangu drink (oshikundu) and marula fruit juice. Juice is prepared by piercing the marula fruit with a cattle horn, squeezing the juices and letting the liquid run through a sieve. Furthermore, traditional maize meals, fish, chicken and an assortment of other food are made here.

main traditional residential area

Oshikundu is prepared by cooking mahangu flour in water on a traditional stove. Porridge is also made from the mahangu flour and is a staple dish in everyday living. Mahangu is a grain common to Namibia and used to make flour. Our family uses the flour to prepare porridge and traditional mahangu drink among other things. The mahangu drink is rather bitter strong and is drunk daily. The flour is made by stripping the grain from the plant. The kernels are put into a hole in the ground where they are pounded with a large stick. It is quite heavy and requires great effort over a long period of time. The grains become finer and finer over time until they are fine flour. The ground is made wet and kept clean. When grains fall out of the hole, a small brush can be used to push them back into place.

clothes after a hand wash

I had my first experience washing clothes by hand during my rural homestay. It is a lengthy process comprised of four steps. Firstly, clothes are put into a bucket with soap and water to be washed and this stage is repeated for step two. Next, clothes are put in plain water to be rinsed and finally in a bucket with water and fabric softener. Then they must be wringed out and put on a line to dry. No tools are utilized in the process; instead hands are used to scrub parts of the clothes against other parts.

The place where I stay is in a small hut with just one room that is in between the main house building and the traditional homestead. It is symbolic of my time here as my experience has been a mixture of both ways of living and I have been finding my way between the two. 

my bedroom

Seeking Freedom in Angola

Ruacana Falls

During our time in the north we managed to visit the Namibian-Angolan on two separate occasions. Our first was a visit to Ruacana Falls, which is part of the Zambezi river system. It flows all the way from Mozambique to Angola and provides water throughout the region. Now at the peak of the rain season, the water flow was at maximum capacity. In contrast, during the dry season it is easy to cross over to the other side. The border fence ends a bit before the river and there is a place to cross into Angola. I spent a few minutes walking into a new country, looking at the beautiful vegetation and picking up interesting stones.

Angolan post

After realizing I had a short window of time to see the bottom of the waterfalls, I rushed down the steps towards the great spray. Soon after I found out I had my video camera and started running back up the steps so it wouldn’t get ruined. I ran head first into a low cut tree branch finding blood pouring from my head. The medical attention from a pool life saver and a nurse in training was on to me. Thankfully, I made the decision not to get it checked out with stitches and it is now almost fully healed.

On our second trip to the border we visited Oshikango, a small booming border town. It is set up as a border post for Angolan people seeking to travel to Namibia to buy goods. Angola had a 27 year war ending in 1994, which debilitated its opportunity at producing a sound market. Therefore, the country is lacking in various commodities which Namibia is happy to sell to them in Oshikango.

Angola and Namibia mutually benefit each other through trade. 60% of Oshikango is comprised of Angolans. As Angola was colonized by Portugal, the main language of the nation is Portuguese. It is also the language of business in the region and virtually all traders can speak it. Since the U.S. dollar is second in Angola, it is highly accepted in Oshikango. Most Angolans living in Oshikango have dual citizenship, even though it’s not allowed by the constitution.

Oshikango

As both Angolans and Namibians in the region speak Portuguese it is difficult for immigration officials to determine who is who. However, in the past years peace in Angola has helped develop markets. Unfortunately, as a result business in Oshikango is on a decline. When a Namibian sees an Angolan they see money. Even with the lack of infrastructure, health care and education forcing Angolans to look at crossing the border, Angola has great wealth. The country has some extremely rich people and it was recently able to create the second largest sporting event in Africa, after the Soccer World Cup in Johannesburg, S.A.

We also visited the Penhofi Secondary School, which has a war torn history of being stuck in the conflict between South African forces and Namibian freedom fighters. During the years from 1981-1990 students experienced the conflict first hand and a few were even killed. The school was established in 1977 during the peak of the war for independence and the base of S.A. forces was directly behind it.

Penhofi Secondary School

Particularly in light of the effects of globalization, poorer Angolans are starting to question the inequalities of wealth disparity and the governmental system in Angola. For example, through social media such as facebook and twitter many Angolan are learning about the struggle against the oppressive regime in Libya.  Similar forms of resistance are occurring in countries throughout the African and Arab world and are helping to transform political perspectives. The people are becoming restless and are looking towards change. Just as the Namibian Liberationists were seeking a free society apart from the colonial control, Angolans are searching for a nation where all people have a voice and can impact politics. 

Artificial Lines in Southern Africa

Borders

Arbitrarily constructed

Society’s artificial segregators

The great dividing line

Separating people and land

Under the pretense of

Structure and homogeneity

Maintaining sameness and

Removing oneness

Fear of the unknown

Xenophobia revealed

Immigration post in Botswana

Borders are artificial lines that separate land and people in the name of structure, security and common humanity. The existence and placement of arbitrary borders have caused numerous issues and conflict through the centuries. It has the danger of displacing people and maintaining inequalities. Moreover, it is the people in power who determine and uphold the placement of these lines.

In Africa, it is a case in point. During the Berlin Conference in 1884, the nations of power in Europe as well as the United States came together to break up Africa into separate states. Each nation was to be given over to a colonial power and lines were drawn without regard to social formations such as the existence of cultural groups.

Looking across to Angola from Namibia

For example, the Namibian-Angolan border separates Ovambo people from each other. Parts of Southern Angola are traditionally Namibian and therefore Ovambo radio extends 40-50km into Angola. Border issues carry problems across the world particularly in areas of conflict. Examples can be found in the Middle East, between the Israelis and Palestinians. Also, borders between countries of great differences in wealth are as cause for concern. The issues of immigration become largely a problem of maintaining homogeneity at all costs. Anything different is feared and xenophobic tendencies spread like wild fire.

This can be seen with South Africa which is surrounded by many countries of lesser wealth. Since S.A. attained its independence in 1990, immigration has been at a high. People from all across Southern Africa, particularly Zimbabwe have come to S.A in search of better opportunities often through employment. Tension has risen in recent years with increased xenophobia and the fear of job-stealing. Many attacks have occurred against Zimbabweans, but probably more from economic frustration rather than discrimination against a people. On a couple of occasions, I have heard people talk about One Nation Africa, a movement towards eliminating borders. While, it is sometimes looked at in terms of Southern Africa becoming a state, others see the entire African continent becoming one nation.

Namibian-Angolan fence

It is hard to imagine what this would look like in social, political and economic forms. Would each nation retain their regime, as part of a larger government system? Would it be like the United States of Africa? Regardless of the practical concerns for such an implementation, it is an interesting idea to ponder. Ultimately, it is a large scale attempt of decolonization that tries to seek a united Africa working together for the common good of all people.

Finnish Missionaries and Traditional Ovambo Culture

bell tower

In religion class we have continued to access the role of missionaries in Namibian life. It is important to remember that Christianity didn’t bring religion to Africa. Religion was very much a present force in African society through the centuries and has largely affected behaviors, thoughts and perceptions. It is virtually impossible to explain the culture of Southern Africa without talking about religion. The two are highly interconnected. Christianity came to a Namibia that was deeply religious. It took quite some time for Christians to be baptized, as the natives were suspicious of this new religion and aired on the side of caution. Christian thought carried some similarities to African religions, but brought distinct contrasts. It provided great benefits, but was also profoundly damaging. Christianity changed the face of spirituality in Southern Africa through a different understanding of God and religious practice.

Finnish missionary church 

Our group got an opportunity to go to the Nakambale museum which demonstrated mission history in northern Namibia, through a study of one of the first Finnish missions as well as traditional Ovambo culture. Before the establishment of church buildings, congregational life occurred under a tree, providing a comforting shady worship space. The first church as part of the mission was built in 1870 and was later enlarged in 1912 with the increasing size of the Finnish church in the region. The building was made form clay and only contained a few seats, with the rest of the space for standing. Back in the day the bells were rung at 9 am, just before the advent of the morning service.

It was interesting to see the method of historical inquiry as the guide seemed to maintain the Ovambo history as the Finnish missionary history. She only had positive things to say about the work of the missionaries, including being the introducers of reading and writing. Later on that day, a student from the Oshigambo High School said she was extremely thankful for the work of the missionaries, stating that we wouldn’t know God without them.

making the mahangu

Before missionaries came baby’s names were given based on the time of birth, such as day or night. During the missionary period, names were taken from missionaries and from the bible. In direct contrast, was the cultural history of the Ovambo people. Our time was spent looking at practical contraptions and viewing the traditional homestead. Some of the devices include the uushandja wOshikavango (musical instrument), basket used to store millet, stick for punching mahangu and a mouse trap.

Mahangu flour is made from breaking down graining by punching it with a stick in a small hole in the ground. Often two people take it in turns as one punches the mahangu followed by the other. Songs are sung to pass time in enjoyable company. I got to witness this process at my homestay in the traditional side of the house.

traditional hut in the Ovambo homestead

The traditional Ovambo homestead is a maze of wooden sticks containing many separate huts. For example, there is a sleeping hut for the girls, a hut for the house wife close to the kitchen and a much larger hut for the husband right by the cattle. There are even huts for storing items, such as one for beer and other supplies, one for boxes and a dairy hut. The process of making butter takes place in the dairy hut and includes two hours of shaking a container. All in all it was a very intriguing look into the life of traditional Ovambo living and the emersion of mission culture. 

The Marula Juice Tradition

The juicer

The Eudafano factory is a women’s development cooperative composed of 22 associations who collect marula fruits and buy Kalahari melon seeds to extract the insides. The marula fruits can be juiced to make fruit juice and the seeds cut open to extract oil from the inner nut. Marula oil is used for food as a garnish to be put on chicken or rice and cosmetically in lipsticks, shampoo and toiletries. About 10% of oils are sold locally and 90% internationally, particularly to Europe. The factory uses machines to press oil and extract juices while the traditional method uses hands and basic tools.

workers making juice

At my home stay, juice is made by piercing the marula fruit with a cattle horn, squeezing the juices and letting the liquid run through a sieve. The drink is sweet and can be taken without added sugar. It increases strength when left for up to 4 days before drinking. About 5,000 people are involved in at least one of the processes in the organization, but only 15 are employed at the factory. Kernels are also bought from the villagers, but sometimes can be rejected due to quality. Overseers look for color, smell and texture to determine quality. The by-product from the oil making process can be sold for $2.50 per kg and is used as feed for pigs and chicken. Apparently it helps make chickens fatter and more reproductive. Also, marula oil is beneficial for human consumption and has unsaturated fat and plenty of antioxidants. Factors that affect fruiting are weather patterns such as flooding, as fruit rots in water.

marula fruit

Freshly made oil is kept in a warm room to finish the fermenting process but is later put in a cool room at 10C. The Eudafano factory is important in empowering women through development as most of the people involved are women and all board members are women. Furthermore, it is critical in carrying out the tradition as nearly all elements of the process have traditional components. Bottles of marula food oil sell for N$75 and 1 litre of cosmetic oil is N$145. 

Omahenene Fishing Project

large green tub

 The fishing project farms fish through their life cycle from frys, to fingerlings and finally to fully grown fish. It is a Spanish development project helping to empower the local community. The fish frys are collected on the pond banks and put into breeding pawns. After 1 week the young fish are graded by size and transferred to larger green tubs. Each tub contains fish at a similar size and is given the same type of food (the smaller the fish the higher the protein content). The fries weigh about 0.5 g- 1g, fingerlings 3-5g and full sized tilapia can get up to 850g. The project on has two fish and can be sold as fingerlings to local famers (tilapia are 30 cents and catfish 20 cents each).

one of two ponds 

Fish are kept in warmer temperatures when they are fingerlings as cooler waters dry out fish. Each year water is removed from the ponds during the dry season and the pond is cleaned, before being refilled. Water is only added during the wet season if fish are dying, but it can go sometimes eight months without needing a fill. All fish are sold locally with thirty tons sold to the community annually.

workers catch a load of tilapia

Northern Namibia- An Overview

Raucana falls

I have spent the last three weeks away from Windhoek. The first two weeks were in northern Namibia doing homestays, going by the Namibian-Angolan border and seeing wild animals in Etosha National Park. Our studies continued in the northern regions through a wide range of speakers and tours. The structure of the trip was more casual then our time in South Africa and the Namibian coast. We consistently had two daily activities, with plenty of free time during the few hours around lunch. Our first night on Monday the 7^th of March was spent at the Etuna Guest House, while the next eight were spent at our homestays in Oniipa. After that we went to Etosha National Park for two nights. During the day (except for the weekends) we had our activities and were dropped off to our homestays before dinner time.

Tuesday 8^th

Omahenene Fishing project- A Spanish development endeavor selling fish products locally.

Raucana- Namibian-Angolan border town, houses the Raucana falls. I went across to the Angolan side for about 30 minutes but managed to whack my head into a branch later on which caused some bleeding. The falls at the peak of the rain season contained such a velocity of water and was extremely beautiful.

Wednesday 9^th

Nakambale Museum- Contained the history of one of the first Finnish missionaries in Namibia and showed the traditional Oshivambo homestead in a full size walk through display.

Oshigambo Private Lutheran Secondary School- We engaged in a forum with grade 12 students on a range of different social issues.

Thursday 10^th

Product at the Rural Development Centre 

Eudafano Factory- An operation that brings marula fruit from the community to be made into marula juice. It is a women’s development cooperative that maintains the juice making tradition.

Rural Development Centre at Ongwediva- A project selling a range of different products all made locally at the centre for inexpensive prices. The intent is for it to be sold to small scale farmers and business owners, to help develop the region.  

Friday 11^th

Ponhofi Secondary School- A school by the Namibian-Angolan border caught in the crossfire between South African forces and Namibian freedom fighters during the liberation struggle.  

Oshikango- A Namibian-Angolan border town selling a range of goods and services to Angolans.

Saturday 12^th

I spent the day with my homestay family, playing with my ten year old host sister, Lovi (we ran, danced, made up songs and did karate).

Sunday 13^th

Consecration service- Went to the eight hour long church service for the newly elected bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN). One of the two new bishops, Josephat Shangala was a friend of my parents. I also got to meet and converse with the Namibian president, Pohamba. The security guards tried to get us away from him as we were taking too much of his time, but he seemed happy to speak to us.

Monday 14^th

Etunda Irrigation Project

Etunda Irrigation Project- A local agricultural development project. Among the many different crops we got to see were bananas and cabbage (as it was such a drive it was the only activity of the day).

Tuesday 15^th

Unam Northern Campus- The Oshakati campus of the University of Namibia. We got a tour and managed to see some of the central areas of the campus and learn about the university education system in Namibia.

Oshakati Town Council- We heard about development projects and problems with flooding in the Oshakati region.

Wednesday 16^th

rhino 

Etosha Game drive- We drove through Etosha National Park to the place where we would be staying for two nights, Namutoni Resort. On the way we managed to see a number of interesting animals. It was my first time seeing most of them in the wild before. For example we spent some time watching three lions under the shade of a tree, but it was still a fair distance from us. We also spent some time watching a rhino as it slowly came closer and closer to us. Other key spotting were giraffes, zebras, springbok, impala, wildebeest, kudu, turtles, vultures, oryx, jackal and hyena.

Thursday 17^th

Game drive- We had to wait till it was light enough to see animals but early enough to dusk, so that animals would be more often on the move. In the end it worked out pretty well. We managed to see some of the same animals from the previous day and a couple new ones like ostrich. We got to see a massive group of springbok (numbering somewhere over a hundred) and a fair group of grazing zebras.

Friday 18^th

giraffe

We headed on our way to Tsumeb to start spring break. Eleven of us got picked up in a kombi by our driver (Chanis) and host (Tara) to head to Victoria Falls. Five drove to the same destination in a rental car. The rest did other things for spring break. For example, three went down to Orange River, between the border of South Africa and Namibia to do kayaking.

Overall it was a truly valuable time of beauty and fellowship. More posts from this time period will be up soon to speak light into some of my experiences. Peace from Namibia!