3 Countries in 1 day

Spring break began with a bang! 16 CGE travelers (11 in a kombi and 5 in a car) and 2 Namibians went from Northern Namibia to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The plan was to go directly in one trip, but it proved to be impossible due to the border closings. My group (the kombi travelers) made it to Kunene in the Caprivi Strip for the night (the north eastern part of Namibia). It was the first night of camping for all those who wished to do so.

The next day we traveled from Namibia, into Botswana and ended in Zimbabwe. It was a day full of borders and completing paper work (a similar form has to be filled out twice for each border crossing: before and after passing into the new country). As soon as we got into Botswana we started to see a multitude of elephants in a short space of time. One of the times we managed to stop to take pictures of a group of elephants crossing the road. It was a magnificent sight! Getting into and leaving Botswana was pretty easy. Zimbabwe was a different story. Our passports were requested and we had to wait about 40 minutes for checking. After hours of driving and various delays we reached our destination, Shoestring Backpackers in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

I felt elation walking into this tranquil village (the backpackers) where people were relaxing in the swimming pool, watching television or just enjoying the peaceful serenity of the shade. There was a bar, a restaurant and a range of small shops for people to buy trinkets or even get a massage done. People from all around the world stayed together in a peaceful, yet isolated community. After a walk in the town and a chance to meet some of the locals, I was a happy sleeping camper. 

Meet the Pres

Josephat Shangala and I

On Sunday, 13^th of March I headed into the town of Oniipa, northern Namibia for an unforgettable day. The sunrise was brilliant like any other day and the morning crispness present. I met Will at his host parent’s house and we were soon off in the back of a ute towards the bishops consecration service. A couple of others from the CGE group joined with us. An old friend of my parents, Josephat Shangala was to become one of the two newly elected bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN). He had spent some time at my Dad’s seminary, Trinity Lutheran back in the 80’s but is now a pastor with quite a reputation in Namibia.

We were part of the in-group as Claire’s host father was the General Secretary to all the pastors in the ELCIN. You could pretty much call us VIP as we drove through the area and escaped from the long lines of people walking through metal detectors. The place was set up with a small tent right at the front where the formalities of the service were to take place. Behind this was a large tent filled with people in seats. We managed to get a seat just outside of it. While we were in the shade at the start of the service, the sun changed positions during the proceedings to give us a nice burning.

There were more Lutheran pastors than I had ever seen in one place in my life. The pastors lined up in a massive line. The service was meant to start at 8 am, but the Namibian president wasn’t there yet. So we had to wait till 9:30 until he rocked up with all his dignitaries. While we didn’t stand up for the entrance of the bishops, we were meant to for the president. The service was mainly in the Oshivambo language, the dominant method of communication in northern Namibia. English was spoken here and there which provided me with some understanding. The service was composed of various rituals, many songs, but also speeches.

the main tent

The service lasted till 4:30 pm (8 hours of sitting) and was by far the longest church related event that I have ever been to. Church leaders from around the world spoke about the state of the church and the hope for the new bishops. These included at least 4 Finnish, 3 German, 1 Slovakian, 1 South African, 1 Botswanan, 1 Angolan, an ELCA representative, a representative from the Namibian Council of Churches, a LWF representative and a couple representatives from other denominations such as the Roman Catholic Church. It was interesting to see the various transnational church connections. The service ended with an address from the Namibian president in English followed by a short summary of the key points in Oshivambo.

Kristen, Claire, President Pohamba, Will and I

At the end of the service we got a chance to meet the Namibian president, Hifikepunye Pohamba. After talking with other church leaders and eating a wonderful dinner we speculated whether the man sitting down on the far table was indeed the president. After devising a scheme we got a U.S. Peace Core volunteer to take pictures as we would wait for an opportunity to approach. Soon enough we were talking directly to the president. He was happy to engage us and talked highly about U.S. foreign policy, the U.S. program for AIDS/HIV called PEPFAR and the amount of U.S. volunteers being of service in Namibia. We asked for a picture and were soon up and ready. Unfortunately, the presidential guards weren’t happy with the amount of time we were spending and tried to push us away. They continued to push down the camera and our friend, James had to plead to them for one picture. We got our snaps and were away. It’s not every day you get to meet the president, especially for about 5 minutes with a picture! After meeting the newly elect bishop, Shangala and one of the leaders of Namibia’s liberation struggle, Pastor Kameeta, we were soon off. It was quite a day to remember, with memories for a lifetime! 

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.