South

We just returned from a short trip to the south of Namibia where we focused on sustainable development. We did this by staying at a government-run, community-run, and private-run campsite. The different ways in which these campsites were managed was a great window into Namibia’s ever-present development and internal turmoil. The first night we spent at a National Wilderness Resort (NWR) about 3 hours south of Windhoek near Namibia’s largest dam. Hardap dam is an odd place where we often felt like we had been dropped on Mars to explore our newfound territory. The campsite was run down and had nothing to offer other than a few cold Tafels (beer), which we enjoyed while watching mysterious and enormous fish feed of the surface of the lake. The government shovels large amounts of money into NWR’s sites, yet nothing improves. The money is lost somewhere (think corruption) and the prices rise at the sites making them unaffordable for the locals. Between these problems and the lack of anything, Hardap campsite is closing shortly.

The community run campsite sat at the base of Brukkaros Mountain, which was at one time an active volcano. Not many communities would choose volcanic rock and thorny African bush for their visitors to sleep on, but the lovely people of Berseba did. The community is working hard to improve this campsite from what little is there now. Finances are tight and they are barely creating enough revenue to pay the man who works at the gate. We spent the day in Berseba visiting a school where we planted trees, cleaned, and shared a lunch with the students. As usual, the students and faculty greeted us with beautiful traditional songs as we watched clapping and moving our feet to the beat. Once they finish their set of songs, we, the Americans, are left choosing between “Take me out to the Ballgame” or “The Star Spangled Banner” to belt out of tune to smiling onlookers. Needless to say, American culture is lacking in certain departments.

We spent our last night at a privately owned, and well recognized, campsite called Kalahari Anib lodge. As you may guess, this one was clearly the nicest and most well operated. My group of friends and I were in charge of cooking dinner for the group this night. Trying not to be boastful we created a great chicken stir-fry type dish, which we put inside toasted pita rolls. And for dessert we made chocolate fondue over the fire! The meal was very well received. We had the chance to hear from a fifth generation Namibian who was a manager with the Kalahari Anib group. He shared with us the great achievement of Namibia in the world of conservation, but also the struggles of finding a sustainable way to grow a tourist business. “If it pays it stays,” he kept explaining. He elaborated on the Namibian wildlife numbers being higher than ever due to the tourism and hunting industry. Sort of ironic to think about I know, but since the hunting and tourism industries are so valuable to the country, Namibia has been taking care of and managing animals more than ever before. He also shed light on the reassuring fact that Namibia has only been around 25 years, making them sheer novices in everything from the tourism business to an educational system compared to those of European countries or even Northern Africa. Sam and I spent each of the three nights sleeping outside although often urged otherwise. The stars were magical and certainly some of the brightest I will see in my life. I often looked to the stars as I fell asleep and was reminded that I have experienced such a tiny fraction of Africa, and am already overwhelmed. With two weeks left of class I have learned enough to know that I wouldn’t begin to pretend I know anything about Africa. It is easy, even when here; to get trapped into thinking Africa is just one homogeneous place, whereas it is more rich and diverse than any chunk of land on earth.

We are on to soccer ball number 6 of the trip and still hop out of every van with the same vigor to share it. Not a trip or day goes by where we aren’t juggling and exchanging tricks with a group of children on the street. Joga Bonito!