Swakop and One Africa

I am starting to get into the bulk of the semester, which means travel, schoolwork, and lots of projects for my internship. I’m beginning to miss the first few weeks in Windhoek, where I had the free time to go into the city whenever I wanted. I am definitely learning a lot, though, and starting to understand a lot more of what’s going on in Namibia, so it’s a fair trade.

Last week I travelled to the coastal towns of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. These towns have some of the highest densities of Germans in Namibia. Correspondingly, there is a lot of wealth. Walvis Bay is Namibia’s primary port and one of the economic centers of the country. It was definitely different from being in Windhoek – the towns have really high unemployment rates, but there is a lot more separation of socioeconomic groups, so it’s easy not to notice the poverty.

I had a great time in Swakop. I learned a lot about Namibia’s economy, toured a fish processing factory and uranium mine, and visited some community development programs. On the less academic side, I spent a lot of time on the beach and made my first ever visit(s) to a casino. I also ate a lot of delicious food and met a ton of people from all around Africa and the world.

Back in Windhoek, I’ve been writing papers, listening to speakers, and continuing my literacy program. My internship just keeps getting better. I went to a community outreach for unemployed youth whose vocational training and education my organization is funding. I was so impressed by their stories that I talked to a friend who works for One Africa. Now the youth, my organization, and I are going to be on the news! We should be on tomorrow night. Hopefully I will be able to get a copy of the segment and can post a link on the blog.

I’m especially happy about this news segment because it was something that resulted because of my own initiative and because of the channel on which it will be played. The major tv station here is Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). They are completely funded (and unofficially controlled) by the government and therefore the ruling party, SWAPO. A lot of people express discontent at the censorship that NBC imposes. One Africa was developed as an alternative means of delivering news and as an independent broadcaster. I’m glad to support them and to have their support at my organization.

My computer is currently out of commission and starting on Monday I will be travelling in rural areas for about three weeks, so expect my blog updates to be less regular. I’ll try to keep everyone updated, but for now I’ll give you my tentative schedule. Classes and internship for the rest of the week. On Monday I leave for my rural homestay in Khorixas, where they speak Damara (they speak in CLICKS). My homestay will be on a farm without electricity or toilets, so it’ll probably be both the most difficult and the most fun of my homestays. From there I travel to Etosha National Park – hopefully I’ll see some cool wildlife – and then to different points in the North of the country. I’m not really sure what we’re doing in the North, but I think I may get to go to Angola. Afterwards, I have my spring break. My plans are pretty tentative, but I’m currently planning to go to Gaborone (the capital of Botswana). Then it’s back to Windhoek where I’ll stay for the rest of my time in Namibia, with only a short interruption for a long weekend in the South. Should be good.