Euro-African Life in Namibia

     A worrying trend emerged in Namibian politics and civil society a few years ago, when persons in authority took it upon themselves to level a spurious allegation against the blemish-free characters of upstanding, law-abiding, fun-loving Namibian citizens.       The allegation, uttered for the most part passionately, often beseechingly, and in the case of the clergy, with contempt, thinly disguised as ''humble pleas'', soaked in sulphurous warnings, from the lonely peaks of pulpits focused on a particular facet of the average Namibian's social life, namely, our fondness for a variety of foaming, hop beverages, the fermented grape and barrel-matured, triple-distilled hooch.       We, decent and (mostly) sober citizens, under the scorching sun in the Land of the Brave, stand accused of being a ''nation of drunkards''.      The allegation has a remarkable history and originated at the proverbial ''top''. Lush...

Daniel Motinga , Senior Manager: Research and Development, at First National Bank (FNB) Namibia, in a statement to the media, has commented on the state of the weak Rand (ZAR) and the possible impact it might have on the Namibian economy. (Image: Daniel Motinga , Senior Manager: Research & Development, FNB Namibia) “The Rand and by implication the NAD (Namibia Dollar), is by nature one of the most volatile currencies in the world. What is clearly worsening the situation since May of 2013 is the pending recovery of the US and other mature economies which implies a greater flow away of funds from emerging markets such as South Africa, as real interest rates increase abroad. The impact on the Namibian economy is essentially through the Balance of Payments to the extent that our exports coincide with the weakening cycle. It is not a given that this coincidence of the timing of the weak Rand/NAD and exports will take place. In theory, we expect exporters to benefit and i...

Omba Gallery is currently the venue for an intriguing and scintillating exhibition, a glimpse into the brilliant mind of design wunderkind, Frauke Stegmann.   Stegmann, renowned for her exquisite drawings, especially vivid depictions of gold-embossed birds and animals, and as the designer of a sought-after collector's range of gilt-edged ceramics, a combination of which inspired the decor for Bird's Boutique Cafe in Cape Town, ELLE Decoration magazine (world's #1 style magazine for the home), as well as her brilliant designs for independent jazz label, Treader, has an enviable and established position in the fickle world of art and design.  Her achievements to date are not to be scoffed at as Stegmann is still regarded one of the 40 best global designers , one of 10 women designers from around the world to watch , and was nominated by Peter Saville (British art director and graphic designer) in 2010, as one of 20 stars of a new generation of graphic designers.  ...

Southern Africa is home to more than 750 000 zebra and this famous equid (horse) is so adaptable, it is found in a variety of habitats, ranging from grasslands, woodlands, mountains, hills to coastal regions (like the Cape mountain zebra). The Hartmann's mountain zebra ( Equus zebra hartmannae ) is found in western Namibia and southern Angola and is a hardy, tough wild horse able to survive in arid conditions, on low-quality nutrition and in mountainous areas. The conservation status of the zebra is listed as 'threatened', protected in all of the 15 African countries where the species thrives and survives.  Zebras are highly socia l, congregating either in harems consisting of one stallion and up to six mares (with foals) or massive, sweeping herds consisting of several hundreds of harems. It's famously distinctive hide aside, the origin of which is still a matter of scientific speculation, it is estimated the species started evolving in Africa almost 4 million y...