Euro-African Life in Namibia

It is “ FIVE OF KIND” time again and this year the bi-annual jewelry group exhibition is called “FIVE OF A KIND + 1” . The last exhibition was held in 2012 under the name “six of a kind”. Five of a kind + 1 consists of the same core group of the original “five of a kind” exhibition held in 2011. This unique group exhibition shows the work of five Namibian goldsmiths and jewelry designers and one guest designer joining the group at every “five of a kind” exhibition, therefore the add-on “+1” behind the title. (Attila Giersch)   The exhibition opened on the 16 th April at the Omba Gallery at 18h00 for 18h30 and will run until the 30 th of April, 2014 . The exhibition shows contemporary jewelry of five local goldsmiths . The six designers made effort to use new materials and unique design concepts. The presentation of the jewellery in the gallery is also unique. Every designer will present their jewellery pieces on different backgrounds, from a rustic back...

There are those who believe that some people are ‘born’ with the ability and spatial intelligence to draw and paint well, while others are not. Twenty-nine year-old, Witlock Kamatoto is currently exhibiting a series of sample works at Omba Gallery until the 12 th of April 2014, and once he paints the story of his colourful background, the aforementioned belief instantly leaps to mind. Kamatoto, a husband and father born and bred in Otjiwarongo , central-northern Namibia, disclosed that as a toddler and young boy, when out looking, his parents frequently found him drawing and scribbling in the sand with a small, dusty finger. In adolescence, at school especially, his ability to draw well was recognised and identified by a teacher, who encouraged him to continue drawing until he was considered the best artist at school. He never thought of what he does as ‘art’ and still does not; to him, the ability to draw and paint well are like any other skills which form the basis of a ...

“There is nothing mysterious about what happened here,” a leading academic in the field of early Namibian history said on Saturday, 29 March 2014, at the site of a memorial stone erected to commemorate the Nama and Herero victims of the 1904-1908 war, in Namibia.  The epitaph on the memorial stone reads, “In memory of the thousands of heroic OvaHerero and OvaMbanderu who perished under mysterious circumstances at the realm of their German colonial masters in concentration camps in Swakopmund (Otjozondjii) during 1904-1908." Members of the Nama and Herero communities gathered at the old cemetery in Swakopmund on Saturday, to commemorate the 110th year since the infamous Extermination Order issued by General Lothar von Trotha in 1904. (Photograph: German soldier guarding Namibian POWs) Prof. Dr. Reinhart Közle r of the University of Freiburg in Germany says that the thousands of unmarked graves along the Swakop riverbed contain the remains of prisoners of war, who were ...

There is a particular type of human emotional disposition which could be described as a perpetual state of despair ; an emotional concoction existing in a potent suspension of suppressed hysteria . And though it may not be apparent to others nor a particular individual, despair flows alongside blood, racing after every heartbeat through swollen veins and arteries, breathing oxygenated blood, and clothes the world in granular whites and soft-focus greys, framed by the deepest of darkest blacks.  The realm of despair is the realm of conscious hell , albeit hell denied. Contained within the fatty tissue of the human brain, this realm does not cater to hope; although searching for it, it is incapable of conviction. For, what is hope but wishful thinking? Despair believes in nothing and cannot be convinced of anything. It refutes both truth and untruth . It makes light of joy and peace and does not adhere to the passage of time. Instead, it cruelly coexists in muted oppre...

The essence of any argument regarding the position of women in Namibian society, comes down to a seasoned universal prejudice against women; an obvious and blatant prejudice which is euphemistically referred to as a 'gender stereotype' (like liver cirrhosis) by soft-spoken, misunderstood, well-read and politically-correct obfuscating academics, a 'gender issue' by environmentally-friendly, curly-haired, go-natural activist-types, as 'God's Will' by male members of the clergy (as if they know Him personally) including female members of the congregation, as 'nature's way' (or 'natural') by yours truly, the average Joe Soap and very often, sadly unsurprisingly, by the average Sarah Soap, too. All of them are of the opinion that the way things are, are the way they are meant to be and one is frequently reminded not to 'rock the boat' (we're not on open water, have ye noticed?), and leave things as they are, what's the us...

“The month of March is almost here and with it the celebration of our country’s 24th year of Independence. In light of this we, at FNB Namibia, wish to celebrate with our Government and people by ensuring that we constantly and consistently try to find banking solutions which will make our Namibians financially free while also remaining affordable to all Namibians.” So says Desery van Wyk , Manager: Cellphone Banking, First National Bank (FNB). (Photograph: Desery van Wyk , manager, FNB Cellphone Banking) She went on to say that eWallet , one of the most innovative banking solutions by FNB Namibia launched in October 2012, remains undisputed to date. “Customers can buy airtime and electricity , send money to someone with a bank account or anyone who does not have a bank account and m oney can be withdrawn at any of the 214 ATM’s in Namibia via eWallet – what more do you want?” She added that FNB Namibia has a record of more than 266 000 wallets to date. “Another advant...

The Recycle Namibia Forum (RNF) is once again inviting schools to participate in the 6 th Schools Recycling Competition (SRC) which commences on 1 March 2014 . Prizes for the top three schools with the most collected recyclables, includes N$10 000 as first prize sponsored by Namibia Breweries Limited, N$5 000 for second prize sponsored by Collect-a-Can and a third prize of N$2 500 from Plastic Packaging.  There will be additional prizes for the best performing school in the Khomas, Coastal and Northern regions. (Photograph: Eleanor Savage - f, Jonathan Wepener - b and Alex Hawala - r, of  the Windhoek International School Environmental Club) RNF chairperson Patricia Hoeksema comments: “The winner of the 2013/14 competition will be announced in Windhoek on the 12 th of March 2014. In total, 52 schools participated last year i.e. 2013/ 2014. To date, the schools have in total collected just more than 108 tons of recyclables , which consisted of ...