Euro-African Life in Namibia

   The very first time I saw a statue toppled was in April of 2003 and I saw it on television. It was an inauspicious day, I believe, because nothing was remarkable about it except perhaps for the unforgettable sight of a larger-than-life effigy of Saddam Hussein suspended at an awkward angle above Firdos Square in Baghdad, Iraq.     What impressed me more than anything during the ensuing broadcast was that the determination of the Iraqis to dismantle was equally matched by the determination of the statue which, to me, appeared to resist being taken down. It was a battle of wills (or craftsmanship) - man against his own monument. The Iraqis were dogged in their endeavour, this was the end of a political era for them, and were rewarded for their sustained efforts when the lifeless likeness of Saddam Hussein was removed from its imposing pedestal and relegated to history.     In the background, trying desperately to interpret and relay the signific...

Beginning March 31, 2015, a series of large format photographs by Namibian wildlife photographer, Richard Fryer, will be exhibited at Omba Gallery. The exhibition titled 'True Reflections' is Fryer's first solo as wildlife photographer, and consists of more than twenty large, awe-inspiring images, part of a series he made while touring coastal and north-western Namibia.   (Image: Shipwreck, Skeleton Coast by Richard Fryer) From seals kissing at Cape Cross, desert elephants lumbering through dry river beds, the haunting ruins at Kolmanskop, aerial shots of fog and dunes in the Namib Desert, breath-taking landscapes, to the ghostly shipwrecks of the Skeleton Coast, Fryer presents a moving tribute to the drama and majesty that is Namibia.  The large canvas-printed photographs made using a Canon camera, are part of Fryer's personal archive, documenting his extensive travels across the length and breadth of Namibia.  About Richard Fryer Fryer, the son of well-kn...

   On a small piece of deserted land south of Swakopmund, precisely where the crisp, cold, salty Atlantic Ocean provocatively licks at the golden dunes of the Namib Desert and in a gesture of mock chivalry lays a detritus of empty shells, dead kelp and lifeless jellyfish like a sacrifice upon the golden hems of her sandy shores and beaches, standing precisely here, one is forced to acknowledge the enormous power and persistence of Nature, and simultaneously, the insignificance of one's existence in a primeval process that supposedly started at the birth of our universe, and since then, relentlessly, tirelessly, compulsively continues along a predetermined yet unpredictable trajectory.     As the afternoon progresses and the Earth imperceptibly turns on its axis away from the Big Fire Star, temperatures drop along the Namibian coast and quite sharply.     The dunes of the Namib Desert blush an alluring pink, surreal to the ey...

   It is not uncommon in my limited experience, to witness a friend experiencing a bad hair day (and believe me, in Namibia, that could possibly be every day) rush highly agitated from the ladies' all the while tugging at her hair and mumbling how she hates herself. Very few of my family members, friends, colleagues and acquaintances are satisfied with their looks even though they look and function as they biologically should (being part of the species as it is), and I have yet to meet that reckless and heroic soul willing to score her / his own appearance a perfect 10/10 - in public.  (Image: Amy Winehouse - Famous Face.us)    Everyone is aware that there's a huge difference between hating oneself on a bad hair day and hating one's hair, for as long as one has been aware of its existence. If you pop into a hairdresser during lunch on a bad hair day, or apply a fragrant ointment or gel, the perceived problem should be satisfactorily res...

Today is the first day of September and also officially the first day of Spring in Namibia. This day is normally cheerfully welcomed by Namibians wearing floral-print dresses, skirts and shirts, vases filled with flowers materialise on office desks, Facebook updates send good wishes to all on this day, radio presenters wish their listeners a happy 'Spring Day', images of acacia trees in shock-yellow bloom are shared across multiple online platforms, including other local flora in full efflorescence. Yes, the commencement of Spring in the southern hemisphere is a celebrated affair.  Indulged by Mother Nature with buttery sunshine throughout the year, seamless aquamarine skies, lazy, breathtaking sunsets all shades of syrupy golds and burnt oranges, coupled with warm temperatures for eight (8) months out of twelve, it is only to be expected that we look forward to and welcome Spring with as much anticipation, excitement and fanfare as the Christmas holidays.  Winter, any N...

The Bankers Association of Namibia (BAN) wishes to inform the Namibian public about scams currently doing the rounds in Namibia. Ian Leyenaar , chairman of BAN and CEO of First National Bank of Namibia said: “We know that many of these scams are not new, yet people still seem to fall prey to them and we, therefore, wish to again highlight a number of the more common scams with the help of the media. BAN will issue media statements over the next few weeks explaining different types of scams which are in circulation in the country and again request the public to be vigilant,  not get caught out and to warn as many people as they can about these scams so that they do not fall prey to them”.  The first scam Leyenaar referred to is the prize and lottery scam . “These are notifications, which arrive through the mail, by e-mail, or by an unsolicited telephone call and inform the targeted people that they have won a substantial prize (often for a competition they didn't ente...

In 2011, the Fine Ounce Goldsmiths’ Collective was established in Cape Town, South Africa, originating from the ambition to build an ornate bridge between the shimmering, ethereal realms of art and the sobering, cold gleam of noble metals and precious stones essential to the process of jewelry-making.  'Jewelry is jewelry and art is art; never the twain shall meet.' Members of the Fine Ounce Goldsmiths' Collective grappled endlessly with this statement before their collective decision to embark on an arduous journey to bring to lovers and collectors of jewelry in southern Africa, unique, handmade pieces strongly influenced by art and nature.  (Photo: Ring by Adi Cloete ) Eight goldsmiths from southern Africa form the core of the collective, including Namibia’s very own, Frieda Lühl . The other goldsmiths are: ·         1.  Jubi (Adeline Joubert) – a red-haired goldsmith with a sense of humour, specialising in small-scale scul...