So while in Namibia we took a short trip to the south where we examined community-based resource management. It was exciting that we’ve now seen nearly every corner of Namibia.  Also, while learning Khoekhoegowab this semester (the language of our rural host family) we had high school students come and tutor us.  The language is a compilation of Damara (spoken in the Khorixas area) and Nama (a language spoken in the south) and some of the students were from this area, so it was interesting to see where they were from.  Our main purpose though was to compare some of the areas that are trying to implement programs similar to the ones Namibia has won awards for and some challenges they are facing.

Namibia has been praised internationally for its successful conservation programs and just last month, Namibia was awarded the Markhor Award for the conservation of biological diversity and human livelihoods by the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation. The award was presented at the 11th annual United Nations Biodiversity Conference in India.

During apartheid, land was owned predominately by whites, forcing black Namibians onto small plots of land with few resources or animals. The only way for many of these farmers to survive was through poaching. Poaching intensified during the 70s and 80s amid drought and war, resulting in a near extinction of many animals.

In the 90s, Namibia thought of a way to turn poachers into gamekeepers by shifting to a policy of community-based resource management, where farmers live hand-in-hand with wildlife in designated conservancies.

The programs have been very successful in the northwest Kunene region where Hartmann’s mountain zebra numbers have grown to 27,000 from only 1,000 in 1982. Namibia has the largest black rhino population in the world, and the number of desert-adapted elephants is five times higher than in 1982.

The combined total earnings of Namibia’s conservancies total more than US$4.8 million, derived mainly from trophy hunting and tourism. Private-public partnerships are at the heart of the program’s success in places like the Torra conservancy in northwest Namibia, where the private Damaraland Camp pays rent to the conservancy and hires locals  in exchange for running a luxury lodge that brings in large-scale tourism, job creation, marketing, and training for local employees.

Conservancies in the south seem to be in a very different situation than those in the north, however, as we learned on our travel seminar this weekend. Mr. Davids, a former employee of the Namibian Development Trust (NDT), told our group that conservancies in the south struggle to sustain themselves without the big-5 game animals. The money southern conservancies do make, which is roughly US$11,400 goes directly to operational costs.

The Ganigobes community campsite where we stayed one night in southern Namibia began as a project of the NDT back in 2007. Since its inauguration in 2010, the campsite has only had 2 overnight groups (both CGE groups). They are also struggling to get plumbing set up due to government and money-related issues.

The program has since lost its EU funding, and the NDT has been forced to close down as well. Without funding, the campsite struggles to market itself. In order to just put up a road sign, they need to be registered with the Namibian Tourism Board, which can take ages to accomplish with all the bureaucracy it entails.

The community in Ganigobes is in the process of applying for conservancy status in hopes that as a conservancy, the community will be able to buy game animals at a cheaper rate to attract more visitors to the area. Even with more springbok and ostriches, the Ganigobes community still lacks the big-5 animals and is not likely to prosper to the extent of Namibia’s northern conservancies without government funding or support from private-partnerships with the already-established luxury resorts in the region.

Regardless, the Ganigobes campsite, as well as the Brukkaros campsite where we stayed our second night, are both beautiful. The landscape is gorgeous and the sunsets are breathtaking. Ganigobes has a hot spring and a view of the mountain. They also have drinking water, but no plumbing. The Brukkaros campsite does not have water, but it situated right at the base of the mountain, so if you like hiking, be sure to check it out! We spent our third night at a private lodge near Mariental, Namibia. They have indoor lodges with showers, electricity, etc. but they also have very nice campsites with electricity, showers, toilets, and a kitchen area (just tables, shelves, and a sink).

While the private lodge was very nice, it did not have the same hiking or breathtaking landscape. The lodge is perfect for the traditional Namibian tourist, eager to set out on a game safari drive or lounge by the pool and drink at the bar. I enjoyed all three sites, and while the third lodge has the ‘comforts of home,’ I still enjoy the occasional rustic camping trip to the community sites where you can be left alone in nature without the distractions of other loud tourists.

For our final projects this semester we were assigned to do an integrative project that would encompass the things we’ve learned in the past few months. Some of us chose to do games, some made videos, and others used a straw building activity as a metaphor for building a nation. I was impressed with how creative our group was, at the amount of information we have really absorbed, and the critical thinking skills we’ve developed. I found one student’s project particularly inspiring and wanted to share it. This person is from South Sudan so he has an unique perspective and being from the new youngest independent country in the world he wanted to draw parallels between their struggle to build a nation and the second youngest, Namibia’s struggle. I think this letter will give you a good idea of the obstacles Namibia has encountered in the past few decades and the things we’ve been taking an in depth look at on this trip. As we have, I am sure you can see these themes in the struggles for equality in many nations, including our own. Here is his letter to Namibia, if he were South Sudan:

An Open Letter from Sud to my friend Namib.

Dear Namib,

It has been an absolute pleasure and joy to see you during the past 3 months. I’ve enjoyed visiting your many national historical sites, game parks, and conservancies. I’ve enjoyed our days filled exploring topics in religion, politics, history, and even our occasional outings to meet and greet speakers in order to expand our knowledge. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed learning about and practicing yoga while here. Although all of these events brought me great joy, there were some things which disturbed, confused, and even shocked me.

I saw you turn away children and shut down schools in the north, I even saw you care more about money then education, when u stopped university and secondary age children from taking exams and getting results due to lack of school fees. I saw children born out of the struggle in exile suffering and carried away from the lawn of the national assembly as they tried to voice their concern, I saw you harass and intimidate locals into doing what you wanted. A random guy on the streets even stopped to tell me he was unhappy with the failure of the high court to decide on their election petition to the Supreme Court in a timely manner. That’s not even the worse one of the guys told me a few years after you moved out from under your parents roof, you subject our friends and families to torture and death while in exile in Angola, and to this day you still have not confessed or owned up to it.

What is going on Namib, as your friend I am very concerned.

I’ve even heard some people have tried to summon you to the ICC department of Human services. Don’t you remember that’s the same department which ruled your parent’s treatment and occupation illegal?

A U.N. Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous people named James Anaya even pointed out that all of the indigenous groups he has met with continue to suffer injustices as they have not seen the promises and benefits, which independence from your parents promised.

I know our upbringing was not the best, but it is no excuse for the neglect oppression, and injustices which I have seen while here.

Do I need to remind you about the hardship, discrimination, and oppression which we endured under our parents roofs? The blood sweat, and tears shed to realize our freedom. Do I need to remind you of the unequal treatment, subjection to unfair labor, housing, and opportunity your parents afforded you? How they made you feel dumb, inferior, and told you, you had no history, and that keeping you apart from the others was for your own good and how they made you carry your I.D. card in certain parts of the house.

I know you remember these terrible times.

I was under my parents roof for much longer, and in that time we did not talk as much. But I know you heard about the persecution and oppression which I received from my parents. How they tried to force their religion, values, and way of life down my throat. The worst of which was heard around the world when they killed, tortured and maimed our friends in Darfur. I don’t know if you heard but during that 50 year struggle under my parents’ roof, I really started to have internal struggles with myself. I struggled about whether to liberate everyone from my parent’s oppression, or just get myself out from under their roof. This dilemma really ate at me, and when I wasn’t actively resisting my parents, I broke out in internal strife and all out chaos within myself almost to the point of self-destruction.

We were so Strong back then Namib, I remember you marched and boycotted, demanding to get out from under your parents. Do you remember hector Peterson, Steven Biko, and the many students and friends whom died fighting and demanding your release? I do! Do you remember when our friend Luther who finally had enough, and took a stance against your parents, oh how he condemned their actions, after our friends in the I.C.C. department gave their verdict?

We had lots of friends and family who helped us to survive and endure those long and trying years under our parent’s roofs.

In your absence Uncle Tom and his many friends really stepped up and helped me endure my internal struggles and my resistance against my parents. Uncle Tom played a very vital role in bring about a comprehensive peace agreement in 2005. His friends Amnesty, UNHCR, and I.R.C provided me with and still continue to provide me with vital services including healthcare, child survival programs, education, and sexual violence aid and prevention projects. When I visited Uncle Tom in 2006, he gave me a Black cow boy hat, which I never take off or go anywhere without, as a sign of my gratitude and appreciation for all of his support.

Please remember the long hard road we traversed in order to get where we are today.

Do you not remember the promises we made to each other about how we wanted to live our lives once we were out from under our parents. How we wanted to live them through respect, understanding, and acceptance of all people regardless of race, religion, Ethnicity, tribal affiliation, or sexual orientation. And how we vowed to never turnout like our parents.

We even wrote it out in our supreme plans, oh how brilliant our supreme plans were. I can remember yours boosted by many people as one of the most inclusively liberal plans on earth. Especially with your clause pertaining to or should I say lack thereof a death penalty. Oh how our plans looked so spotless to the many onlookers. I know my plan is only an interim one due to my recent emancipation only a year and half ago from my parents, but I’m still quite proud of it. I’ve made sure to include our respect principles especially pertaining to religious practices.

I never want anyone to experience the turmoil I went through, the 2 million friends dead and the 4 million displaced in that long 50 year resistance against my parents.

I’m Sorry to labor on for so long old friend, but this letter is also helping me to remember and come back to those plans we created in the days of struggle. Writing this has forced me to really take a critical look inward, and sorry to say I’ve been a hypocrite.

If you were to come visit me you would not only see a lack of respect for freedom of speech, but sever mal treatment and torcher of those who openly oppose. Our brother Mr. Deng Athuai, chairman of the South Sudan Civil Society Alliance, was abducted and beaten a year into my independence, because he openly spoke out and criticized government officials on corruption. That’s not even the worse, I thought I was finished beating myself up when I got out from under my parents. But recently new problems have arisen, and they almost take me back to the brink of self-destruction within myself. Even though I’m only a year and half out, I have not made sufficient plans to meet the needs of my people.

I have not taken the initiative to put education first so everyone can learn about and hold the supreme plan as the rule of law.

Please give the teachers I have seen striking a raise, so they may effectively teach all of the children about our supreme plans, and thus hold us accountable to our plans, so they may speak out and let us know when we have strayed without fear and so that they will know their actions and participation and criticisms are grounded in our supreme plans which rule the land.

So Sorry for the short notice and having to communication via letter, I wish I had the time to say farewell face to face, but I got an urgent call this morning to return and start the development process ASAP. There’s roads, hospitals, and schools to be built. Writing this letter has put me back in my right state of mind.

I felt like I had to say something or as our main man Lupe would say. It would have been so loud inside my head, with the words I never said. I will thoroughly miss the great food, conversations, and friends at the center for global education not to mention the many friends from basketball, Wadadee and our times at Kapana Soul Sessions.

Once again you’ve opened my eyes to so many new perspectives and possibilities.

But please keep in mind our past, I know we can’t do anything about it, but we can do something about the future that we have.

Sincerely your friend,
SUD

Namibian artist Shishani recently released a new music video about the beautiful city of Windhoek. Inspired by Alicia Keys and Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind,” the video gives a glimpse into the cultural diversity and beautiful landscape surrounding Namibia’s capital. Check it out to get an idea about where I’ve gotten to stay this semester.

Sishani “Windhoek”

So throughout my trip I’ve blogged about the places we go, museums and historical sights we get to visit, and all the speakers we hear from, but I realized I never really talk about the biggest reason this program is so wonderful—the Center for Global Education staff!  The people that work at this school have made this an incredible trip for me and the other students.  They have served as mentors, stand-in parents, and friends to all of us. Not only do I learn so much from them, but they continue to brighten my day whenever I see one of them.  I’m not sure how you find people like the one’s CGE has hired, but I thought it was time I introduced you to them so you can get to know the wonderful people I am spending my semester with.

Passat and Romanus

First let’s talk about how we get to all these awesome places.  Passat has been the nick name given to the superhuman that drives us to all of our internships, homestays and trips around Namibia.  He is even driving 16 hours to Cape Town (while we fly) so that we can get around while there.  Nothing keeps Passat from getting to our destination—whether it’s blown tires, closed roads, or wildlife.  While in the car, he’s always singing along to either 90s RnB or some traditional music that has really grown on us.  I have even caught him hands in the air belting out a lyric when most of us are asleep.   I have to say that some of my favorite moments are just driving in the van. He is also the handy man around our house and can fix everything. I also realized, after hearing him speak to different staff members, people in the north, and our rural homestay families that he knows six different languages.  In general he just knows so much and shakes his head and giggles at us when we don’t listen to him.

Next, our professors.  I don’t get to interact with Romanus, the history professor, but he’s definitely loved by the students.  One student said, “If we gave out superlatives for the staff, he would be named coolest.”  We got to attend his wedding early in the semester and from being with him in Swakopmund, I can tell he’s a laid back guy with a great sense of humor.  Everyone in the house raves about the history class and I’m a little regretful that I didn’t take it, however, what I took in place of that class has made it worth it.  Instead of taking one of the classes offered here at CGE, I decided on an independent study and my advisor, Nespect, has been absolutely incredible to work with.  He is the travel seminar and internship coordinator also, so we get to spend time with him in class and also for our first week in Johannesburg.  Nespect is always enthusiastic and my favorite thing is that he always greets us with, “Hello Friends!”

Last of the professors, is our development and yoga professor.  Students say this countless times and I really think it’s the only  to describe her, “Linda is Awesome.”  For me she has not only been a fantastic professor who makes me think critically and challenges me to look at the many sides of development issues, but she has also been a great role model.  Instead of rambling about great things she has taught me, I will just share her cheesy but meaningful conclusion of our development class that made me hopeful instead of cynical—she shared with us that, to her, development boils down to love.  We need love one another, love people on the other side of the world that we maybe don’t know, and love them more than our material possessions.  More importantly, she pointed out that love isn’t this passive, wimpy thing that many think of, but one of the most powerful tools in the world.  Its statements like these that make me admire her and hope that throughout my career I can keep the same passion and optimism.

Sara and I

Evolyn and Janobe are cooks in our house and I honestly don’t how I will eat after this, because they make such delicious meals, with freshly baked bread, and incredible desserts—it’s no wonder all of our shorts are a little tighter.  I am always amazed at how creative they are and how they do such a great job at planning.  We have never once had the same meal and they’ve adapted to all our weird dietary requests.  They’re even been cooking without an oven for the past two months.  Talk about incredible!

Lastly, Sara, she is one of the cooks at the house, but she also coordinates our homestays and she traveled to Khorixas with us, which was really great because she’s from this area.  We got to visit the high school she graduated from and she knew so much about the people in this area.  It always puts a smile on my face to see Sara—she is always bubbly and enthusiastic and it just isn’t possible to be unhappy if you’re around her

The staff overall genuinely cares about the students on this trip.  We’re often impressed with how much time they invest in getting to know us and finding out how we are daily.  I admire that they value education so much and that they go out of their way (undoubtedly more than we know) to make sure students have the most incredible experience.   It’s  going to be really hard to leave all the incredible people here, but I am so excited for the next group of students to spend an awesome four months with them!

To get a tour of the house and introductions to everyone, check out this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUa8QgBHkP0