Week 16: Exploring Identity

Post by Dani Minsky

Students toured Robben Island prison while in Cape Town

Identity – a word that seems to resonate with people in many different ways, for some it can be a purpose or meaning, for others it can be a solution, and for some it can be a much deeper question that festers hidden down inside, asking all the time “Do I belong.” It’s an interesting concept, and one that has been a huge theme ever since arriving here in Cape Town and even back in Namibia. A tearful goodbye was given to Namibia and then off we were to the city whose reputation has not seemed to fail.

Starting at Robben Island, we explored the different sorts of dynamics that existed between the political prisoners and South Africa at the time. One room displayed the process and progression that needed to be taken in order for Namibia to get independence. SWAPO prisoners being held at Robben Island did not want to stand down to the South African government, and wished to pursue personal and public freedoms. To see the pride and perseverance in the Namibian political prisoners' display gave me a sense of belonging and a sense of pride as I dealt with some of my own loss of identity after leaving Namibia. Thinking back on it, I realize I am not a citizen of Namibia, nor do I have any more right to it than any other tourists who have been there for a few months, but the attachment that I have found myself to have is very strong, and will have an enormous influence on the rest of my career choices and life. I wonder to myself, why was something as simple as a display able to bring me back to reality and realize that I really am about to go back to America, and although this was an amazing experience, I do now have to figure out what to do with all the knowledge I have gained from it.

Namibians were also held on Robben Island

In our final history classes we focused on identity and what it means to the individual. It is interesting to recall some of the discussion and see how it applies to what we have experienced in Cape Town. After visiting places such as Manenberg, the District Six Museum, and the Slave Lodge, it has become more apparent how much identity shapes our society and world. It is evident that having a sense of belonging is powerful, and when giving people a sense of power, community, or togetherness, the identity and unity aspects are what make people see, hear, and understand as they do. When looking at these key concepts it is also interesting to think back on some of the information given to us by a Principal in Manenberg, and also the Pastor we spoke with at the Central Methodist Church. In places that there is so much diversity and call for integration, there is so much segregation displayed. The principal for instance, informed us that even though schools are open to all, there is still no doubt that his school will only attract a certain population. On the same note, the pastor spoke about the challenges between rich and poor in his own church and community. He admits to the gap, and still continues to be puzzled with how to fix such a large power struggle.  

A view of Cape Town from Robben Island

Coming to Africa was a whirlwind experience, pushing me to think outside of the box, pushing me to question everything I believe, pushing me to get out of my comfort zone and pushing me to look at new perspectives. In a way it has helped me establish my own identity and decide what qualities I want to posses and what kind of person I want to be seen as. Having such a huge switch from Windhoek to Cape Town has been a challenge, but yet again, the challenges teach us the most. If anything the concept and theme of identity has started to paint a fuller picture in my life and it will be a painting that will take a long time to finish, but the foundation it is built on has immensely been influenced by the lessons learned in Namibia and in Cape Town. The learning process is endless and until my own definition of identity is clearly displayed, the examples and history taught to me will only help me along my journey.

Week 15: An Expression of Our Comprehensive Understanding - Integrative Projects

Post by Margaret Wittenmyer and Sterling Summerville

Jacquelyn and Margaret's project used recycled beer bottles to
highlight issues of alcohol abuse in Namibia

Tuesday and Wednesday of this past week, all of the students here at CGE completed and presented our final projects.  These projects were designed to be creative and integrate material from all the classes we took:  History, Political Science, Religion, and Development. These projects ranged from children’s stories to mock art galleries. It was amazing to see what our classmates were able to produce either in small groups or individually. Many students made references to things they had learned or picked up on during their homestays and their internships.

Sarah, Emily, and Miranda wrote poems in the voices of six different Namibian characters that documented their feelings and experiences before, during, and after the liberation struggle.  Sterling created an auditory exposition that incorporated the cross-cultural similarities and differences of American and Southern African rap music. Margaret and Jacquelyn researched the use and abuse of alcohol in Namibia and built a garden path out of beer bottles in our backyard.  Hannah entertained the audience with an interactive game of Jeopardy about the impact of access to food on society; while Nan presented a report on mining of minerals and its effects on Southern Africa.  Jacob displayed a photo gallery of various photographs he had taken over the course of the semester and he spoke about how they related to the idea of “cultural relativism”.  Anneke, Allegra, and Joe wrote a children’s book about Namibian history and identity.  Holly made a presentation about the emerging industry and role that Facebook and social media is starting to play in Namibia, and Dani did a project reflecting on her internship at Hope Initiatives. 

Margaret and Sterling look forward to bringing their knowledge
from Namibia back home to the United States

What we found to be interesting was how easily and naturally these projects reflected our coursework from the semester. Not only was our in-class learning applicable and relatable to our final projects, but all the learning experiences we had outside the classroom further enhanced our ability to understand the issues that we explored in these creative projects. The topics that we learned about in these four classes are not trapped in academia, but rather are manifested on a regular basis in daily life in Namibia.  In history class we learned a lot about racism both in Southern Africa and in the United States; we found that racism was intertwined throughout each and every subject we chose to focus on for our final projects. Likewise with religion—we spent time in class talking about the role of the church in creating social change, and as we researched our topics, controversies about what stance the church should take on various issues often emerged.  In politics we learned about the rise of SWAPO and its continued dominance, and in our projects we saw the portrayals of the reality of SWAPO being the only party with any real political power.  Development class taught us that there are no easy answers to the societal issues we perceive as problems, and this perhaps more than anything proved to be true as we examined the ambiguity and blurred boundaries surrounding controversial topics in Namibia.

Moving forward, all of us will surely think about issues pertaining to matters of development, religion, history, and politics differently. When we return to the United States we will have a new paradigm through which to view life at home. The themes of nation building, globalization, and decolonizing the mind do not end when our trip ends, and we all look forward to putting into action the new ideas, thoughts, and insights we have gained during our time here in Namibia.     

Week 14: Self-discovery through service

Post by Sterling Summerville and Emily Powers

Throughout the semester we have embarked on many excursions of self-discovery. Our experiences on various travel seminars, homestays, and destination tours have all helped us to gain not only a great appreciation for Southern African cultures and lifestyles; but they have also helped us learn a great deal about ourselves. Among these impactful excursions were our semester-long internship and volunteer experiences. At the beginning of the semester we were each granted positions with different organizations throughout Windhoek and Katutura (a township located slightly west of Windhoek) as volunteers or interns. The organizations we were placed with were selected with our interests and academic specialties taken into account.

Emily and Miranda discuss their internships after the presentations

Our internships and volunteer organizations ranged from the agricultural sector, to the healthcare industry, and everything in between. We each experienced our ups-and downs with our appointments, but surely came to value our time with the organizations we worked with.

On the 18^th of April we had our farewell internship party that we invited staff members of our various organizations to. At the party, each student stood in front of the audience and gave a brief overview of their hosting organization and a synopsis of the work they completed over the semester. It was really a treat for us to see what each other had accomplished and it was nice to for us to have an opportunity to thank our organizations one last time for allowing us to come share in their work.

These internship experiences we had throughout the semester were very different for each of us. Overall though, it is safe to say they were all very meaningful. No matter how directly they related to our field of study, they contributed to our learning all the same. We learned that no matter if we are editing grant proposals, starting up social networking sites, or filling out medical record books that we are still learning just as much as in the traditional academic setting. Those sometimes mundane activities were there to teach us so much more.

Nan's coworker from NAMRIGHTS came to
watch her presentation

The biggest thing we learned from our experiences is first hand cross-cultural relations. By consistently going to our internships all semester, we were able to build relationships with many coworkers. We were able to learn first hand about cultures here in Namibia. This whole study abroad experience is all about not just learning about history, culture, politics, health care systems, etc. through readings and books but through experience and interaction. We were able to talk candidly with our coworkers about their knowledge and opinions on various things such as cultural practices and their opinions on the policies of health care.

Another great learning experience many of us went through is learning how to interact in the work environment with language barriers. Sometimes that meant us slowing down so we were easier to understand, or sometimes it meant us asking questions of clarification. Also, when others were talking in another language around us we had to overcome that obstacle of being the obvious outsider.

Overall, our internships taught us all many important lessons. The hands on work allowed us to really “get our hands dirty”, so to speak, in the Namibian lifestyle. Going to our personalized internships gave each of us unique opportunities to dive into our own interests and push us out of our comfort zones. Our internship and volunteer experiences made us think more critically about how the big picture policies are actually implemented and if they truly work. This Namibian experience would not have been the same without our internships and the people who work there. 

Week 13: Analyzing Feminism in Namibia

Post by Joe Rossi and Hannah Anderson

The latest issue of Sister Namibia

Throughout our time in Namibia, we have noticed that gender roles are often very different from those that we are used to in the US. Gender roles and relationships in Namibia are influenced by cultural norms, as well as colonialism and Apartheid. For example, at my (Joe) internship today, a man called the AIDS Care Trust. When I answered, the man asked if he could talk to “my woman.” It appeared that this man on the phone expected the secretary to be female and felt uncomfortable with a male playing that role. We often encounter sexism in our daily lives in Namibia and our classes and experiences this week allowed us to examine these issues in depth.

It is important to understand the difference between gender and sex. A person’s sex refers to their biological anatomy, whereas gender is a social construct that allows people to identify as feminine or masculine. The understanding that gender and sex always match is perpetuated in Namibia. Oftentimes, sexism is upheld in the name of tradition or religion. This has been very difficult for us to understand because gender roles in the United States are not as strict or unequal as they are in Namibia. If we attend a barbeque in the United States, the men and women will probably play equal roles in the food preparation, distribution, and clean up. However, in Namibia, it is not uncommon to see the women cook all of the food, serve it to the men and clean up before eating the meal. Examples of sexism such as these are often defended in the name of traditional practices. While we know that this is not true for all Namibians, is has been intriguing to see how gender exists in differing traditional practices.

Sexism is especially prominent when considering HIV/AIDS. Women are often denied the right to take place in decisions surrounding sexual activity and reproductive health. One result of this is that men often refuse to use condoms with their partners, which enables the spread of HIV. This is partly because masculinity within Namibia is tied to frequent sexual acts with multiple partners. Yet it is still considered shameful for a woman to have sex before marriage or to have multiple sexual partners. This double standard is very frustrating and difficult to understand. It raises a lot of questions for us about gender roles in Namibia. We have come to realize that this same double standard about gender exists in the United States as well.

Joe is getting ready to read Sister Namibia

We were lucky enough to visit Sister Namibia, one organization that is working to address gender inequality in Namibia. Their main work is the quarterly publication of a feminist magazine. They also do community outreach programs and public discussion forums to generate a dialogue on gender. Mimi Mwiya and Laura Sasman, two of the three full-time staff members at Sister Namibia do most of the writing, in addition to some guest writers. Unfortunately, there is little local financial support and most funding comes from a Swedish nonprofit organization. The magazine focuses on everything from relationships and HIV/AIDS to equal employment and gender-based violence. In the future, Sister Namibia would like to focus on creating access to safe and legal abortions in Namibia as well as a larger campaign on ending violence. Sister Namibia has become one of the largest voices for gender equality in Namibia. With 6000 copies being distributed each quarter, they are definitely reaching a significant part of the population, but there are still a lot more people to reach. One of the issues surrounding Sister Namibia is that it is published in English. Most Namibians are more comfortable with other languages, which makes it even more difficult for people to benefit from Sister Namibia’s work. This makes appealing to the masculine population even more challenging. Hopefully in the future Sister Namibia will be able to publish in more languages and gain a larger male reader base. We were sad to see that they often struggle with financial support, but excited to see such a passionate and empowered staff working for change. We hope for their continued success and that more organizations strive to do as much as Sister Namibia!

Week 12: The South - Community Campsites, Tree-Planting, and Tourism

Post by Allegra Marra and Hanna Miller

This past weekend, the group made the trek to the South of Namibia to learn about community based natural resource management and other environmental issues that affect the country. We’ve been reading about environment-related concepts for our Development and Politics courses, and it was a valuable experience to see these theories in practice. 

The CGE crew relaxing at the hot spring

Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) is a system utilized in Namibia in which the control of the land is given to a community. This allows for more direct community participation, employment, and revenue generation for the population, and enables a community to profit off of their own lands, rather than it being a forbidden resource. These structures have been implemented with great success across the country, but the southern region has been facing various challenges. Facing a lack of water, funding, and big game to attract tourists, community-run conservancies such as the Ganigobes Community Campsite struggle to achieve the same success as their northern counterparts. At the Ganigobes campsite, a natural hot spring and waterfall make for an appealing destination, but the lack of water deters many visitors. In order to sustain these community-based initiatives, more funding is needed, but unfortunately, it is not always available and the government response is often inadequate. Our second campsite, Brukkaros, was situated at the base of a mountain and also did not have running water. Petrus Fleermuys, one of the community members in charge of this project, explained his initial rejection of a private company’s interest in building a lodge on the community’s land, and how he has since changed his mind. Many community conservancies have benefited from the construction of private enterprises, as it can help to draw visitors. However, the establishment of these businesses can detract from the community’s benefits and undermines their agency over the land.

Hanna worked with two students to plant a tree in Berseba

While in Berseba, we visited a group of students and helped to plant a number of trees. CGE students have been planting trees with these students for years, but so far none of the trees have survived. Additionally, the trees that are planted are a non-native species that is not accustomed to the environment in Berseba. We expressed curiosity as to why this practice continues in spite of its questionable success rate. If an activity has been tried and failed so many times before, but the community is adamant about its continuation, is it our role to comply with the community’s needs? Is it our role to question the community’s needs as outsiders?  Questions similar to these are common in many of our development discussions and we have yet to find an answer. While we don’t anticipate finding answers to these questions but we nonetheless feel as though they are vital areas of exploration.

Jaco Visser, a representative of the Gondwana Kalahari Anib Lodge, spoke with us about the group’s sustainability philosophies and various lodges across Namibia. One of the ideas that he emphasized was the role of tourism in development. “If it pays, it stays,” he repeated, referring to the concept that an organization such as a conservancy will only prosper if it’s profitable. There is some validity to this statement, as we witnessed the problems faced by the community campsites, but it also seems questionable to predicate development and conservation on consumerism and tourism. This shifts the focus of these initiatives from community livelihood to the needs of outside visitors. Our discussion with Jaco made us question ideas of ethical tourism and what our own roles are as tourists in Namibia. It was valuable to be reminded that however comfortable we feel here, we are still visitors, and our presence has implications that we may not recognize.

View from the hike up Brukaros Mountain

After hearing about these various campsites and lodges, we began to think critically about the role of privatization in conservation efforts. While a community’s reservations towards the development of private lodges are understandable, there were stark differences between the successes of the community campsites compared to that of the Gondwana Lodge. The Gondwana Lodge has multiple establishments around the country and seems to maintain a steady flow of guests, and this revenue generated by these tourist activities makes them a more successful economic venture. In comparison, the Ganigobes campsite has been unable to locate funds and attract visitors. We can see the potential for a mutually beneficial relationship between private companies and community initiatives by utilizing market based models and community conservation ideologies. We hope that the two structures will find a way to collaborate and share the benefits of both privatization and community based natural resource management to best utilize the southern Namibian landscape and foster community empowerment.

Week 11: Highlights upon Returning from Spring Break

Post by Sara Goldstein and Miranda Sprenger-Mahal

 

One of the highlights of our first week back in Windhoek was hearing from a panel of Americans now living in Namibia.  This was memorable because we can see the possibility of one day being in their shoes.  Four professionals came to tell us about living abroad, job opportunities, and what to expect from starting a new life/career in a different country.  The panel consisted of Andrea, Beth Terry, Steve Nerie, and Anna Wang, and they each took the time to share their personal experiences here in Namibia.  Andrea is a teacher at the Windhoek International School, and she talked about how she stuck with a job she was unhappy with for many years.  She finally decided to change location and came to Namibia, and her message for us from this experience was to change our situation if we are professionally unhappy, and not to settle if our career is not to our liking.  Beth owns her own consulting company, though her career path followed many twists and turns before this point in time.  She was a Peace Corps volunteer and has lived in many different countries throughout Africa, so she brought an interesting and well-educated perspective to the group.  Steve is the regional director for Project Hope, an organization that provides health care services and education in Namibia.  He was also in the Peace Corps, and eventually decided to stay in Namibia because of his wife’s family.  Anna is a Foreign Service Officer, and she focused on the cultural differences that she has observed since moving here.

This week, we toured an organic farm outside of Windhoek

We were particularly struck by something Beth said at one point.  She was discussing her varied travel experiences, and congratulated us on our willingness to get out of the United States and study abroad.  This sparked thoughts within us about how so many Americans are content without ever seeing another culture, traveling the world, and leaving the comfort of their home country.  The idea of traveling is so important because the world is bigger than just the culture in which one grows up, and observing other societies helps one better understand one’s own culture.  We started discussing how much work and energy it takes to leave the United States, both mentally and emotionally.  A key aspect of international travel is often leaving one’s comfort zone, which is a crucial element of truly immersing oneself in a new culture.  This includes talking to locals to get an inside perspective, participating in cultural events, etc., as opposed to observing the culture from afar, which could be classified as simply “being a tourist.”

This is directly connected to what Andrea talked about regarding making yourself at home in a new country.  When she first got here, she joined a running group, did yoga, and other similar activities in order to meet like-minded people.  She stressed that being happy and comfortable socially can help someone maintain a career that they are satisfied with.  Intentionally immersing oneself is a great way to get as much out of the experience as possible, which is applicable to many other aspects of life as well.

The panel as a whole made us think not only of our future, but also caused us to re-examine what we are doing right here, right now.  Whether we are happy with the way our paths are going or whether we see the need for change, we are all thinking of the many questions that were raised during the presentations.  Do I want to one day live abroad for several years at a time?  Can I leave my family like that?  Should I make that decision based on where my partner lives?  What do I want to do with my life?!  Though the speakers focused mainly on their careers, they also talked enough about their personal lives that we are now reflecting on our own personal journeys in new and different ways.

Another highlight at the end of the week was a trip to an organic farm about 45 minutes outside of Windhoek.  We were greeted with a homemade, organic breakfast buffet and heard about the process of running a genuinely organic farm, about the politics and challenges surrounding organic farming, and the farmers’ personal stories.  Afterwards we went on a tour of her farm and saw the livestock, compost, vegetables, weeds, etc.

Cattle grazing openly on the organic farm

From this visit, we gained new insight about how scarce organic farming is in Namibia.  We understood before visiting this farm that in the United States, it is often common to have a more organic diet.  However we knew very little about organic farming here, and we learned that certified organic farms are very rare in Namibia.  Part of the reason for this is because there are many standards to be met in order to be certified as an organic farm.  We also didn’t fully understand the extent to which the non-organic farming methods can be harmful to both the environment and to people, so the tour was eye-opening in that regard as well.  For example, we heard about how elements that weaken the immune system are often added to maize, and how certain farmers are not treated well, both of which are considered to be non-organic methods of farming.

Both the panel of American professionals and the trip to the organic farm sparked the questioning of things we might not have thought about without prompting.  From questioning our journeys to the harmful foods we can put in our bodies, this week was a week of asking new, different, and BIG questions.

Week 9: Welcome to the North - A New Perspective of Namibia

Post by Jacquelyn Vorndran and Dani Minsky

Rushing down the rocky dirt roads of our game drive, we all became stunned by charging elephants, prancing zebras, and graceful giraffes.  These are just a few of the extravagant animals we were in the presence of only a few short days ago. It has been a whirlwind of events starting off in Etosha and finally landing us all in a guest house located in Oniipa. Since our animal sightings it has been nonstop kombi rides, and immersions of sub cultures within Namibia.

Elephants gathering at the water hole in Etosha

To start off our trip to the North, we visited Nakambale Museum located in Ondangwa. This museum is dedicated to the first Finnish family to settle in northern Namibia, the Rautanens. This museum consists of the first church to be established in the Oshiwambo area. It showcases old furniture, books, and other writings that have been left behind from the family. As we wandered through the old buildings and homes we got the impression that the colonization of this community was very much accepted and welcomed by the community and the ruling king at the time. It was interesting to hear this since it is so contrary to what we have been talking about in classes. When we asked our guide about any opposition that took place in this time of Finnish influence, she was adamant to say that there was little opposition and that the king praised the Finnish settlers, mainly Martti, the father of the family. He translated a Bible into a combination of Oshiwambo and Otjiherero, which made us wonder how accurate it really was. It seemed that Christianity was more of an opportunity for locals to learn how to read and write, versus actually practice the religion. We continued our tour through some traditional housing and ended with basket weaving and Mahangu. Overall the tour was thought provoking, forcing us to apply knowledge previously learned, and really made us all think about what influence colonization had on local tribes, and still has today.

Pounding mahangu millet at Nakambale Museum

Next we met up with our tour guide, Joshua. He is a local Namibian, who is also the principal of the Ponhofi secondary school in Oshikango. He gave us a very insightful view of this town and its relationship with Angola. He was able to give us first hand examples of the ways he is influenced by this relationship; he spoke about the extreme differences in infrastructure, Angolan easy access to Namibian soil and what resides on such as super markets, doctors and shopping. We say easy access because the border is literally just a few steps away. For citizens of Angola and Namibia there is hardly any paper work or identification required to cross the border. The primary reason for this is the residual feelings from the alliance that took place during the liberation struggle. Even today, Namibians feel as if they owe something to the Angolan community for all there help and support during this time of need. We were lucky enough  to take the walk across the border and step on Angolan land. The reaction of the locals was one that put us right on display. Cars, people and bikes all slowed down to watch us cross the border; some even took our pictures. This is one of the few times many people of the group felt very uncomfortable for being white, and touristy.

Our next stop took place at the secondary school. It was really great to talk to all the students about their studies and further plans as far as education goes. After learning so much about the Angolan and Namibian relationship, we found out that 80 percent of the students that attend this school are Angolan. After introducing ourselves, we conversed with the students about the differences between the states and Namibia.  Religion soon became the primary topic of discussion. In Namibia, religion can be a topic that turns heads or even makes people walk away. Personally for us, we both experienced our views of our own religion being challenged. To have people question our practices, turn away , or make faces at what you say or how you feel about a given religion, was extremely difficult. We have never been in situations where our religion was the only factor that defined us as people. Having to defend and explain our specific religions made us stronger and more firm in our beliefs, however there were instances where it left a stinging feeling inside that was very uncomfortable.

Zebras grazing in Etosha National Park

As we embark on our spring break we have some time to reflect on all that we have been learning and it is a great feeling to be able to connect our studies to the real world. We see globalization taking place, we see examples of colonization, we see culture clashes, we really get to see it all first hand, and that is one of the beauties of this program. We become hands on to things we have only read in books. It has been a great pleasure meeting all the citizens of Namibia as we travel, and we cannot wait to see what else this beautiful country has in store for us!