The Past Week

This week is been very fun and at the same time very informative. I guess I will begin with the classes I had this week. In Poli Sci, we heard about the education system in Namibia. It was good to hear about the problems that exist in the education system, especially what is occurring the North. It is really relevant to what I am during as part of my internship here in Windhoek. I havent learned that much about education here thus far and I think it is important to understand. Our speaker worked as a teacher in the North for like 30 or so years and is from the North.

Then in History class, we learned about the Herero Genocide. This was the first genocide of the 20th century and Germany's first genocide that NO ONE learns about. Not even Namibians. It is disgusting and so surprising. I knew nothing of it before this class. The genocide began in 1904 and went until 1908. The Germans wanted to clear the land that the Herero people lived on. They wanted the land to build for the settlers. They killed about 75,000 Hereros in 4 years. They also created many concentration camps for Hereros to live and work and be used as slaves to build up the city of Swakopmund and Windhoek. There are many buildings in Windhoek that were built by the Herero slaves. We visited the Alte Feste, which was a fort built for the Germans living in Windhoek during this time. It is now a museum. Museums here are completely different than ones in the States. Not much money is put into them so they are not so inviting. Also there is no official marker anyone where in Namibia to remember the genocide. In Swakopmund, there is an unofficial graveyard for Hereros that died but it is not national recognized so people ride ATVs all over it. It is so sad to here. This genocide completely changed the ethnic tribe makeup of Namibia. Hereros use to be the majority but now the Ovambo people control Namibia. We are visiting Swakopmund Wednesday so we will have a chance to go to the unofficial graveyard and see it for ourselves.

Also this week, we went to this restaurant called Xhama for our friend Hannah's birthday. It is this restaurant in Wanaheda, Katutura, which is the Black township outside Windhoek. They serve traditional foods, like chicken and pap. We ordered two whole chickens and pap for 5 people and it was so much food and kinda of pricey for a place in a low-class area. I even got to try chicken feet...yummy! It wasnt that bad but I wouldnt choose it. Then we were taught how to sing happy birthday in Oshivambo, the language of the Ovambo people but I cant remember it all.

Then Thursday night, a bunch of us went to a free showing of the movie/documentary Good Hair by Chris Rock at the American cultural center in downtown Windhoek. It was a movie about the role of hair plays for African American women. There is so much that goes into the hair business. It was a good movie to see after going to the salon and watching women get weaves done here in Katutura. I learned a lot from the documentary. African women have struggled with the concept of wearing your hair "natural" which means to keep it kinky or nappy. A lot of women choose to wear their hair relaxed which means combing through relaxer in their hair which is just a bunch of chemicals that can completely burn your skin. There was a really good discussion afterwards about image vs. identity and the role the media plays.  Race was a huge part of the discussion because it is not just black women change the way they look because society tells them too. Plastic surgery, waxing/shaving, extensions are all things that white women do too.

Friday night we went to a concert at the Franco Namibian Cultural Center. This place is really cool and I want to go back to explore it. They have a lot of art hanging up. The concert was really good. It was this acoustic band I think that were from South Africa. It was a cool atmosphere with a lot of hip people from Namibia.

Then last night went to this hotel called Roof of Africa and saw a free concert by this group called Penilane, they were more soft rock than the concert from Friday night. It was okay.. I was really tired from the past week so we didnt stay long. When we came back to the house a bunch of us skinny dipped in our pool and was a lot of fun. The sky was completely clear so we could see the almost full moon and all the stars. It is so cool that now I am in the Southern Hemisphere so the constellations we see are completely different than home. It was beautiful. I love it here.