Last week I had to spend a few days in Namibia. I had laready extended my ordinary visa twice, so now I hadf to leave Angola to get a new ordinary visa. This new ordinary visa can also be extended two times but I do hope to get my work visa before I have to yet another ordinary visa.
According to one source getting a visa in Windhoek was not at all easy becasue officially you have to apply in your country of residence. According to others it was a piece of cake and you could get your visa in is little as 20 minutes. This last estimate seemed somewhat optimistic to me, why would it take three weeks in Holland if it could be done in 20 minutes in Windhoek.
So last Sunday I went to the airport. Without a ticket, becasue the flight was fully booked, but accompanied by the sister in law of one of the employees of TAAG (Angolan Airline). That went very smoothly. After an introduction and a short discussion with his collegues, an empty seat was found and I got myself a ticket to Windhoek. And no, I did not have to sit on the lap of the pilot.
Windhoek on a Sunday afternoon is almost lethally boring. It must be even quieter than the smallest bible-belt town in the US, or anywhere else. The streets are deserted and very quiet. Not a shop is open and most restaurants were closing or about to close. I only just got myself a meal.
On Monday I submitted my application for a visa and was assured that I would receive it the next day, or Wednesday at the latest. So I bought a ticket to Lubango for Thursday and then had to keep myself amused for another three days. Not easy because I am a fairly efficeint shopper. Buying the clothes I needed, took about an hour. I bought most clothes in a shop giving large discounts because they were closing down. Spending the money I saved there on books took another two hours and that was about that.
For those who know Nelspruit, Windhoek will present no difficulties or surprises. All restautrants spoil perfect meat by smothering it in a creamy sauce and half of the shoppers speak Portuguese. Because Windhoek is a lot cheaper than Angola, many Angolans do their shopping in Windhoek. This was also fairly obvious at the airport: some passengers needed three luggage trolleys to transport their bags to the check-in counter.
By the way, Windhoek is not much more exiting on weekdays than it is on Sundays. I experienced only two moments that were not excruciatingly dull: Once when I was almost hit by a car because I forgot that they drive on the wrong side of the road in Namibia. The next day I surprised myself (and quite a few bystanders) by nearly hitting a pickpocket. Unfortunately he retired just too quick and I only managed to tell him to go forth and multiply (but not in those words). Anyway, the b*&%$erd left emptyhanded.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
The second field visit
Last week we came back from a two day visit to Bibala, in Nambibe Province. Also to make some preparations for the DRP. But where conflicts about land are the main problem in Gambos, In Bibala access to water appears to be the biggest problem. All rivers are temporary and most chimpacas (dams) have silted up.
Bibala is somewhat more developed than Gambos too. Whuile Gambos is a forgotten municipality of Huila Province, Bibala appears to be one of teh more important municipalities in Namibe Province. Bibala village is already covered by the cell phone network and has a bank with an ATM and a teacher’s college. On the down side, there was no cold beer to be had at all.
In Bibala you also see students in western style clothing mingling with youths dressed traditionally. As sson as you leave the village, almost everybody is dressed the traditional way. Bibala is inhabited by communities with different cultures and as these are intermarrying, they are mixing and exchanging cultures. Polygamy is common, even more so than in Gambos, most of the men have two wives.
But the ‘rules of inheritance‘ are slightly different. If a man inherits five cows from his uncle from others‘ side, the sons of his sister will inherit five cowes from him, as in a matrilinear society. But if the man has managed to increase the herd during his life,the extra cows are inherited by his own sons, as in a patrilinear society.
Another interesting tidbit of knowledge is that ownership of cattle is not restricted to men. We have heard that at least some widows own cattle. Not that these women advertise this, so far it is tolerated rather than accepted.
Finally, people who herd cattle are not necessarily the owners. Most cattle owners have distributed part of their animals to several herders probably to spread the risks/hedge their bets. In return for their herding services, the herders get the manure, the milk and can use the animals for ploughing. Some also receive one calf per year for their work, allowing them to start building their own herd.
Bibala appears to be an interesting example of cultures in flux. Increased contacts with different cultures, possibly due to the civil war, may have caused these changes. I know that traditions are not set in concrete, but it is interesting to see this happening here.
Bibala is somewhat more developed than Gambos too. Whuile Gambos is a forgotten municipality of Huila Province, Bibala appears to be one of teh more important municipalities in Namibe Province. Bibala village is already covered by the cell phone network and has a bank with an ATM and a teacher’s college. On the down side, there was no cold beer to be had at all.
In Bibala you also see students in western style clothing mingling with youths dressed traditionally. As sson as you leave the village, almost everybody is dressed the traditional way. Bibala is inhabited by communities with different cultures and as these are intermarrying, they are mixing and exchanging cultures. Polygamy is common, even more so than in Gambos, most of the men have two wives.
But the ‘rules of inheritance‘ are slightly different. If a man inherits five cows from his uncle from others‘ side, the sons of his sister will inherit five cowes from him, as in a matrilinear society. But if the man has managed to increase the herd during his life,the extra cows are inherited by his own sons, as in a patrilinear society.
Another interesting tidbit of knowledge is that ownership of cattle is not restricted to men. We have heard that at least some widows own cattle. Not that these women advertise this, so far it is tolerated rather than accepted.
Finally, people who herd cattle are not necessarily the owners. Most cattle owners have distributed part of their animals to several herders probably to spread the risks/hedge their bets. In return for their herding services, the herders get the manure, the milk and can use the animals for ploughing. Some also receive one calf per year for their work, allowing them to start building their own herd.
Bibala appears to be an interesting example of cultures in flux. Increased contacts with different cultures, possibly due to the civil war, may have caused these changes. I know that traditions are not set in concrete, but it is interesting to see this happening here.
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