Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Coming to Namibia
There hasn't been another border crossing during this trip, where one side differs so dramatically from another, as the one from Angola to Namibia. What made it even more striking for us was the fact that we had no idea what Namibia was like before we arrived. For some reason, none of us had brushed up on Namibian history (ie. read the Lonely Planet's history section, at least). We didn’t know that Namibia would be the most developed country so far along our route. On the Angola side, as we inched across the country at snail speed, we naively wondered whether there were going to be any supermarkets in Namibia that sold such rare items as tampons, dark chocolate and hot sauce. I never imagined that as I entered Namibia, I would be entering a place that looked exactly like America, more specifically, Idaho. The whole ordeal brought to mind a similar experience that I had about three years ago.
When I arrived to the States from Ghana three years ago, I went to visit my mother in Idaho. The whole experience was surreal. I arrived from the chaotic (but delightful and surprising) environment of Ghana, to one that I disliked. When I arrived, I remembered why I disliked the scenery so much: strip malls, straight roads, right angles, convenience stores, and Walmart. I remember how fragile I felt when I went to Walmart. I ended up crying in the parking lot, asking my mother between sobs why people think they need so much useless crap?
I was surprised by all of these feelings again in Namibia. All of a sudden, consumerism was everywhere. Commerce, wholesale, warehouses, buy, buy, buy. The shopping centers were of the exact same model as Anytown, America. People were walking around with the newest cellphones, shoes and Chinese plastic products. Prices for our most common purchases, like food and beverages, rose by 100%. Hotels refused to bargain on the price of a room. The roadside was no longer lined with friendly villages, but instead by barb wire fencing that indicated the presence of large-scale farms.
The most inexcusable part of our experience of coming to Namibia was that I was completely unprepared. At least when I arrived from Ghana, I had prepared for where I was going. But our immediate reaction to Namibia ended up predominantly negative. There is so little beauty in mediocrity and homogeneousness. All I could think was, "It is so ugly here." The thought of hopping the border back into Angola even crossed my mind (which, if you have read my previous blog, seemed like an impossible idea when I was in Angola).
Even arriving in Windhoek, to a backpackers lodge full of young, western tourists was disorienting. It took me a couple of days just to begin to speak with people. But slowly, my negative first impressions began to change. Speaking with Namibians themselves gave me a new understanding about the immense strides that this country has taken in the past 15 years.
There hasn't been another border crossing during this trip, where one side differs so dramatically from another, as the one from Angola to Namibia. What made it even more striking for us was the fact that we had no idea what Namibia was like before we arrived. For some reason, none of us had brushed up on Namibian history (ie. read the Lonely Planet's history section, at least). We didn’t know that Namibia would be the most developed country so far along our route. On the Angola side, as we inched across the country at snail speed, we naively wondered whether there were going to be any supermarkets in Namibia that sold such rare items as tampons, dark chocolate and hot sauce. I never imagined that as I entered Namibia, I would be entering a place that looked exactly like America, more specifically, Idaho. The whole ordeal brought to mind a similar experience that I had about three years ago.
When I arrived to the States from Ghana three years ago, I went to visit my mother in Idaho. The whole experience was surreal. I arrived from the chaotic (but delightful and surprising) environment of Ghana, to one that I disliked. When I arrived, I remembered why I disliked the scenery so much: strip malls, straight roads, right angles, convenience stores, and Walmart. I remember how fragile I felt when I went to Walmart. I ended up crying in the parking lot, asking my mother between sobs why people think they need so much useless crap?
I was surprised by all of these feelings again in Namibia. All of a sudden, consumerism was everywhere. Commerce, wholesale, warehouses, buy, buy, buy. The shopping centers were of the exact same model as Anytown, America. People were walking around with the newest cellphones, shoes and Chinese plastic products. Prices for our most common purchases, like food and beverages, rose by 100%. Hotels refused to bargain on the price of a room. The roadside was no longer lined with friendly villages, but instead by barb wire fencing that indicated the presence of large-scale farms.
The most inexcusable part of our experience of coming to Namibia was that I was completely unprepared. At least when I arrived from Ghana, I had prepared for where I was going. But our immediate reaction to Namibia ended up predominantly negative. There is so little beauty in mediocrity and homogeneousness. All I could think was, "It is so ugly here." The thought of hopping the border back into Angola even crossed my mind (which, if you have read my previous blog, seemed like an impossible idea when I was in Angola).
Even arriving in Windhoek, to a backpackers lodge full of young, western tourists was disorienting. It took me a couple of days just to begin to speak with people. But slowly, my negative first impressions began to change. Speaking with Namibians themselves gave me a new understanding about the immense strides that this country has taken in the past 15 years.
1 Comments:
Hello Tuuli, I am an avid reader of your adventures and I just wanted to comment on your post regarding crossing the border from Angola to Namibia. I spent a few months in Namibia in 2003 and also travelled for a month in South Africa. To me coming from Minneapolis, Namibia was sparse and rural and everything I ever imagined Africa to be. But now as I read your post I realize that I was surprised by the consumerism in Namibia and the ability of an individual to buy a Coke in the middle of a rural village that has no electricity, running water, or paved roads. I imagined Coke (and beer) to be available everywhere in Africa as it was in Namibia. After reading your post (and the rest of your website), I realize that this was a naive comment to make and it gives me mixed feelings about my experience in 'Africa' and were Namibia and South Africa a 'real' picture of the poverty, the hunger, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic throughout the continent. I studied poverty, racism and AIDS while I was in Namibia and the problems are there, they are just more hidden behind the malls and barbed wire fences, ATM machines and KFC's. The difference you will see is the role that whites played in the development of the nation. In Swakopmund, which I read that you did visit, the whole town is owned by two German families. Everything. Including the salt coming from the ocean, the white bars, and the car rentals. Everything. And they only hire blacks for security. And this is only to meet their new affirmative action laws that have been implemented. And the average black worker makes just $3 a day (30 Namibian or 25 South African Rand). Yet they are still competing to purchase items in a 'westernized-consumer-type economy.' I'm sorry to rant and rave but really I was writing to say thanks, for truly opening my eyes and making me re-think the many experiences I had. Take care and keep posting!
Megan
mbzeilinger@yahoo.com
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Megan
mbzeilinger@yahoo.com
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