Kaokoland Trip

IMG_1151, originally uploaded by Benjamin Long.

My string of good luck and good timing has continued in Namibia. I didn't know it but the contact I made was a missionary and they were planning an extensive trip through Kaokoland (NW Namibia where the Himba live). The focus of the trip was on agriculture. The group, Kunene for Christ, was composed of two missionaries, three farmers and an EU project manager for developing agriculture in Namibia. I arrived on the same flight as a mission worker and was picked up at the airport. They even had a sign with my name on it which was a first for me. I had to laugh at my good fortune.

The original plan was to tag along and then stay in a Himba village afterwards. I seriously underestimated the transport issues in Kaokoland and the climate. From about noon to 4PM, it is the worst place on earth due to the heat, but the mornings and evenings are spectacular. In the middle of the day, any sensible person or animal is huddled under a shade tree for protection from the sun. It is unbearable. We all have limits and I reached mine after a week in Kaokoland. There is a saying that when you are in your twenties you think you are going to live forever and can do anything. I definitely think that sums up my attitude, but I was quickly humbled. It was an amazing experience but I was ready to leave the stony-hearted, dry world of Kaokoland.

The trip started in Outjo. We headed north to camp in Ongongo Gorge in Warmquelle. Warmquelle is the unofficial border between Damaraland to the south and Kaokoland to the North (both are regions affiliated with the tribal homelands). The campsite was incredible. There was a natural pool with a small waterfall supplying warm water to swim in. The first evening was one of those moments when I had to pinch myself because it was surreal. I watched an incredible sunset over the mountains and then took a swim in the pool under the stars. It was a great night. We had a meeting the next day with the local people to discuss the goals of the agricultural program. I was out of the loop because it was spoken in Afrikaans, Herero and Damara (No English).

On the third day of the trip, we headed further north through Opuwo, the unofficial capital of Kaokoland, and camped at Swapooisdrift on the southern bank of the Kunene River. The Kunene forms the border between Angola and Namibia. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be or even want to be camping 100m from Angola on the banks of a crocodile invested river. Angola is often labeled the worst place to live on Earth due to its roughly 40,000 active landmines strewn across the country. A mine costs twenty cents to install but twenty dollars (US dollars) to remove. It is a solemn reminder of nearly forty years of civil war the plagued the country only ending in 2002 with the assassination of the opposition leader. The meeting the next day was in English so I was able to follow the conversation. The objective of Kunene for Christ is to improve the knowledge of the local farmers and help them establish sustainable agriculture. This is not an easy task because of many reasons; climate and cultural obstacles being the main ones. Kaokoland is a dry, rocky desert that any foreigner could not survive for a week. The other still debilitating factor is trying to change the mindset of the African people to make the transition from communal agriculture to commercial. As the old African axiom goes, ‘It’s a wise man who cultivates just as much land as his wife can conveniently hoe.’ This mentality is still very much held today. This communal mentality does mix well with the concepts of commercial agriculture. It is a great cultural divide.

Kunene for Christ was just recently established with this being its inaugural trip. The meeting was mostly introductory, laying out the objectives of the project. The local people were cautious and wary of the program. This is understandable due to the countless programs that have made empty promises to the people. This is common throughout Africa. An organization has good intentions but short term planning. Many people think that giving a community a generator, pump or even solar panels is a great thing, which it is. The problem arises when they do not train the local people to operate or fix the machines. I have seen the remnants of countless failed programs throughout Africa. For instance, we visited a village called Ehomba. They were given a very nice pump to provide water for the community. The pump has been broken for years. No one was trained how to fix the machine and programs don't usually last long enough or have the funding to provide maintenance for the equipment they provide. The pump is still there. It just doesn't work.
I like Kunene for Christ's approach to agriculture. They are trying to fight the handout mentality that dooms many projects. The local people said they need a fence. Instead of just building a fence for free, Kunene for Christ will provide the wire if the people set the fence posts. They are trying a different approach, to meet in the middle and not just giving everything away for free. This is hard because the solution to so many of Africa's problems has been to throw money at it. This may solve the immediate problem but fails to solve it for the future. This program is trying to show the people how to create sustainable agriculture and curb the overgrazing of animals without actually doing it for them. Ultimately, the responsibility will lie on the shoulders of the local people to succeed. I think this is where the responsibility must lie if they plan to make lasting change.
All of the people on the trip were Afrikaners. I have been living in Afrikaner communities in South Africa and now traveling with them through Namibia. Needless to say, I have been getting an education about their history and culture. Our trip through Kaokoland traced the route of the Dorslandtrekkers. The word 'Dors' means dry in Afrikaans. This is very fitting because Namibia is extremely dry. It was a group of Afrikaners that left South Africa in 1876 instead of being subjected to British rule. There were three different treks north into Angola and we visited many of their historic sites. In Kaoko Otavi, we visited the remains of a church. At Ehomba, remnants of dams are still evident. Just above our campsite at Swapooisdrift was a monument commemorating the location the trekkers crossed the Kunene River. This was a constant theme of the trip because two of my travel companions were direct descendants of the Dorslandtrekkers. One travel companion, Bertus, was born in Angola before his family migrated south to Namibia during the unrest in Angola. It is an interesting story and worth a little more reading if you like history.