The party never stops!

In the round container they keep traditional Owambo beer, tastes like yeasted water…I think I'll skip this round…

During the wedding days it is ok to burst into a spontaneous dance chanting “lelelelele” as loud as you can and swing your horsetail in the air. It is also ok to wear a dress even if you are a man.

Wedding! (Again)

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of my friend’s brother. Like the weeding last year it was a traditional Owambo wedding in the bush. Because the bride is from the Herero tribe a traditional Herero ceremony took place the weekend before at the bride’s village. Owambo and Herero is the two biggest tribes in Namibia and weddings crossing the tribe borders occur but are still many times controversial. In this case for example the mother of the bride had big concerns about the wedding because she was afraid the husband would kill her daughter when he got tired of her; that’s what Owambos do… There are lots of preparations and ceremonies before the actual wedding; approval from the parents, speaking with the elders, announcement in church, etc. During the wedding party big tents are used to accommodate all the people invited, singing, dancing, holding speeches for three days. In this case there was three more days because of the second ceremony, plus a couple of days for pre-parties held the weekend before “to accustom some of the guests to the village”. It’s a whole lotta partying!

The elders play a very different role in the community down here; they are highly respected and are often consulted when important decisions are made. When we visited his uncle, Jerry (the groom) even looked down when speaking with the elder and the air was thick with respect. The elders often stay in the family village together with a couple of younger family members. I feel very ashamed when I tell the people here how we treat our elders at home; locking them away and forgetting them, almost denying that we all will be old one day.

Family village: Almost all Namibians (at least in the black community) have a home village somewhere in the bush. They can be working with laptops in nice suites in the big city but still often visit their “village” located far out in the bush – often with no electricity available. There they help with farm duties as harvesting, cattle care and collecting wood as if it was the most natural thing on earth (which it kind of is…). The village works as a “hub” connecting the family spread over the country. A traditional Owambo village is more like a big house than a village; a fence made of big wooden sticks surrounds a couple of huts and many times a small house made of concrete. Additional “rooms” (without a roof) is created with wooden sticks within the fence, all having their specific use; kitchen, “elder men conference room”, “newly mother room”, “relaxing room”, etc.

Kaino, my friend Magano’s mother. She is a very beautiful and funny woman. She feel sorry for me because I am staying so far from my mother.

Omahangu is feeding many people in Namibia (especially in the north). The big things on the top are containing the grains which is dried and then pounded into meal.

Prayer before the game.

The term “second floor” is unknown in Oshivelo…

These girls always sit under the tree when I'm passing in the morning.

– Good morning Mr Jonatan! How are you? (On my way to school I hear it at least 10 times.)

Last week one of the girls said to her teacher who was passing together with me:

- Ms Nantanga, I’m not coming to school tomorrow.

- Why?

- My father died today.