A Busy Busy Day

1/6/2012
We started the day by heading off to Katatura to listening to a speaker. This was my first endeavor into Katatura, and it was shocking. We only went to the first Katatura, so it would be considered middle-class. This probably makes it even more shocking to see some of the houses when compared to the America idea of middle class. While there are a wide variety to the houses, they generally are made of bricks or cement blocks. The better quality ones are painted and/or covered in stucco with clay shingles on the roofs. They might have their tiny front dirt square paved in cobblestones, stones, or cement with an area for a barbaque and maybe some plants. All of this surrounded by a thick brick(or similar)wall.  The really nice ones are gorgeous, even nicer than my house. However, I feel like I saw more of the lesser houses. These might be made out of tin, or unpainted bricks. Their roofs are tin, windows broken, or non- existent. Their dirt patches full of garbage, mangey dogs, and wide-eyed children. Their fences are made out of anything and everything.These houses have dirt floors, and only a couple rooms for large families. But, living in the first Katatura, means that they have the luxury of running water and  electricity- if they can afford it.

In Katatura

We stop at nice house...that had a couch on the roof? This turned out to be the home of our next speaker: Rosa Nimises. Nimises was very very active in the liberation movement, and is now part of a group called Women's Solidarity. And she is AMAZING. She started in SWAPO(South West African People's Organization) because she was working as a nurse at one of the public hospitals and the Matron wouldn't give the black nurses tea for their tea break. Nimises organized the rest of the nurses in a protest. However the Matron confronted the nurses individually, and they all left Nimise to take the blame. Wanting to know where she could go to get help to make a change lead her to SWAPO. SWAPO at that time organizing the liberation movement. During the time Nimises was with SWAPO she was arrested five times for various things connected to the organization. Since then she has served as a member of parliament, and is now works hard against gender-based violence, equality, and women's rights. She told us how women are at a huge disadvantage, and that the women's movement is actually not as strong as it used to be due to lack of unity. She told us that women in parliament has gone down from 30% to 25%. After telling us so many disheartening stories she ended in with "The most important thing Namibia has is Peace." It was a very powerful message. There are so many problems, and there are no important solutions; but there is peace; and therefore hope.

Our second speaker of the morning was Paul Helmuth. Paul was a leader during the liberation movement. Paul was difficult to understand, and while I was able to grasp that he played an very important role in the liberation. However, I couldn't tell you exactly what that role was.

Paul talked  little bit too long, so we were rushed into our next activity- the Katatura Quest. For the quest we split into groups of three and were assigned a local guide. Our guide was named Hilda, she is finishing high school and anxiously waiting to here whether or not she get a scholarship to study veterinary medicine in either Canada or South Africa. We caught a taxi(a rather shady business) to TaniDare Lutheran Church in Katatura. There my group, Brandie and Theresa, spoke to a elder about the church and the community. It is really strange to be in a place you normally only read about in the news. We aren't just reading about the unemployment, orphans, starving families, and HIV; we are here in the middle of it, discussing it with the people living through these things and trying to find solutions. Humbling only begins to describe my feelings. Lisa, the elder, told us about ALL of the different programs that the church puts on for the community. She told us about the youth center that they want need to build to keep the youth away from alcohol  and drugs and involved positively in the community. The center will cost 2 million Namibian dollars, and they aren't quite sure how long it will take for them to raise enough money for it, but they are sure it will happen one day.

Me, Theresa, Hilda, and Brandie

Me, Brandie, Theresa with Lisa

After the church we walked to the grocery store to find prices of certain food objects and grab lunch. We realized that we were running late, so we ate lunch hurriedly and grabbed another taxi back to CGE. Then each group took the prices that we had found in the grocery store and calculated the price in the U.S. dollars, how long it would take a Namibian to pay for that item at $6.25 an hour, and how much an American would earn at minimum wage($7.25) for the same amount of time. This exercise was shocking, horrifying, and humbling.  For example a 5k bag of flour costs $48 Namibian would cost $6.85 USD, take 7.68 work hours for a Namibian to earn enough money for to buy that bag of flour. In that time an American could earn $55.68.

Finally we met our home stay family. Alyssa and I are staying with Hazel, a principal of a school for deaf kids, and her 25 year old daughter, Hanne-Lee,  and 2 year old grandson, Alexander. Hazel lives in Katatura. As she was driving us down her street towards her house, I was a bit nervous; the houses were extremely run down, and I did not feel safe. However, Hazel's house is beautiful. I feel very safe, and welcomed by Hazel's family.

On the way to Hazel's house

Hazel's lovely house