Namibia - who are you?

I am trying to figure this country out. Not that I have completely figured every other place I have been to, but somehow most places are easier to assess.

Is this is a stable developing country, or is this an under-developed, poor country that needs all the help it can get, as is the case with quite a few of its neighbours? Seemingly, things work just fine around here: great infrastructure, availability of services, no poverty on the streets, people appear to have their own homes - even if it is a box sized ones (I doubt the affordable studio flats in Knightsbridge are any bigger!). Everyone speaks 3 or 5 languages - English is a standard, Afrikaans is popular and is a must for Windhoek inhabitants, Portuguese (Angola is a stone throw away), and a few of the local languages, depending on which village or tribe they come from. Literacy is prevalent (as was advised to me by a headmaster of one of the local schools I met at lunch), although education is not free. Health care apparently is great as well, and there is some social welfare available. Safety does not seem to be an issue, there are police posts almost every 10km on the roads. "Staying connected" is easy - a mobile phone is a mandatory accessory to any outfit, however it is more about the convenience rather than the style!

On the other hand, HIV rate is high, and even with free testing and affordable medication, people would rather not face the reality. Domestic violence and women's rights violation is commonplace too. Almost half of the populations survives on subsistence farming. Most people travel back to their villages for the weekend to work on land - farming crops for consumption, mainly mahangu (pearl millet). Resale business is the most widespread choice for entrepreneurs, and shebeens (bars) are on every corner - drinking is a problem here.

Most people have come from villages, which now only have either the elderly, or the very young - in pursue of education many leave the villages to only come back to help with the ploughing, and to see the grandparents, but not to live. I spoke to someone who stays in my b&b - he is on his way to Angola for his business of "doing this and that with some bits and bobs"."What will I do with the land when my mum is not there"? Life is naturally changing, but the traditional lifestyle is strong. When the elderly are no longer there, someone will probably have to put it the land to commercial use, something they have not really done before...

I would love to see the real villages organised in "homesteads" - plots of land with the house - the complete chain - the supply and consumption of produce on one territory. They can easily survive on NAM$50 a month. David, one of the sons of the owner of the b&b I am staying, excitedly described to me the life in the village and childhood memories of chasing a chicken for the feast when the guests come home. People stick together and share everything - if you kill a cow, you share it with your neighbours. If you have a wedding, the entire village comes - there is no need to bother with invitation lists and sitting plans. In fact, you do not need to bother with much planning at all - all weddings happen only in December and you have to warn people a year in advance. The only explanation I have received so far is that it is because December is when everyone returns to the villages for holidays, so everyone is around to celebrate. Imagine the seasonality of the wedding business in Namibia!! Must be so much easier for the husbands to remember their wedding anniversary though=)

So far the theory of my very first taxi driver Sewen has not been confirmed - people do not seem to be that private. In fact, everyone seems to be very open and friendly - that is all I have been relying on at least in the last week. Or may be they are just very bored, and appreciate an opportunity to interact with a new person.

Namibia is still very closely linked with South Africa, and so it is almost its extension. So the two form something that is an African version of the USA - not economically or politically, of course. The make up of the countries is very diverse, the past is patchy and violent. They even share a similar popular culture - kwaito is a popular art and youth movement, which sometimes is called South African rap. In Namibia, it is very popular, in fact the "celebrities" I have mentioned I met before are into this very kwaito - the art and symbol of  the struggle for freedom and equality of the black townships under white oppression and apartheid. And kwaito dancing - seeing a group practice a routine in a club is so amazing to watch! This is not fair, some people are just born to dance.

With all of the above, the unemployment is round about 50%, and even with the mining industry being so developed, only a small percentage are employed by the industry. One of my new acquaintances said that there are jobs, but getting them is a different question. Tribal traditions and differences play a big role in it too...Some tribes are more inclined to work and strive to achieve more, some are content with what they have, even if it is nothing. Some respect the social hierarchy and tradition so much, that if you are poor, the community will not let you get rich - because this is the way things are! Well, of course, if you are rich, the problem you face is slightly less serious - you will have to really try hard to become poor for the same reason. There are probably a lot more dynamics involved in the tribal way of living which have an overall impact. I shall caveat that this is one person's view and no steps have been taken to validate this theory!

Any thoughts?