Memories
Of Africa
Namibia, Botswana and
Zimbabwe ~
by Jurgen Klemann
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an article on South Africa and Namibia – published in his “International
Speculator” – Doug Casey points out that real estate in Namibia is a bargain.
He concludes the idea of considering purchasing real estate there with
the phrase “It might be an excellent opportunity to regale others with
stories beginning – Once I had a farm in Africa….”
So far in the
course of my tender forty one years of age, I have not yet had a farm in
Africa. However, I do have a few stories about Africa to relay. These stories
mainly refer to the time before I ended up working for a business and management
consultancy in Egoli, which is the Zulu name for Johannesburg. To a lesser
extent, they are about the time when I lived and worked in Egoli, but left
the city every now and then to get back in touch with “real Africa”. By
“real Africa” I mean in this context my experiences in Namibia, Botswana
and Zimbabwe.
Namibia
Namibia
is situated northwest of South Africa. The country was a German colony
until the end of the First World War. That is the reason why German is
still one of the languages widely spoken in Namibia. Until 1990, the country
was administered by South Africa. It gained its independence in 1990. Even
though it does have its problems, by African standards Namibia is a well
functioning democracy.
The most unreal
place in the whole of Namibia and probably in the whole of Africa is Swakopmund.
Swakopmund is situated on the Atlantic Coast of Namibia and said to be
the second largest place in the country, second only to the capital Windhoek.
When you are German and bless Swakopmund with your presence the first time,
you do not believe what you see. |
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| Namibia was a German colony,
but was invaded and occupied by the Boers from South Africa during WWI.
Namibia achieved full independence from South Africa in 1990. Above photo
is of a safari out on the Kalahari desert of Namibia. |
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Right in the
middle of nowhere in Africa, there is all of a sudden a small town that
looks like a German town at the end of the nineteenth century. The architecture
there looks German. The names of shops and other outfits sound German.
Quite a few people there speak German like I speak German – standard German
without any accent. When I spent a couple of hours in a café there,
a black man and a white woman were sitting at the table next to me. They
talked to each other in fluent German. The thought crossed my mind:”Where
the heck am I?
While being
in Swakopmund, I was keen on reading the book “The Drifters” by James Michener.
It did not matter to me whether I read the English original or the German
translation. When I graced the only bookshop in Swakopmund with my presence,
it did not have the English original. But when I left that outfit I had
the German translation. The owners were Germans and did make a serious
effort to convince me that they were “real Germans”, not Namibians.
Not that I
cared. Concepts like nationalities go completely over my head. However,
that experience confirmed my impression that Germans in Namibia resemble
a little Germans in Paraguay, as far as attitudes and mindset are concerned.
In case you ever end up in this surreal place, do have a look at the dunes,
which are situated just outside of town. They are huge and impressive.
They are worth sussing out.
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| Camping
out on the Kalahari
desert. To see more about the above photos and Safaris in Botwana Click
Here |
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North
of Swakopmund – also on the Atlantic Coast – is Walvis Bay. Walvis Bay
was incorporated into Namibia in 1994. Before it was a South African enclave.
If my memory does not completely fail me, Walvis Bay served as a significant
port for the South African Navy during the old days in South Africa. Today
Walvis Bay serves as a major port for Namibia and its fishing industry.
While most places in Swakopmund are more or less in staggering distance,
Walvis Bay is rather spread out. It is not touristy at all, which is good
news in case you tick a little similar to me.
In case you
ever end up in Namibia, do not give the Etosha National Park a miss. Etosha
is the biggest game park in Africa. It is situated in the north of Namibia
towards the border to Angola. Everybody has heard of the Kruger National
Park in South Africa. But not everybody has heard of Etosha.
Etosha is almost
as big as Wales. You need to spend at least a couple of days there to get
a realistic impression. As there is no public transport in Etosha, you
need some sort of vehicle. A jeep is always a good idea in Africa. When
cruising around in Etosha, do not be surprised if you end up having a rhino
in front of your jeep after reversing the vehicle for example. I know what
I am talking about. Just keep your nerves.
Namibia in
general is characterized by vast deserts. The infrastructure and highways
do not leave to be desired. Even though the country drives on the left
hand side of the road, there is so little traffic in the countryside that
it does not really matter whether you drive on the left or right hand side
of the road. Every now and then you see a black walking along the highway.
Two questions cross your mind considering the size and emptiness of the
country. First, where is he coming from? Second, where is he going?
Botswana
Since independence
from colonial rule, there are not a bunch of success stories in Africa.
Botswana
is one of the very few success stories in Africa. Botswana is situated
east of Namibia and north of South Africa. Shortly after the country’s
independence in 1966, three of the most significant diamond mines in the
world have been discovered there. In terms of health, education and economy
Botswana is head and shoulders above the rest of Africa except South Africa. |
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Most of Botswana
consists of wilderness. By wilderness I mean savannas, deserts and wetlands.
The best known desert there is the Kalahari. Lots of the wilderness there
is either without anything that deserves to be called roads or the roads
are gravel roads. All this means that Botswana is not everybody’s cup of
tea. Forget about Botswana if you are timid and fearful. However, if you
are into things like deserts and wilderness, adventure and solitude, do
go to Botswana.
Try to imagine
this – You cruise around in the Kalahari desert in a jeep. You spend the
night outside in the wilderness. Sleeping outside in the African wilderness
is an experience that is one of a kind. You go to sleep early. There is
no civilization. You wake up early in the morning, at five o’clock or half
past five. The sun rises early. The sunshine gets plenty strong early in
the morning.
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animals make an incredible noise. You can no longer sleep. You have to
get up. However, when you sleep in the wilderness, do keep one thing in
mind. Do make a very big fire before going to sleep. It must be so big
that it is still burning the following morning when you wake up. If you
do not, you may be dead when you wake up – as a consequence of an unwanted
visit by animals. Years after sleeping in the African wilderness, I still
have the habit of chucking my pillow out of bed when going to sleep.
One of Botswana’s
main attraction is the Okavango Delta. The Okavango Delta is the largest
inland delta in the world and is situated in the Northwest of the country.
It buzzes with wildlife. The wildlife ranges from birds in all shapes and
sizes to zebras and elephants, bufallos and giraffes and who knows what
else. After experiencing wildlife in Africa, you are no longer fond of
going to a zoo.
The main center
of the Okavango Delta is Maun. I have certain difficulties with the notion
of calling Maun a city. However, Maun serves as something like the regional
hub. There is also the main regional airstrip. As Maun does not really
fit the bill for a city, neither does the airstrip fit the bill for an
airport. Even though there are now hotels and lodges, Maun continues to
radiate the flair of a rural frontier town. In a nutshell, Botswana’s wilderness
and deserts will satisfy your heart’s desire if you are a little adventurous
and independent.
Zimbabwe
While Botswana
truly deserves to be called a success story, Zimbabwe
does not. Zimbabwe may be called loads of things but not a success story,
no matter how you define success story. An article in “The Economist” recently
pointed out a few facts that illustrate why Zimbabwe is light years away
from being a success story.
The country’s
gross domestic product went south by a third in the past three years. Inflation
has now reached four hundred and twenty per cent. Seventy per cent of the
population live in poverty. There are at least five thousand street children
in the capital Harare. As if all this is not bad enough, the government
of Robert Mugabe is virtually in the process of completely wrecking the
economy by having forced almost all remaining whites in the country off
their farms. The government has seized white farm land without compensation.
It claims that the purpose of the exercise is to rectify colonial injustices.
However, instead of giving the land to black farmers, the government allocates
it to political cronies. They know as much about farming as I do about
table dancing. |
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| Victoria
Falls is located on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia on the Zambezi
river. The Falls were discovered in 1855 by David Livingstone. |
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| John Coetzee,
the 2003 Nobel Prize Winner for literature. |
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At
the same time, Zimbabwe is amazingly beautiful and offers lots of attractions.
The most famous of these attractions is Victoria Falls. The huge Victoria
Falls drop into the Zambezi, one of the biggest rivers in Africa. On the
other hand, Victoria Falls is a typical tourist trap. There is even a casino.
Even though I have seen the interior of only two casinos in my life – in
Victoria Falls and in Auckland – it goes over my head why people seek entertainment
there. The atmosphere in casinos is depressing.
On the way
back to Johannesburg, I spent a few days in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second
largest city. When I graced Bulawayo with my presence, it radiated a rather
relaxed attitude with its wide tree – lined streets. It is a pleasant enough
place on the fringe of the Kalahari. Although it is worth sussing out Zimbabwe,
it may be wise to wait until Robert Mugabe is history. It will happen.
You reap what you sow in life. When you reap bloody rubbish, you will sow
bloody rubbish. Robert Mugabe will join the ranks of the departed sooner
or later.
Concluding
Thoughts
The Nobel Prize
for literature was awarded this year to John M. Coetzee. John M. Coetzee
is the second white South African writer, who was awarded the Prize after
Nadine Gordimer in 1991. In his post – Apartheid novel “Disgrace” John
M. Coetzee displays a very critical attitude to the new South Africa. Coetzee
appears to relay the message that there is no place for whites in the new
south Africa. He emigrated to Australia last year.
It seems to
confirm a current trend in Africa. There is a significant white population
in Africa, in particular in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya but also in
other African countries. For lots of whites there, Africa is home. They
were born there. They have been on that continent all their lives. For
various reasons, quite a heap of them have left or are leaving Africa.
However, I
am once more inclined to swim against the tide. I do tend to the assumption
that there is a place for whites in Africa. There is a role for people
with professional expertise in developing countries. That is one reason
why I am inclined to rehash Doug Casey’s phrase in a different tense. Once
I may have a farm or…. in Africa…. |
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