From the Buchters

On 31st October, Luderitz went into a coma. I wokeup that morning to a whole town without electricity and for me, it was very bizarre!

The impact it had on the society was huge. It was the same day that the kite surfers had fled the town too so it really was desolate. I took a walk and noticed that most shops were closed, nobody was in town and at some points I almost expected a tumbleweed to roll down the street! Nno coffee, food that was slowly defrosting (not that the freezer ever has much in it) and milk turning sour all added to the grim feel of the powercut. All communication was also cut. Mobiles and landlines were out of order as well as the internet. I felt like a naughty child that had her toys taken away!

If a full day power cut happened in the UK, I don’t think it would have been handled in the same way. Mayhem would have broken out! Whereas here and the laid-back way of life, people just stayed in their houses and carried on as normal as possible with braais and other useful alternatives to electricity. Also, because it isn’t uncommon here in Luderitz, some shops were prepared, using such things as generators to keep their businesses running. I liked this. It really showed dedication and an element of faithfulness to the community.

Another thing that struck me as odd this month was the fuel shortage. A mass of people were deprived of the most used mode of transport in this town! My hometown in the UK is a literal ten minute drive to a small city and so this is somethi ng that wouldn’t occur. Comparing Nnamibia to the UK in this way, it is obvious that the main reason for this contrast is the amount of and land and space between towns. The amount of kilometres that people drive here to get from one town to another isenough to get you from one country to another in the UK!

These events have really made me think about how we take for granted the luxuries in life and how we, as a human race, really depend on them even though they are not necessities. It also made me realise how lazy we can be! When the lights came back on it felt as if we had won a war! The way we lived through those hours was surely forgotten by many and everyone went back to what we see as normality. Lets remember these moments in the future.
Peace.
Jess Christiansen. •