I’m not one to complain. After all, I am British, I come from a land where it is preferred to suffer than to ruffle feathers and where every problem is faced with a stiff upper lip. Regardless of this fact, I warn you that I am about to lodge a couple of complaints based on my observations and personal feelings after living in this country for the last 5 months.

I was born and bred in London, England, and I’ve lived there my entire life. I’m a fully fledged British citizen, red passport, free healthcare and bad teeth – the works. Oh, and I also happen to be black. Shocked? I don’t blame you. I mean, “there’s no way [I] can be from England, look at [me]!”*. It would be absolutely insane for somebody from London to “escape from Africa and come all the way back!”*. But there you have it folks, I’m a person of colour that comes from Royal Britannia, and who has a bee in his bonnet (you see that? Only a British person would say that) about…well, about Namibia and the treatment I’ve received in the Land of the Brave.

You see, nobody in this country seems to believe I’m British, for some reason, a black person coming from England is an impossible concept in the minds of most Namibians I’ve met, white or black. However, being Black British has put me in a unique position. I am able to see both sides of Africa; White Africa and Black Africa, Luderitz and Location, Swakopmund and Shabeen, and this has given me a unique perspective on the great colour divide.

I’ve noticed that some Afrikaaners in this country seem to hold a limited view on the capabilities of black people, especially when that black person is me. Now, I don’t want to lie to you, a 6ft tall dark skinned black male won’t inspire confidence in most people, let alone the members of a country still smarted by apartheid. But does this really mean that I have to be looked at with suspicion every time I walk into Edgar’s? Don’t get me wrong, if I was walking around with an empty bag touching every garment I could see while trying to hide my face from the security guards, then by all means, scrutinise the hell out of me, I deserve it. But if I walk in and begin to look at the shirts on offer, I do not need an overzealous young shop assistant asking me if I need help whilst trying to catch the eye of the muscle at the door, nor do I need a trainee clerk to follow me around inconspicuously as I browse, staying within 2 metres of me at all times. And no, I’m not being paranoid, this has actually happened, on numerous occasions, in numerous different clothes shops and each time I have to remind myself that there’s nothing I can do. Is it too much to expect to be judged by the content of my character, and not the colour of my skin or passport?

And why are things like this? It’s because of you. Yes you. Black Africa, I’m talking to you. It’s your fault. There, I said it, what are you gonna do about it? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about Black Africa as a whole, please don’t think I’m referring to every single Black African on this continent. No, I’m talking to you, the Herero at the trafficstop who won’t let people through without something to pad his pocket. I’m talking to you, the Ovambo in the flashy car blaring out kwaito at 11 in the morning on a quiet street. I’m especially talking to you, the Damara whose only source of income is mugging the Afrikaaners in the previous paragraph. You, who act surprised when you get fired from your job for turning up late and drunk every day for a week. You, whose temper flares when offered help with something simple. You, who expect the world to be given to you on a silver platter without you raising a finger. You are single-handedly destroying any chance the decent, hardworking black population of this country has of succeeding, and what’s worse is, you refuse to take the blame.

I’m not going to pretend that apartheid didn’t happen. It was a horrible, despicable way to treat human beings, and nothing has benefited Southern Africa more than getting rid of it. I understand that the memory is hard to bury, especially for those who were forced to live through it. What I don’t understand however, is why some black Africans feel that the way to get rid of this memory is to treat the white race with suspicion and hostility. What’s worse is, I fear the current generation of black youths, the children born into the new, free Namibia, have seen this ingrained secret hatred their parents harbour, and have decided to vocalise it, treating all Afrikaaners with hostility without reason. This, in turn, causes Afrikaaners to instantly assume they are to be treated badly by the black population of this country, which does nothing to help the relationship between white and black.

In short, to my western eyes it is both sides reluctance to forget the past and move into the future that is causing the rift between black and white.

*I made neither of these sentences up. Both are direct quotes from two different people I’ve met here.

The Buchter News would like to make it known that this article comes from an independent source and in no way represents the views of The Buchter News itself.

Of the 167 penguins which were oiled, 162 survived their ordeal and are free once again. Your support made a big difference.

The following members of the Lüderitz community are thanked specifically (although not in any particular order); my sincerest apologies if I have left anybody out: Marco Fishing, Heinz Manns (who spent his Easter Sunday searching for oiled penguins, not easter eggs), Drs. Marais and Petzer and staff, Seaflower, Novanam, Namport, Nest Hotel, Spar, Mrs. Looser, Mrs. Rothmundt, Windhoek Optics (Theo Klatte and Ulli Psaleck), The Klosta family, The Jahnke family, The Michell family, The Isaaks family, The Metzger family, The Schroeter family, Bayview Hotel, Marion Schelkle, Liz Swoboda, L. Williams, Elize (from the Cancer Association), Mias de Roubaix, Rene Rossler, Silvi Wepener, Cynthia Gomes and family, Joan James, Ingrid Wiesel, Steve Appleton, The Project Trusters (Anna, Hidde and various family members), The Peace Corps’ ( Jacob and Paddy), Karmon de Beer, Carin Bester and sons, Ian Wingate, Graham Platt, Jason Burgess, The staff of the Ministry of Fisheries in Lüderitz and all anonymous donors / helpers

Earlier this month Lüderitz High School held its annual Miss Lüderitz High competition (see page 15). Beauty pageants have been at the centre an energetic debate about the nature of feminism on an international level but what do you think?

Beauty contests have been around since the 1800’s when an American man created a contest based on the physical appeal of women, babies and dogs. Since then the concept of a beauty contest has been altered and expanded to become part of a global phenomenon obsessed with physical beauty, but are beauty pageants really a form of picture perfect beauty or is it more than skin deep?

Yes, beauty contests are a fantastic way for women to celebrate their femininity

Beauty pageants are a chance for women to stand on a stage and say ‘here I am, this is me’, they promote a huge sense of self confidence and the idea that any woman can stand independently and be proud of who she is. Contests allow girls to bond together under the united front of womanhood, encouraging an interest in personal hygiene and looking after yourself.

No, beauty contests are a form of ego stroking for women who don’t have enough mental stimulation

Put a group of girls together in one room and ask them to try on makeup and clothing and they’ll have a great time but if you get them to compete against each other they will tear the opposition apart. Beauty pageants pit women against each other, focusing solely on visual beauty and the idea that physical perfection is the ultimate goal. And whilst contests may encourage self confidence in those taking part, for those sitting on the sidelines watching the ‘slim thighs’ or ‘flat stomachs’ it can have exactly the opposite effect.

What do you think? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

]]> http://www.buchternews.com/2009/03/beauty-pageants-a-celebration-of-visual-attractiveness-or-a-form-of-self-exploitation/feed/ 0 http://www.buchternews.com/2009/02/what-do-you-think-of-luderitz/ http://www.buchternews.com/2009/02/what-do-you-think-of-luderitz/#comments Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:53:16 +0000 admin http://www.buchternews.com/?p=260 February has seen a large number of Buchters voicing their opinions and standing up for what they think, be it asking for a swimming pool or demanding a change in land use. In the spirit of all this free thinking we asked the local people in Lüderitz what they liked about their town and what they didn’t.

What do you like about Lüderitz?

“The people are friendly and the town is beautiful when clean” Koos “I like the waterfront, Shark Island camping park, Agate beach recreational park. They are all very pleasantly laid out, clean and easily accessible. Diaz Point has also developed amazingly and offers a nice get-away. So does Kolmanskop. I appreciate the old buildings being renovated – it makes the town look very picturesque.” Birgit.

“The peace & quiet” Estelle

What would you change about Lüderitz if you could?

“I would like to see more shopping centers in Luderitz like Shop rite, Ackermans, Dunns, Foschini etc, as we are tired of going to Windhoek just for shopping and the population of our town is really expanding.” Laura

“The town needs a desperate clean- up operation and to keep it clean. Also if you walk through or over our mountain areas- e.g. Diamond Mountainyou can see it is covered with empty tins, bottles etc. If the schools could perhaps rotate with cleaning up these areas on a quarterly period this will help tremendously. This could be done by handing each scholar a black bag and maybe paid N$ 1.00 -N$ 2.00 per bag.” Luffie

“Don`t build soccer stadium with grass field! We are situated in the middle of the desert with limited water resources, a wind that blows the sprinkler water all over the place, guaranteed sun shine for at least 300 days a year and no natural rain fall- seek alternatives like an artificial lawn or indoor sports facilities.” Erich.

“The water coming out of the sewage treatment plant is wasted. It should be brought to good use and more places should be made available where young people can go to entertain and educate themselves” Renate

Never have I been gladder to live in Namibia that right now because it’s that time of year again; you’ve spent the last month enjoying the holiday season, ignoring the scales and the fact that you no longer fit into your favourite pants and relishing in the abundance of food and alcohol. Life is comfortable and pleasant and then all of a sudden the first of January rolls around and across the rest of the world, like a whisper on the wind, you hear it; a word so seeped in connotation and mental pain that its enough to make anyone go back to bed and cram their faces with the last of the Christmas Cake.

I refer of course to the word detox, a health freaks holy grail and everyone else’s personal guilt trip. Ok so it’s easy to get caught up in the hype (‘it’s a brand new year, it’s a brand new you’ and all that) and granted the theory behind it, the idea of getting healthy and cleaning up your body a little bit, isn’t actually that bizarre but seriously when it comes down to it the detox period isn’t just about cutting back on beer and ciggs it’s a golden opportunity for the smug healthy types out there to lord it over the rest of us who have maybe eaten a little bit too much and perhaps shouldn’t have taken that last glass of Shiraz. Suddenly a small percentage of the population begins jogging and eating miniscule salads and talking about their carb intake at every available opportunity, making everyone else feel guilty about their wobbly bits and weakness for milk tart (not that we’re getting personal here) and why? Because January is the month of detox, the only time of year when a whole country can justifiably be guilt tripped into drinking hot water with lemon (dis-GUS-ting) instead of regular tea.

But while the rest of the world is frantically trying to lower their calorie count and spending an hour sweating away on the treadmill life in Africa goes on as normal, things are relaxed, food is thankfully still abundant and no one is interested in the benefits of going on a celery based diet thank you very much. Thank goodness for that!

“In 1986 I was invited to sit on the National Dias Festival Committee in Cape Town, having earlier been on the sidelines of discussions about getting a replica of the original cross first planted by Bartolemeu Dias. In April ‘88 they replaced the cross, or Padräo, at Diaz Point.

It had been a ten year battle to eventually come to some sort of conclusion as to how to create this replica, because there were no absolute records, and eventually the National Monuments Commission in Windhoek decided on a design which was as near as accurate as they felt they could get. Now the original was made in Lisbon from Lisbon limestone which deteriorated pretty quickly in the conditions at Diaz point, so they had this new cross made in Karibib and it was made from Namibian Dolerite which, apart from diamond, is just about the hardest rock you can get. The dolerite they used was estimated it be about one and half billion years old so it’s not inconceivable that this cross could last another billion and a half years. Can you imagine where mankind will be in a billion and a half years time?

At the same time that all of this was happening my dearly beloved stepfather was very ill with cancer of the ear and had arranged to go down to Cape Town to be operated on in April. The operation was a great success and on the Monday he was fine and on Tuesday he was fine and on Wednesday he was fine. On Thursday he developed something in his stomach and started vomiting blood. At 2’o’clock he was fading and at 6’o’clock he had passed away.

The very next morning was when the new cross was going to be put in at Diaz point at dawn. My wife and I were all packed and ready to go to Cape Town because we had got the call at 2 that Fritz was fading. We got as far as the entrance to the town before I realised that I’d forgotten something so we turned back and as we walked through the door of our house the phone was ringing and it was the hospital in Cape Town saying that Fritz had passed away. So we weren’t going to South Africa at all so I said to my wife ‘we must go out to Diaz Point tomorrow, Fritz would have wanted that’. So we did and it was a magical sight in the sunrise, seeing this helicopter lifting the old cross out and putting the new one in. You can imagine that that was a very emotional moment for us and ever after that that to me was dedicating a cross not just to Dias but to my father-in-law as well.

The next time you’re up at the cross put your ear against it and give it quite a hard pat and it resonates, it sings.”

Hailed by many as ‘the prodigal son’, Obama, who is officially the first ever African American president, is expected by many to be the man who will change the face of the African continent, and looking at his foreign policy it is easy to see why people believe this: According to www.barackobama.com the new president has already ‘fought to focus America’s attention on the challenges facing Africa’, which includes stopping the genocide in Darfur, promoting stability in the Congo, mobilizing international pressure for a just government in Zimbabwe, demanding honesty on HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa, fighting corruption in Kenya and developing a coherent strategy for stabilizing Somalia.

In the future Obama has pledged to double the U.S.’s annual investment in foreign aid to $50 billion and will add a further $50 billion to the global fight against HIV/AIDS by 2013. Furthermore Obama and Joe Biden, Obama’s vice president, are planning to launch something called the Global Energy and Environment Initiative ‘to ensure that African countries have access to low carbon energy technology and can profitably participate in the new global carbon market’.

feel skin colour is mentioned. Does it then follow that many people in Africa, particularly in countries like Namibia and South Africa that have no concrete links with the new president, are only pro-Obama because he is a black man? You cannot help but wonder if support for the US president would be quite so strong if he was a white Kenyan not a black Kenyan.

In order to further explore this The Buchter News did a public survey asking the people of Lüderitz to answer several questions about the American Elections. Whilst the vast majority of you were very interested in the American elections and a huge 72% were overjoyed with Obama’s victory, the largest percentage of Buchters interviewed (35%) were unsure of how much impact the new U.S. president will have on Namibia suggesting that the support for him here is not founded in hopes that he will change the face of this country.

As to the issue of his skin? Although 45% of Buchters agreed that the fact that Barack Obama is black was not a significant factor in his presidency, 41% decided that it was important, adding to the theory that the 2008 elections were just as much about race than about politics. Over half of you then went on to say that, whilst Obama’s race may have had some influence over the outcome of the elections, his skin colour wasn’t important to you as an individual. However 23% of you feel that Obama’s Kenyan heritage is very important to you, the obvious divide in opinion perhaps indicating the level of diversity amongst the Lüderitz community.