NAMIBIA: SOCIETY, EDUCATION, GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY

Hello!
Namibia is characterized by great economic inequality; Segregation has continued since the end of apartheid, although more non-whites have joined the upper classes. The wealthier classes of all races are distinguished by expensive cars, large homes in exclusive neighborhoods, a command of English, attendance at private schools, and extensive travel.

In the rural communal areas, men and boys generally care for livestock, build and maintain homesteads, plow fields, and contribute with some agricultural labor, while women and girls do most of the agricultural labor, food preparation, childcare, and household work. Women still have fewer economic opportunities than men, and the incidence of rape and domestic violence is extremely high.

Weddings are extremely important social events in Namibia, bringing family and friends together to sing, dance, and feast. It has been estimated that nearly one in seven women in Namibia live in polygamous relationships.

Parents receive substantial help with child rearing from other family members. It is not unusual for children to live with other relatives if the parents have work obligations. Most boys and girls attend primary school, although sometimes they stay at home to help with the livestock or crops.

Children are supposed to start primary education at age 6, but some only start school at a later stage. Seven years of primary education plus 3 years of secondary education leads to a Junior Secondary School Certificate (also called Grade 10 ) .After successful completion of 12 grades the learner is a warded the Senior Secondary Certificate qualification which can be either the International General Certificate of Education (IGCSE) or the Higher International General Certificate of Education (HIGCSE). IGCSE exam papers are set and marked in Namibia, but moderated by Cambridge.

The Republic of Namibia attained its independence on 21 March 1990 and was established as a democratic and unitary State. In accordance with the doctrine of separation of powers, the government is divided into three organs: The Executive, The Legislative and The Judiciary.

Each organ is responsible for a different function of the government. The Cabinet is the executive organ of government, implementing the laws of the country. It consists of the President, the Prime Minister and his deputy, as well as the Ministers. The current president is Hifipunye Pohamba and the presidents are elected in a national election every five years. The legislative organ of government is the Parliament and it’s divided in two chambers: National Council and the National Assembly. They make the laws of the country. The judiciary organs of government are the courts. The highest court of Namibia is the Supreme Court. There is also the High Court, and lower courts. They are responsible for judging and interpreting the laws.

The Constitution of Namibia provides that the Country is divided into regional and local units. In keeping with this constitutional requirement, thirteen administrative regions and many other Local Authorities have been established.

The most important economic activity in Namibia is the mineral extraction of uranium, copper, zinc, gold and, above all, diamonds. This last one is responsible for twenty per cent of Namibia’s Gross National Product. The country is only a medium producer, but they have the highest value of carat in the world.

Another important area for Namibia’s economy is fishery. Namibia’s marine resources are one of the richer in the world and it’s on Top 10 of international fishery industry. You can see how great it is by the value of their crop: about 600,000 tonnes of fish and shellfish are processed annu
ally. The most exploited species are found on the seabed, as meluza and monkfish, and pelagic species such as sardines, anchovies and carapau.

Namibia’s government has a great concern about the environment protection. Almost all their seacoast is a protected area, which increases ecotourism: a growing economic area in the country.

Namibia’s Gross National Product is above 12 billion USD with a growth rate about 5% in a year. The Gross National Product per capita is about 5,600 USD.

As you can see Namibia is a very rich country with their natural resources. But, unfortunately, like in several countries in the world, Namibia suffers with a high concentration of land and wealth in the hands of the white minority: Namibia is the country with the highest inequality in the world. Its Gini coefficient, which measures income inequality from zero to one, is 0.70.

Traveling in Namibia's culture

         Hello, folks!

       As we told you before, Namibia is located in South Africa, and this part of Africa influences almost every aspect of its culture.

Smiley

       First of all there’s food: The cuisine is very different and varied and the people of Namibia love eating meat. The typical dishes are mostly made with hunting meat. One of the most known and exotic dishes is Smiley, which is basically a baked sheep head. There’s  also a large iron pot with meat stew and vegetables named Potjiekos. Another typical food is the Braaivleis. Most of us would call it Barbecue (different kinds of meat are grilled in sticks on an open fire). And the strangest of all: Fried Mopane Worms. Mopane Worms are caterpillars living on trees and soil. Well… I guess there’s no need for more explanation about this dish.
      To eat Fried Mopane Worms must be a true battle, that reminds us a Namibian hero: Madume Ndemufayo, that achieved his status through heroic battles against oppressors. He was a nineteenth-century Ovambo sub chief that fought the Germans and was killed by them. His achievements were passed from generation to generation through storytelling until now.

Madume Ndemufayo

Fried Mopane Worms

     Surely there’s a song about him. By the way, music and dance are, like in every place else, very important in Namibia. They are expressions of a people. Traditional music uses a lot of drums and still is the most popular music style. This style is closely related to the Namibian folklore and to its culture. But nowadays a change has happened in Namibian music: it’s getting closer to POP music in the USA. It mixes hip-hop, soul, reggae, house and kwaito. The variation of local instruments are locally mixed languages provides a true individual and unique African vibe. Lady May is the diva of Namibian pop music and in this post we’ll show you her latest hit: “Round up”.

       The Namibian Dance is very varied but there are two main types of dance: Ondjongo and Ogdandeka. They’re both basically a circle of singers and viewers around a solo performer. The difference between them is simple: in the first one, solo dancers stay in the center and play an obligatory role. The second on is a simulation of a boxing match where two solo performers pretend to be bulls.

       Other than Lady May there are other celebrities in Namibia. The most famous are Behati Prinsloo and Michelle Mclean-Bailey. Behati is a top model and nowadays she’s the girlfriend of the Maroon 5 singer: Adam Levine. Michelle was Miss Namibia in 1991 and Miss Universe in 1992.

Behati Prinsloo and Adam Levine

MIchelle Mclean-Bailey

       As you can see, Namibia is a country full of interesting things to know more about. See you on the next trip. Keep traveling to Namibia with us!

Preview of namibian dances

This is only a preview about the beatiful namibian dances .

Getting to know Namibia

Hello guys!

Today we will show you here a little introduction about this beautiful country called Namibia. Namibia is located in Southern Africa and it shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the North, Botswana to the East and South Africa to the South. To the West it is limited by the Atlantic Ocean, which makes it a coastal country. Its capital is Windhoek. In the end of this post you will find a video and you will take a look into the city.

Namibia has a population of 2.2 million people and one of the lowest density in the world: 1,5 inhabitants/km². Only about a quarter of Namibians live in urban areas, but that number is growing such as the number of unemployed people leaving their villages and farms. Namibians are mostly Christians (80% - half of these are Lutherans).

Their official currency is the Namibian Dollar and their official language is English, but until 1990, German and Afrikaans (a native language considered as a daughter language of Dutch) were official too. Some people still use native languages, such as “Oshiwambo”.

The main colors in Namibia’s flag are RED, GREEN and BLUE.

Red represents the people.  It refers to their heroism and their determination to build a future of equal opportunities for all. Green represents vegetation and agricultural resources. Blue symbolizes the clear Namibian skies and the Atlantic Ocean, the country's precious water resources and rain. The gold sun represents life and energy.  These colors are the most important colors of the Ovambos, the largest ethnic group in the country. But that’s a story for another time.

Hasta la vista, Namibians!