As we told
you before, Namibia is located in South Africa, and this part of Africa
influences almost every aspect of its culture.
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| 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.
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.
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| Madume Ndemufayo |
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| 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.
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| Behati Prinsloo and Adam Levine |
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| 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!
