Global Voices » Namibia

Namibia: 2012 Chess King of Namibia

Ndesanjo Macha — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:51:49 +0000

Namibia has a news King of chess: “Candidate Master Charles Eichab won the National Chess Championship 2012. The 9 round National Chess Championship came to a close today, 4 May 2012 and Charles Eichab took the honors with an almost perfect score of 8.5/9 He only conceded 1 draw against Fide Master Leonhard Mueller who came 2nd also with 8.5/9.”

Africa: Do You Need a Handbook For Bush Flying?

Ndesanjo Macha — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:25:54 +0000

“Low timer pilots handbook to bush flying?,” Bush Pilot in Swakopund asks: “I was wondering if any of you would be interested in an e-book that has all the information about the where's, how's and what's of the job hunt in Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania (and also some other information I have).

Video: Learning a New Language Through Online Video

Juliana Rincón Parra — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 02:01:49 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Languages and the Internet.

February 21st is the International Mother Language Day and this year's theme is Linguistic Diversity and New Technologies. With that in mind, we bring you a series of examples of how people are celebrating and sharing their mother language with others through online videos and websites.

No Funciona by Ciro Durán, CCBY

Our first linguistic stop is Aymara; this language, used by more than two million people is spoken in Bolivia, Peru and Chile and is recognized as an official language in the first two. Aymara speakers are becoming more active on the web through projects such as Jaqi Aru in El Alto, Bolivia and thanks to their efforts in translation, now Global Voices is available in Aymara. Following, through this short video by Choice Humanitarian Org we can learn a few phrases in Aymara from the native speakers:

Another Amerindian language family is Quechua: from Ecuador to Argentina, different dialects of Quechua are spoken by more than 10 million people. It is also an official language in Peru and Bolivia. Jaime Salazar learned to love Quechua as an adult: when he was younger he considered that it was a dying language and that there weren't enough books in Quechua to consider it worth his time, although he admitted to liking several songs in that language. Now he teaches Quechua online both to English and Spanish speaking audiences through his YouTube channel. In this next video he teaches us how to say “I love to learn”

Lets head over to Namibia, and learn a bit about KhoeKhoegowab. It is one of the most widespread languages of the Khoe language family, recognized for their particular clicking sounds in certain words. Primary school teachers Thusnelda Dausas and Gabriel /Khoeseb will teach us the four clicking sounds: !, /, # and // in this next video.

Learning through song is a fun way to learn, and not only for children. This next song lesson will teach us how to greet people in Swahili, the Lingua Franca or common tongue in most of East Africa.

Welsh is the official language of Wales, but is also spoken in some places of England, New Zealand, Australia and even Argentina. In this next video, Ben Low will teach us (while he teaches his friend David) how to pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, the name of a Welsh town whose claim to fame is its very, very long name.

And last but not least, lets revisit the origins of the International Mother Language Day. This commemorative event can can trace its story to the University of Dhaka in 1952 when students protesting for the conservation of Bengali as an official language of Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) were killed. Bangla is now the official language of not only Bangladesh but also India and Sierra Leone. Susan is the one who will teach us how to greet people in Bangla.

Global Voices Online deeply cares about linguistic diversity and multilingualism: GVO is made up of of hundreds of volunteers, translators, authors and editors who speak or write in more than one language. Many of our readers are also bilingual, but we work very hard for those who may not speak English as a second language and who deserve to be able to read worldwide content in their mother tongue. So please feel free to check out the different Global Voices Lingua sites and if you wish to, leave a comment and show your support.

This post is part of our special coverage Languages and the Internet.

Namibia: I am an African goddess

Ndesanjo Macha — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 13:50:53 +0000

Big Ear Records, Production label and new management from South Africa is releasing the much anticipated new super dance album, I am an African goddess, of the Namibian Superstar LadyMay.

Namibia: Adventures of a Bush Pilot in Namibia

Ndesanjo Macha — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 14:13:12 +0000

Follow adventures of a bush pilot (bush bird) in Swakopmund Namibia.

Namibia: Teaching English in Namibia

Ndesanjo Macha — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 16:49:34 +0000

Lynn shares her experience teaching English in Windhoek, Namibia: “English is the official language of Namibia and my understanding is that public school classes are taught in English. I think most pre-school kids hear Afrikaans and/or their indigenous languages in their homes and arrive in first grade without a kindergarten experience and no real exposure to English.”

Africa: The Black Venus

Ndesanjo Macha — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 16:36:39 +0000

Africa is a Country posts a 30-second trailer of the movie “Venus Noire” (Black Venus) about the life of Sara Baartman, the 18th century young Khoi woman publicly exhibited as a circus freak in Europe.

Africa: HIV Positive Women Sterilized, Discriminated Against and Stigmatized

Lova Rakotomalala — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 03:34:33 +0000

On August 31st 2010, PlusNews and IRIN in Johannesburg highlighted the story of Veronica (a pseudonym), a HIV+ woman, who found out that she has been sterilized by nurses without any warnings [fr]:

Veronica* did not realize she had been sterilized while giving birth to her daughter until four years later when, after failing to conceive, she and her boyfriend consulted a doctor.
“I was like ‘Okay, fine', because there was nothing I could do by then, but I was angry. I hate [those nurses],” she told IRIN/PlusNews. Veronica tested HIV-positive during a routine antenatal visit and was given a form to sign by nurses at the hospital where she went to deliver.
“I didn't know what it was all about, but I did sign,” said Veronica, who was 18 at the time and had been scolded by the nurses for being unmarried.

On June 4th, Servaas van den Bosch of IPS asked: «Are Namibian Women Being Forcibly Sterilised? (Les femmes sont-elles en train d’être stérilisées de force?)»[fr] :

Un procès historique, prétendant que des femmes séropositives ont été stérilisées de force dans des hôpitaux publics en Namibie, a commencé le 1er juin à la Haute cour à Windhoek, la capitale du pays.
Des groupes de défense des droits humains affirment que la pratique a continué longtemps après que les autorités ont été informées.
Le Centre d'assistance juridique (LAC) basé à Windhoek est en train de défendre 15 cas présumés de stérilisation forcée. Les cas de trois femmes seront entendus au début. Chaque femme demande l'équivalent de 132.000 dollars US de dommages et intérêts.

A historical trial took place June 1st at the High Court of Windhoek, the capital city. HIV+ women assert that they were sterilized by force in public hospitals of Namibia.
Human rights activist groups affirm that the practice continued long after the authorities were informed
The Legal Assistance Center (LAC) based in Windhoek is defending 15 cases of alleged forced sterilization. Three cases will be heard first and each women are asking for $132,000 USD for damages and interest.

The first cases of sterilization were found first by the International Community of Women (ICW) living with AIDS. Veronica Kalambi of ICW declares [fr]:

Les premiers cas sont apparus au cours des réunions communautaires au début de 2008. Dans les mois qui ont suivi, nous avons interrogé 230 femmes, parmi lesquelles 40 ont été stérilisées contre leur gré”,

The first cases appeared during communitarian meeting in early 2008. In the following months, we interviewed 230 women, of which 40 were sterilized against their will.

Reacting to the article about forced sterilization in 2009 in Namibia in the comment section, Maxi opines:

Despicable brutes! - do you also castrate HIV+ men ? So Dr Menguele's legacy is still alive and well in Namibia. What a shame, these doctors who soil the ethics of their mission.

Zimunina M. adds:

Hi there! Dear doctor, what will you tell these women that you just sterilized if tomorrow a cure for AIDS becomes available in Namibia ? In my opinion, you belong in prison and the government and the WHO should take away your diploma

The website osi.bouake.free.fr also reposted an article on The Guardian by David Smith from Johannesburg that denouces those practices:

In South Africa, cases are being referred to the Women’s Legal Centre with a view to a possible action. Promise Mthembu, a researcher at Witwatersrand University, said coerced sterilisations were happening in “very large areas” of the country.
Many patients were forced to undergo the operation as the only means of gaining access to medical services, Mthembu told the Mail & Guardian newspaper.

rmbengou, on AIDS RIGHTS CONGO also denounces these medical practices. He writes in a post entitled: “In Central Africa, HIV-positive women are blamed for their sexuality“:

Gabriel Maliyere, the head of the AHVV program, emphasizes how “the behavior of medical personnel is deplorable. After their prenatal exams, HIV-positive women are condemned for the fact that they’re pregnant.”

HIV-positive women are expected to cease having sex and conceiving. In this sense, women are blamed for their sexuality. Yafouta-Kaïe, a member of the National Congress of Young Women Living with HIV/AIDS (CNJFV+), claims: “Above all, it is the hurtful words and the coldness of certain midwives, during childbirth, towards women living with HIV.”

.

In the same article, he indicates that a few projects are underway to change this situation:

Other public campaigns, HIV/AIDS film screenings, and debates over the rights of HIV-positive persons, were organized on December 8 and 9, 2009, northwest of Bangui and in the 8th arrondissement. During these campaigns, speakers presented on the following themes, which were especially chosen for this educational day : “I am secure, I am accepted, I am receiving treatment, I am in firm possession of my rights, the right to live, and to wellbeing.”

Unfortunately those are not isolated cases. In an article on afrik.com, Habibou Bangré reveals that [fr]:

…exceptée celle du Togo, toutes les lois des pays africains - et celles d’autres Etats hors du continent - peuvent s’appliquer pour pénaliser la transmission du VIH de la mère à l’enfant. En conséquence, une femme séropositive qui transmettrait le virus à son enfant au cours de la grossesse, l’accouchement ou l’allaitement pourrait être poursuivie en justice. La Sierra-Leone va même plus loin et condamne spécifiquement la transmission mère-enfant, remettant ainsi en cause le droit des femmes séropositives à procréer.

Except for Togo, the legal write-up of most african countries- and as a matter of fact, outside the continent- can be implemented in a way that will penalize the the mother to child transmission of HIV. Therefore, a HIV+ woman who would transmit the virus to her child during pregnancy, child birth or nursing can be charged in a court of law. In Sierra Leone, it goes further and condemns specifically the mother-to-child transmission, therefore possibly revoking the reproductive rights of HIV+ women.

Two bloggers were outraged and commented thusly:

pvvih says :

A state that implements such measures must make ARVs available to all first. I am an African student and I am taking ARVs. ARVs that many consider a panacea are not easy to take. They sometimes bring more suffering than good. Countries must support research for better treatments and therefore give more money.

Mona adds:

Some of these women were abused, violated and raped etc. Why must they be punished? And men in all that, don't they have some responsibilities in this matter? Let's cure these women instead of punish them. Let's give them contraceptives, guidances etc… this is really scandalous.

Africa: Putting arts and culture on SADC's agenda

Ndesanjo Macha — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:36:28 +0000

Arts and culture is on SADC's 30th Anniversary: “Zimbabwean renowned poet, Albert Nyathi performs on the 17/08/2010 for all of SADC’s Heads of State during the 30th Anniversary of the regional body here in Windhoek, Namibia.”

Africa: It's time for Big Brother Africa All-Stars

Ndesanjo Macha — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 16:44:51 +0000

On July 18, 2010 Big Brother Africa, a television show produced by Endemol, entered its fifth season with Big Brother Africa All-Stars. The show, which has become the most popular TV reality show in Africa, is being taped at the Big Brother House at Sasani Studios in Johannersburg, South Africa and will run for 91 days.

Other editions were Big Brother Africa 1, Big Brother Africa 2, Big Brother Africa 3 and Big Brother Africa 4: The Revolution.

Bloggers are following the show closely; discussing and sharing information about the show with their readers.

Here are the names of participants from Nigerian blogger Oluniyi Ajao:

Big Brother All Stars will see 14 housemates from 14 African countries come together to compete 24/7 for 91 days in the search for the ultimate winner prize – USD 200 000, watched by audiences on DStv channel 198.

The Big Brother Africa 5 housemates in the order they entered:

Mwisho from Tanzania
Jennifer from Mozambique
Paloma – Zambia
Munya – Zimbabwe
Code – Malawi
Sheila from Kenya
Yacob from Ethiopia
Sammy from Ghana
Kaone from Botswana
Merly from Namibia
Uti from Nigeria
Lerato from South Africa
Hannington from Uganda
Tatiana from Angola

Bella Naija discusses the first “eviction” and housemates' revolt:

It was the first eviction show of the ‘All Star’ season of Big Brother Africa. All the housemates were up for eviction and we just knew that ‘biggie’ had something up his/her sleeve!

Before we get back to the evictions, its been an interesting week in the Big Brother Africa All Stars house all week. The housemates have spent the week getting to know each other and basically getting reacquainted with the Big Brother Africa experience. We’ve had Munya and Meryl take a steamy shower together (well not really ‘together’ but at the same time in neighbouring shower stalls), there has been some sizzle between Sheila & Hannington – she seems quite open to the idea, though she warned him that he might not be able to handle her lifestyle.

Finally, the other big news was the Housemates’ Revolt. The housemates got really rowdy on Saturday as they were protesting the lack of food in the house. When things got out of hand and guards were sent in by “Biggie” to calm the situation, the housemates took them hostage and didn’t let them leave. After discussions between the housemates, Tatiana (Head of House) and Biggie; Eventually, the guards were let go and Big Brother rewarded the housemates with an abundant supply of food.

Back to the evictions, Tatiana and Kaone were evicted because they got the lowest amount of viewer votes. However, Big Brother nullified the evictions and reinstated them into the house. That wasn’t all, they were allowed to issue two ‘daggers’ to the other housemates.

JMK of Big Brother Africa Forum describes what happened on Day 25 Diary Session:

During his Day 25 Diary Session, Hannington admitted that he will miss Max for the pranks that he has been pulling on the Barnmates. He told Big Brother that the Barnmates have decided to give him a smelly gift for his troubles.

Sammi told Big Brother it has been a busy day, preparing the outfits for the Big Brother Movie auditions. He admitted he would miss Max and all the jokes they shared. He did, however, add that they gave him a send away gift he is unlikely to find amusing.

Lerato described her costume as a corset-boobtube-cape fusion and her name is Intergalac Chic. Lerato told Big Brother she wasn't sure if Max was going to leave or become a Barnmate. She admitted that his departure saddened them.

Ameyaw Debrah also writes about housemates' Diary Session:

During his Diary Session, Munya begged his fans to vote to keep Tatiana in the house this week. He told Big Brother that he was appealing to his fans to support Tatiana because she had also done the same for him. He said that though he did not know who else was up for eviction, Tatiana had to stay – little does he know that Head of House Sheila replaced herself with him and he is going head-to-head with the Angolan to stay in the house this week!
Lerato got a surprise visitor to The Barn on Tuesday when her ex-boyfriend Maxwell (from Big Brother Africa Season 2) appeared through the doors. Lerato screamed “Oh my God!” and gave him a huge hug. “What are you doing here! Oh my freaking word,” she exclaimed, before reaching for a cigarette to calm her nerves. After the introductions, Max quickly made himself comfortable with a beer and settled into life in The Barn.
He was quickly up to no good, playing tricks on the Barnmates. First, he hid away cigarettes and drank a few beers. He then set about isolating them and talking to each Barnmate individually, telling them different theories about how the game will pan out.
First up, he told Hannington that he didn’t expect to see Lerato when he came into the Barn. He admitted he and Lerato remained friends after he got married. He also told Hannington that Sammi believes he is from Nigeria. Next, he took Sammi aside and flattered him for having a good character. They shared their experiences about Nigeria. Max even volunteered to prepare a Nigerian specialty for dinner. As soon as he was done chatting to Sammi, Max went back to talk to Hannington and told him he was a big fan.

Finally, sadness fell upon the Big Brother House on 9 August 2010:

Today [9 August 2010] in the Big Brother house, Uti, the Nigerian house mate received a call from home and got very bad news that his dad had passed.

After recieveing the message, Uti wept (Watch Clip Here) and confided in Sheila before making it known to other house mates.The barn mates however watched everything from the Barn and other house mates have advised that Uti leave the house for his fathers burial and come back afterwards?

Should Uti leave or stay and finish what he already started???What are your thoughts???

Africa: 5 Things You Did Not Know About Africa

Ndesanjo Macha — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 08:32:20 +0000

A list of 5 Things You Did Not Know About Africa by Tolu Ogunlesi: “When Western tourists talk about Africa somehow it seems to me that what they really mean is East and Southern Africa, places like Namibia and Kenya and Botswana and parts of Uganda where you will find safaris and zebras and elephants and lakes in abundance.”

Africa: Should Africa care about space exploration?

Ndesanjo Macha — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:58:58 +0000

Should Africa care about space exploration?: “As Africans, we have always had an interest in the sky – the Dogon of Mali were found to have an advanced astronomical knowledge without the use of telescopes.”

Africa: Africa's old men

Ndesanjo Macha — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:28:30 +0000

Africa's old men: “I haven’t checked the maths but here’s something interesting sent in to us from a subscriber: Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe) age 86, Hosni Mubarak (Egypt) age 82, Hifikepunye Pohamba (Namibia) age 74, Rupiah Banda (Zambia) age 73, Mwai Kibaki (Kenya) age 71…”

Namibia: First step victory in forced sterilisation case

Ndesanjo Macha — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:12:42 +0000

The forced sterilisation case in Namibia has achieved its first victory: “The High Court today agreed with the Legal Assistance Centre that the Public Service Act does not apply to the forced sterilisation cases, in which the LAC is representing several women suing the Government of Namibia for damages.”

Namibia: Traveling in Namibia

Ndesanjo Macha — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 07:39:44 +0000

David writes about his travel in Namibia: “Twyfelfontain is a UNESCO World Heritage site West of Khorixas where there are world famous rock paintings and engravings.”