Under the desert sky: Namibia 10 years after Independence
In March of 1990, after decades of struggle by the South West People's Organization (SWAPO) against illegal South African occupation, Namibia was proclaimed an Independent nation. With Sam Nujoma as president, and one of the most progressive constitutions in the world, there was abundant optimism for the development of the country.
Over
the past 10 years, many things have certainly changed: for 
some,
conditions have improved, for others, their lives have continued to be plagued
by economic and social marginalization. Perhaps in reaction to the horrific
genocide carried out by the Germans in the early part of the 1900's against
their people, the Herero of Namibia are often described as proud and
intimidating. They now control the cattle economy of the eastern region of
Omaheke and even the women have adopted a cloth head-piece in the shape of
cattle horns.
Many
of the other peoples of this region of Namibia (the Ovambo, the Tswana, the Nama,
the Damara, and the San), experience a harsh discrimination by those in power.
The most tragic effect of this has been felt by the San. Formerly a hunting and
gathering people, the San have been forced to abandon their nomadic traditions
and have been coerced to settle on
government-designated farms. With little employment opportunities, poor
agricultural land, and limited access to basic resources, the San communities
have suffered from skyrocketing rates of alcohol abuse and TB and HIV infection.
As there are limited glass bottle recycling programs in Namibia, beer bottles
litter the streets, filling barrels and lining pathways. Some people are now
collecting these cans and bottles for use in small building
construction.
NGOs such as Oxfam Canada and Health Unlimited are working with the Namibian Ministry of Health to assist in the delivery of health services to these marginalized communities and in the reduction and management of infectious diseases. While on one hand, there are some Namibians who have become immeasurably wealthy from the country's diamond and mineral riches, at the other extreme, there are the San who often do not have enough food to take their TB medication.
Namibia has immense social
challenges to overcome. Having inherited a sectioned and divided agricultural
system of the German and South African colonial powers, and the racist 
apartheid
segregation of black and white communities, there is much resentment of those
who still reap the benefits from the system. In an effort to address the land
issue, the government has redistributed some land, but the simple fact remains
that after a decade of independence, most Namibians expectations of the new
democracy have not been met. Tensions, while simmered, have not disappeared.
Despite the beauty of the modern concrete and light-filled, Supreme Court of
Justice, much of the population live in inadequate housing constructed of
cracked, mud walls or flattened pieces of metal (autobody panels, barrels, tin
sheets) loosely fastened together.
This photo essay looks at the people of the eastern region of Omaheke (which means "sand"), and the environment they struggle to survive in.
