FlyNamibia January 2023

GOOD T O D A Y . B E TTE R T OMO R R O W

Stories in FlyNamibia Magazine

CONTENT IS FIRE

WELCOME ON BOARD

FASHION FIERCE

LIFE ON A TABLE

ECONOMIC PULSE

DOWN THE ORANGE FROM DRIFT TO DRIFT

ROYAL HUSTLERS

THE MOST INTERESTING BIKES IN THE WORLD 30

The story of ONGUZA – steel-framed bicycles built by hand in Omaruru.

THIS IS NAMIBIA 34

Discovering the deep south.

WHAT TO DO IN SWAKOPMUND 37

Small five to surfing - a few things to do in Swakopmund.

PHOTOGRAPHY FEATURE 38

Be inspired by some images from around Namibia.

WHAT TO DO IN WALVIS BAY 45

Flying to Walvis Bay? Here are a few things to add to your to-do list.

NEWS ON ONE 47

Penomwene Nekwaya spreading a message of compassion and solidarity.

NDAPANDA HAININGA

Turning a love for travel into a growing business.

THE PROJECT ROOM

If (black) walls could talk.

THE REAL MAGIC KINGDOM

Don’t forget to pack your young ones when visiting Namibia.

HOLLYWOOD’S NEW FAVOURITE PLAYGROUND 59

The endless filming opportunities for Hollywood in Namibia.

HOW BLUEBERRY FARMING STARTED IN THE KAVANGO

With big goals and ambitious expansion plans, Mashare Agri aims for the sky.

DID YOU KNOW? 63

Fun facts, important dates and Sudoku.

LOVE NAMIBIA 64

Showcasing the beauty of our country.

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Ondangwa - Toivo ya Toivo

Oranjemund

Eros Airport

Cape Town

FLIGHT SCHEDULE

CONNECTING YOU TO

Windhoek, Ondangwa, Rundu, Katima Mulilo, Cape Town, Sossusvlei, Swakopmund and Etosha

DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

TO DAYS DEPARTURE ARRIVAL

FROM Windhoek

Ondangwa - Toivo Ya Toivo

Windhoek Ondangwa - Toivo Ya Toivo

Windhoek Rundu

Windhoek Katima Mulilo

Ondangwa - Toivo Ya Toivo

07:00 07:50 08:40 09:30 Windhoek

Ondangwa - Toivo Ya Toivo

Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun

Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun

16:00 16:50 17:40 18:30 Windhoek

Rundu Mon, Wed, Fri Mon, Wed, Fri

06:30 08:00 08:40 10:10 Windhoek

Katima Mulilo Wed, Fri, Sun Wed, Fri, Sun

11:00 12:25 13:10 14:40 Windhoek

Windhoek Oranjemund

Oranjemund Mon, Wed, Fri

Mon, Wed, Fri 17:00 17:50 Windhoek

Mon, Wed, Fri 10:50 12:30 13:10 14:50 Windhoek Windhoek 15:30 16:20 Walvis Bay Walvis Bay Mon, Wed, Fri

REGIONAL FLIGHTS

TO DAYS DEPARTURE ARRIVAL

FROM Windhoek

Cape Town

Cape Town Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri

FROM Windhoek Sossusvlei

Swakopmund Sossusvlei

Windhoek

06:50 08:50 09:50 11:50 Windhoek Windhoek Cape Town

Cape Town Sunday Sunday

14:00 16:00 17:00 19:00 Windhoek

SAFARI FLIGHTS

TO DAYS

Swakopmund

Sossusvlei Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun

DEPARTURE ARRIVAL

09:45 10:35 11:05 11:45

12:15 12:55 13:25 14:15 Windhoek

Sossusvlei Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun

Windhoek

Windhoek Swakopmund Swakopmund Windhoek Swakopmund Etosha

Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun 15:15 16:15 Etosha Etosha Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun

16:55 17:55 09:45 11:45 12:15 14:15 12:15 16:15

Welcome on Board

New year, new adventures await!

We don’t know about you, but we are incredibly excited about 2023! With so many new developments on the not-so-distant horizon, our year is set to be an epic one. We’d like to kick 2023 off by once again thanking our new and returning clients for their tremendous support last year. We hope to continue offering you a reliable, safe and comfortable service, with an ever-expanding selection of destinations to choose from.

More Mzansi

In 2023, we’re looking towards our neighbours in South Africa and will be expanding our connection offerings between Namibia and Mzansi. The addition of a Cape Town to Walvis Bay, as well as a Johannesburg and Windhoek connection is in our near future, and we’re incredibly excited to get started. Keep an eye on our social media channels for start date announcements.

Safari skies

Our safari route schedule will be shaking things up from April this year with the addition of direct flights between Windhoek and Swakopmund as well as Swakopmund and Etosha. This will create even more options for travellers wishing to discover as much of Namibia as possible, with less time spent on the road and more time to explore.

Following the Face of FlyNamibia

Joyce still has some destinations left to visit, so follow her adventures over the next few months as she uncovers

some more Namibian wonders and ventures further afield. Her bubbly personality and zest for life are a wonderful representation of our company and we are so honoured to have her as part of the team. Though her tenure as Face of FlyNamibia comes to an end this year, there is so much more left for her to explore and share with us before that sad day comes.

Did you know…

That our logo is based on the concept of a basket? Jip! The beautiful basket, ever present in so many African, and global, cultures was the inspiration behind our sun-centred logo. We often hand out these baskets as gifts and tokens of appreciation to our partners and friends. They are handmade by a group of ladies from the Nakambale Community near Ondangwa. Each thread is lovingly woven together to create a beautiful and meaningful collective.

FlyNamibia currently operates domestic routes from Eros Airport in Windhoek to Ondangwa, Rundu, Katima Mulilo, Walvis Bay and Oranjemund, as well as a regional route between Hosea Kutako International Airport and Cape Town International. Flights can be booked through all major travel agencies, or directly via FlyNamibia’s 24/7 contact centre at +264 83 339 0011. Customers can also visit www. flynamibia.com.na for online bookings.

The FlyNamibia Team

Happy flying!

Sweetness Mubita keeps her Eye on African inspired Fashion

From the time that she was a little girl, Sweetness Mubita has been a little obsessed with fashion. Her favourite pastime was playing around with fabric, draping it on her growing body and preferring to ditch store-bought clothing from the time she could put together a decent outfit. Today, the South African/Namibian fashion designer gets to play dress up, but this time she does it for a living and has amassed a loyal client base over the years.

She showed off her ability to create the most elegant and unique garments when she showcased at the 2022 MTC Windhoek Fashion Week. The collection, a beautiful interpretation of her cultural roots and modern influences, is nothing short of stunning. From bright, flowy resort wear garments to traditional attire from both South Africa and Namibia, the collection is the perfect marriage between old and new.

I recently caught up with Sweetness to talk about the influences her multicultural heritage has on her work and what it has been like building her Eye on Fashion brand over the years …

Who were your main style influencers as you were growing up?

I’m originally from the Eastern Cape, South Africa. At a young age, my aunt suggested that I take on fashion design after noticing my unique sense of style. As a teenager, I was greatly influenced by Janet Jackson and Cyndi Lauper.

I loved Janet Jackson’s baggy style, her cropped tops and box braids.

I loved Cyndi Lauper’s love for bright colours.

Your brand is known mostly for its celebration of African heritage. What would you say is the importance of using fashion as a medium to propel our cultures?

Clothing in general speaks louder than words. It’s easy to identify someone from what they wear, be it a police officer in uniform or a scholar in school uniform. I have always

been proudly African, and it shows in my dress code and the way I wear my hair. Now that I am grown, my designs are greatly influenced by Southern African cultural dresses. It is very important to show pride in our cultures through fashion, since it speaks the loudest.

Take me through your design process when creating a new garment?

I’m always excited whenever I have to design something new, especially when it’s something unique or challenging. I love a challenge, as it keeps me on my toes.

An idea comes to mind or a client gives me a design, then I draft the pattern and cut it out. Lastly, my seamstress assembles the dress until done. If there is any beading to be done, I do it myself or give it to my assistant to do it.

What about the mood board for your 2022 MTC Windhoek Fashion Week collection, how did that look? My mood board was inspired by Namibian cultures. I received my invite late for the show, so I took some pieces from the stock I already had and made a few new ones. I’m sure you noticed I used quite a bit of Ondelela and my showstopper was a traditional Ovaherero-inspired dress.

A fashion designer whose work has evolved well with the changing times, Sweetness is excited to take her brand to the next level. On what her future plans are for Eye on Fashion, Sweetness says that she will continue to draw inspiration from her African heritage. “You can expect more funky, modern yet still Africa-inspired designs to capture the attention of the youth. You’ll also see more Namibian flag-inspired garments from my future collections,” she says.

To get in touch with Sweetness, follow her on Instagram @sweetsmubita and on Facebook @Sweets Ndwandwa Mubita.

Rukee Kaakunga is a Windhoek-based communications specialist, blogger and freelance fashion writer. Contact her via email: rukeekaakunga@gmail.com and follow her on Twitter @rukeeveni and Instagram @rukeekaakunga

Simz

Mkhwanazi/Best

Friends Studios

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

INSTRUCTIONS

• Finely grate the chocolate.

• Cream the butter, sugar and egg yolks together.

• Add the cocoa, grated chocolate and brandy.

• Mix properly. Put in the refrigerator until cold.

• Form balls and roll each one in chocolate vermicelli. • Keep in the fridge until serving.

Hentie Burger

DISHOUWDT

Crates, console tables, cheese boards, window frames and braai bins, all derived from wood. Dishouwdt started out as a popup shop over the festive season, perfect for the last-minute Christmas gifters. Now Dishouwdt has a full-time spot in the centre of town, so you can shop their wide selection of wood goods, and all the trimmings to add rustic flair to your home, anytime of the year. They also stock leather bags and decor pieces, as well as alternatives to the mundane door knob and cupboard handle, all in an airy screed-floor shop space.

www.dishouwdt.com

SHOP LOCAL -ish

Swakopmund has the best shopping scene in Namibia. Cute, quaint shops define the retail scene in Swakopmund, and they’re all walking distance from another.

OSCAR & OLIVE

Swakopmund’s loveliest (and long-standing) unisex boutique is located in the Brauhaus Arcade. If the beautiful shopwindow displays don’t lure you in, their selection of high quality, luxurious fabric clothing and shoes in-store sure will. Funky printed men’s shirts, felt hats by Simon and Mary plus classic casual shoes are on offer in the men’s section. For the ladies, beautiful flowy cotton dresses, trousers and blouses hang in plenty, allowing you to browse through their selection of South African brands. Leather accessories and bold jewellery pieces complete Oscar & Olive’s selection for the stylish and comfort-loving dresser.

MIRROR MIRROR

Interior dreams come true at Mirror Mirror, the fairest home decor shop in Swakopmund. Owner Amanda Du Preez is a qualified interior designer, with a personal love for refurbishing second-hand furniture. In-store you’ll find ceramic and glass vases, baskets, textiles and pre-loved, jazzed-up occasional chairs alongside locally-created artworks and leather goods. Mirror Mirror is perhaps the starting point of your next home renovation, as they offer interior design services. Or if your space is in need of a little sprucing up and you plan to DIY it, pop into Mirror Mirror for those much needed statement pieces.

@mirrormirrorswakopmund

TREASURES & MORE

For second-hand, vintage and antique furniture, Treasures & More is arguably the best spot in the whole of Swakopmund. Everything from artwork, rugs, lamps, chairs, crockery and household appliances can be found in their spacious shop, 3 minutes from the centre of town. Located across from the Swakopmund Municipality, Treasures & More also hosts regular auctions, when you can purchase big ticket items for an absolute steal. It’s one of those shops where time is your best companiontake a good look, do a little digging, and find treasure at a bargain price.

TREASURES Swakopmund

Are you a Nam or SA-based small business lifestyle brand? List your label with us for only N$750 per month. fly@venture.com.na

The Case for Share Repurchases

Share repurchases have been a hotly debated topic, particularly in the developed world, for a number of years now, and yet it somehow still remains one of the most misunderstood and maligned corporate actions.

The reason why the subject is topical in Namibia right now is the fact that two of the locally listed companies on the Namibian Stock Exchange, i.e. FirstRand Namibia and Capricorn Group, have in recent months announced plans to potentially buy back their shares. Buybacks have up until now not been a common occurrence in Namibia, making this the ideal opportunity to inform investors what they are and why they are potentially preferable over other capital allocation decisions.

A share repurchase/buyback is simply the practice whereby a firm’s management uses cash, or takes on additional debt, to buy back a portion of the shares of its own corporation that were previously sold to the public. Seeing that companies raise equity capital through the sale of shares to the public, it may seem counter-intuitive that a business might choose to give that money back, but there are several reasons why it may be beneficial for a company to do so.

One of the common critiques against buybacks is that they are somehow bad for the economy. The argument is that each dollar spent on buying back shares is a dollar that is not spent on expanding business operations that could stimulate economic growth. However, what gets ignored in this argument is the fact that the capital that gets disseminated from the repurchase will likely be reinvested somewhere else. Shareholders have access to a wider set of investment opportunities than the management teams of companies. Directing the buyback proceeds to these opportunities not only allows shareholders to diversify their investment portfolios, but also aids economic growth by directing capital towards companies and projects which could potentially offer returns higher than the cost of capital.

A repurchase is a form of capital allocation. By using capital to buy back shares in the existing business, the management team is investing in an entity that they know and understand better than any other external investment opportunity. Large capital projects by contrast, have a greater risk of running over budget and often fail to achieve their cost of capital, leading to value destruction. When a company is sitting on excess cash, it is better to return it to shareholders than to specifically go in search of a project just because it has the funds lying around, because that could easily lead to value destruction.

IJG believes in tailoring their services to a client’s personal and business needs. For more information, visit www.ijg.net

Furthermore, repurchases are permanent investments. Shares that are bought back no longer form part of a firm’s issued shares, which means it is a dividend that is saved because it is a share that is no longer in public hands and the value per share is improved permanently.

Another common argument against buybacks is that they ‘shrink the business’. This is not the case since the firm’s operations are ongoing and its operating assets do not change. For long-term investors who opt to not sell their shares back to the company, buybacks are advantageous because it increases their proportional stake in the firm, since fewer shares are available to the public.

Liquidity on the Namibian Stock Exchange is considerably lower than on larger exchanges such as the JSE, where institutional investors, such as pension funds, generally buy shares and hold them for significantly longer periods of time than retail investors, who are more likely to sell their shares, particularly when economic conditions are challenging. This means that price discovery is poor and often leads to the shares of the Namibian companies trading below their fair/intrinsic values. In this case, a share repurchase is advantageous to long-term investors, because a natural buyer in the market supports the share price. It is advantageous to investors who want to liquidate their holdings, and lastly it enhances the financial ratios of the firm.

The Namibian commercial banks are overcapitalised, and with credit demand remaining low and the outlook for economic growth lacklustre, in our view it makes sense for them to explore this form of corporate action. It should be noted that although the shareholders of FirstRand Namibia and Capricorn Group have voted in favour of the company buying back its shares, it is not a guarantee that they will do so, but it gives them the freedom to do so.

The biggest drawbacks of share repurchases are that the management team could overpay for the shares and that buybacks reduce the available cash on the company’s balance sheet. However, given the alternatives that the cash is either spent on low yielding, value-destroying projects, or lies dormant in the firm’s bank account, we still prefer the buyback option, as it creates more value.

Based on the arguments made here, we are very much in favour of share buybacks as a form of capital allocation, particularly when few growth opportunities exist for businesses, and we believe that buybacks should be pursued by more listed companies.

van Wyk – Head: Research

Danie

Art-ist

Stefan Oosthuizen

AA happy incident, paired with the quest for fine art on a budget, sent self-proclaimed creative soul Stefan Oosthuizen on a journey to becoming an artist to watch in Namibia. For the past four years he has been experimenting with different techniques in search of a solution to getting pastel to stick to canvas. Stefan required a larger blank space to spew his creativity onto, and the local drawing paper supply simply didn’t cut it. Eventually, after trials and tribulations, he stumbled upon the humble clothing iron. By layering, burning, removing and reapplying the pastels, candle wax and iron a remarkable depth becomes tangible in Stefan’s artwork. Just like the artwork, the artist isn’t one-dimensional.

Growing up in Swakopmund, Stefan found himself doodling in the back of his school books at a young age. He was definitely born with a creative streak, he says. His undergraduate studies in multimedia design drew him

further away from putting brush to paper as his creative practice became increasingly digital. After working in the advertising industry in his early career as a graphic designer and art director, a departure to pursue freelance photography eventually led Stefan back to the fine, illustrative arts. He had a deep desire to fill his immediate space with impactful artwork, and decided to create art first and foremost for himself.

While an air of imposter-syndrome is present in all of us, Stefan truly loves the final product of his labour, and laborious it is. The artist says that while he has a knack for it, getting something to work, to look the way he envisions, takes a lot of fine-tuning. Colouring outside the lines is his favourite part. He explains that his process involves laying out the foundation and then deconstructing it as he builds the piece in layers and perspective. With his clothing iron Stefan smoothes and blurs out the borders, softening yet intensifying the subjects. He then keeps the artwork in his space and truly enjoys it before deciding whether to sell it.

Considering his fresh take on artistic techniques and abstract aesthetic, Stefan ought to have featured in a local exhibition by now. He says that while it would surely be a great honour, he is fond of the one-on-one interactions at markets and via Instagram sales. Stefan can’t bear the thought of someone else selling his art, he wants to understand what draws a viewer to it, share the inspiration and passion for beautiful paintings.

“I’m artsy-fartsy but think about it with a business brain as well. If you can find your audience and price your art appropriately, people will buy your art,” says Stefan. During lockdown, his art paid for groceries. But this is not a fable about a struggling artist – he is a photographer and graphic designer by day and an artist by night. Stefan’s studio comprises a wooden kitchen table, where he spends late nights crafting a candle wax, acryl, pastel and ironburnt concoction.

There’s no telling which weird and wonderful technique and colour palette he will conjure up next!

Charene Labuschagne

Namibia

Subscribe AND WIN

Down the Orange from drift to drift

The previous five days were a magnificent experience. It is mid-April. We are doing a canoe trip down the Orange River from Vioolsdrift to Sendelingsdrift by courtesy of Umkulu Safaris, based at The Growcery (spelling correct) on the southern bank of the river. Our guide is Josias Servaas Fick (Sas for short), accompanied by his Australian blue heeler cattle dog bitch (Kyla for short). The river was at dangerously high levels just the previous week, but was quite manageable by now. We are a group of six canoeists, doing the new experimental run down-river on six brand new sit-on-top plastic kayaks. The boats have been performing exquisitely well from the start and took most rapids with elegance and speed. The few times we got spilled, it was the quick reaction of Sas that saved the day, and the paddler.

We were one each per kayak and carried two dry bags with our food and sleeping gear – one secured at the stern of the kayak, another one in the bow. We managed to paddle about 40 kilometres each day, greatly assisted by the strong current carrying us downstream.

Umkulu Safaris is a Namibian-owned company operating not only kayak trips down the Orange river but also photographic safaris into Namibia and Botswana. They provide all meals on the river, although the paddlers have to help with the transport of foodstuffs and cooking gear. Each paddler also has to transport their own sleeping bag, inflatable mattress and pillow. The kayaks are sturdy and stable enough to allow quite a few extra kilograms of personal luxuries. For our cameras we had double zip-lock bags to keep them dry.

At night we camped on a sandbank, hoping to be far enough from the big-tailed scorpions that are so abundant in these areas in summertime. Kyla, the cattle dog, made sure that we socially integrated as a group. Before the first day was over all of us were good friends. That shows you what a shared experience of nature can do. Kyla accepted each of us as part of her pack. Every morning she came to wake us one by one by pressing her wet nose against our foreheads, where we lay in our sleeping bags. This waking-up ritual preceded the slow dawn. We got up to help Sas prepare the food. We got our tummies filled. Soon afterwards the next stretch of paddling started. Hour after hour the river scenery rolls by. Water monitors in the reeds, vervet monkeys in the wait-a-bit trees lining the banks, fish eagles calling from the high branches.

Here, the Orange runs through one of the driest regions in the whole of southern Africa. It is strange to realise that this river drains masses of water from the Free State and Gauteng provinces in South Africa on its way to the Atlantic Ocean. The origin of all the water is the Indian Ocean, from where it

rose to form rain clouds. The banks are lined with tamarisks, karee, sweet-thorn and wait-a-bit thorn trees, all getting their water directly from the river, and not from rain, because there is none of that luxury down here. This is the Richtersveld, a true desert in all respects.

In spite of the arid surroundings, the birdlife along the river is abundant, with plenty of geese, ducks, spoonbills, cormorants, buzzards, hawks and eagles. They did not see us as intruders but kept calmly glancing at the kayaks as we drifted past. There were many opportunities for taking good photographs.

Towards the end of our trip we found several abandoned diamond mines along the river. Dilapidated and rusting machinery was evidence of failure and loss of fortunes. Sas told us stories of some fortune-seekers losing their lives trying to cross the river with a pocket full of diamonds illegally taken from the gravel heaps of these abandoned mines. We were careful not to drown in the rapids ourselves.

The rapids needed a specific approach. We were fortunate to progress step by step as the difficulty grading steadily increased the further we went. The first rapids were only a slight acceleration in the speed of the water with a ripple on the surface. The next ones and the ones thereafter became progressively more challenging. The ideal was to get through them without getting spilled. But even when spilled, all was not lost. A quick flip could turn the kayak back up the right way, with the dry bags protecting our gear and groceries. We steadily gained confidence in ourselves and our guide. With daytime temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius, and a full moon up, we even started paddling at night, the river a broad and pale presence around us and into the unknown in front of us.

The rapid just before Sendelingsdrift is man-made, and therefore more dangerous than the natural ones. Here, a weir dams up the water in a wide reservoir, for extraction by the nearby mines and settlements. We carried the kayaks over the sharp stones. We never realised our boats were so heavy until we had to lift them from the water!

The final stretch was flat and slow. We reached the punt at Sendelingsdrift just before lunch. This was an experience not to be forgotten soon. The next one could take us even further, right down to the ocean this time. It is only two days more, in any case.

Piet van Rooyen

First published in the Summer 2022/23 issue of Travel News Namibia magazine. Subscribe to Travel News Namibia here: www.zinio.com/za/travel-news-namibia-m38306

Fresh Starts Need Endings and Renewals

It’s a New Year! Is it time for a new you? The beginning of a New Year is synonymous with fresh starts, clean slates and blank canvases. Making a ‘fresh start’ isn’t just a figure of speech, it is a psychological concept. It is called the fresh start effect and it states that when given a fresh start, like with a New Year, we are better at disconnecting from who we have been in the past, and find it easier to look at tackling new goals and ideals.

Collectively we associate the 1st of January with the symbolic act of metaphorically hitting life's reset button. This is where New Year’s resolutions come from. With hitting life’s reset button we are more inclined to leave our missteps in the past, and create the ‘new me’ for our present and future selves.

This clean slate leverages our desires to distance ourselves from the imperfect past-self, and link up with the more rosy version of how we would like to see ourselves. The feeling of a better, and more in control future-self, acts as an additional motivator guiding us to make life changes that are more in line with who we would like to be. It is no coincidence that gym memberships spike in January, or that doctors get more patient calls about quitting smoking in the New Year. The feeling of starting over nudges us towards more goal-driven behaviours, where we don’t want to ruin our clean slate.

It is hard to keep ourselves in this freshly motivated state, the kind that comes with the euphoria of a fresh start. Old habits are easy to slip back into and mistakes are simple to make, especially when we don’t keep two important factors in mind: Endings and Renewals.

We need to purposefully close the chapter we are currently reading (endings) and empower ourselves to see the world afresh (renewals) in order to imbue our fresh start with meaningful substance. This is how an attempt at better life choices becomes more than just a ‘start’.

Endings

For a fresh new beginning to work we need to have an ending. As Lao Tzu writes, “new beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.”

Not just an ending but a well-rounded ending, one marked by a sense of closure. Closure involves the feeling that one has done everything one could have done. It is also the sense that one has completed something to the fullest, and tied up all the loose ends.

Until we achieve the sense of closure, we are plagued by the shoulda-woulda-couldas. The feeling that we could have done something better. Here we dwell on alternative choices or actions we might have taken, and limit our full emotional investment in the next step or chapter.

To close something off well, we need to take inventory of our regrets, take note of what we have learned and where we have grown and then finally say a proper goodbye. It is the taking stock that enables us to see where we have failed and where we have succeeded. From here we can create realistic goals for the future.

Renewals

For a new start to work we need to approach it with a sense of self-renewal, which is the attention you give towards ensuring that your life is forward-moving. A focus on forward momentum inspires us to set goals in line with our true selves.

In his book Self-Renewal John Gardner writes about the type of approach we need to have to the direction of our lives. It is a drivers seat position. Not like an aeroplane ride where you book your ticket and your only involvement is the choice of destination. Whereafter you sit back and enjoy the flight, maybe taking a nap or marvelling at the view. Rather, according to John, life is "a cycle ride over uncertain terrain, with you in the driver’s seat, constantly correcting your balance and determining the direction of progress.”

Every time you renew yourself, you relate to your world with a renewed sense of aliveness. This puts us back in the driver’s seat of our lives. This renewal allows for forward momentum and no matter where you are going, moving forward in your life is a great thing, something to celebrate.

With closure to our endings and self-renewal for our beginnings, we are able to take powerful steps towards fresh new starts and inspired beginnings. I hope that your New Year will be filled with wonderful moments and sweet experiences, that your life will be rich and inspiring, and I hope, as John Gardner says, that this year you don’t only set out to be an interesting person but also choose to be an interested person.

So as you close off your old year, aim for a renewal in this New Year with a celebration of all success, great or small.

Kirsty Watermeyer

Heritage and hope for 5 GENERATIONS

The secret to a long, fulfilled life is still a riddle to many of us. As of yet, our only collective solution to the conundrum is accepting our mortal fate, and spending our numbered days on this earth building a legacy. Legacies like fame, fortune or influence are but fleeting and fickle. It is those built on the pillars of heritage, hope and family that reverberate forever. Or so it is according to Ndahafa ‘Happy’ Hayonga and her female family members spanning five generations.

Growing up in Tsumeb, Happy spent her days playing around the airport and vividly remembers the airstrip. Planes would fly overhead, and Happy inevitably fell in love with aviation, which led her to pursue a private pilot’s licence. Later she embarked on a career as an aircraft engineer. As such she is currently employed at Westair, parent Kuku Selafina company to FlyNamibia. Happy was passionate about getting more

hands-on experience with aircraft, and now spends her shifts servicing aeroplanes from across the continent. Her love for aviation and succeeding in a male-dominated industry, paired with her rich family history and heritage, evidently gives Happy her zest for life.

Hailing from Oshindonga, Happy’s lineage follows her greatgrandmother Selafina Edward or Kuku (meaning grandmother in Oshiwambo), who is nearly 100 years old and said to have been the right-hand woman to the Queen of Ondangwa when she was young. Hileni Josef, Happy’s grandmother, lives with Kuku in Ovambo and pursued domestic work during her heyday. Bertha Hayonga is Happy’s mother, and the first in their lineage to move to Windhoek. Bertha takes her responsibilities as Linekela’s grandmother very seriously, her pride in another generation is tangible. Five-year-old Linekela or “Zuri” is the youngest, sassiest member of Happy’s family of five generations.

This photoshoot was arranged for FlyNamibia, celebrating the women,cultures and heritage that inspires our company and our country at large.

Kuku Selafina

Happy

Hileni

Zuri

Bertha

Major projects have taken place at Namibia’s busiest airport, Eros Airport in Windhoek city centre. The airport allows for seamless travels and connections to domestic and regional airports.

ROYAL HUSTLERS

Dr Stanley Shanapinda is a shining example of the heights anyone can achieve with some family support and a lifestyle of hard work and perseverance. He calls himself a “communications technology, law and policy researcher, analyst and academic.” After completing his PHD and working in academia for a few years he is now back in Namibia, bringing about transformation in the ICT space as the CEO of Telecom Namibia.

Happy and humble beginnings

He experienced a happy childhood, raised by his grandparents in Katutura. He was loved, spoiled and encouraged as a student. His grandmother and her sister, Stanley’s godmother, taught him to think ahead and be realistic. They supported him with each achievement and were there at each graduation, reminding him to stay true to himself. “You know, family has a way of keeping you humble,” he laughs.

studies into practice as part of the team that founded the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia in 2011. He served as the first CEO of this Authority for three years until academia enticed him once again. He earned his PHD at UNSW Canberra at ADFA in Sydney, Australia, and continued as a Research Fellow at various universities.

Dr Stanley Shanapinda Thinking ahead; personal and National

Housing is a national problem. Stanley jokes that he and ex-mayor of Windhoek, Job Amupanda, shared this concern, only that he, Stanley, was “a bit more realistic.” Growing up, his concern was for his house and his family. He wanted to have a “big family house” on Luxury Hill.

Knowledge is Power

At university in South Africa, his love for academics was sparked into a fire. However, he also took time to put his

Some years ago, he was able to buy that dream house on Luxury Hill. With one of his dreams achieved it is now his job that motivates him. As the CEO of Telecom Namibia he has “the opportunity to take the digital infrastructure of this country to the next level and then to enable the benefits that come from the digital economy for all Namibians.”

The Future is ICT With his background in law and a focus on ICT, Stanley warns that there are still gaps in our country’s ICT policies and roll-out of even basic services. “As technology changes so quickly, we must not be left behind. Everything revolves around communications technology,” he says with an eye on the future of Namibia and the world.

Advice for achieving your dreams “Think ahead,” is Stanley’s formula, reiterating the words of his grandmother and godmother from his childhood. “Don’t be satisfied with where you are right now. Where do you want to be? How can you prepare for the future now?”

Proudly Sponsored by

“The most interesting bikes in the world”

Photographs by Ross Garrett

“Ihave spent the last 15 years of my life chasing the professional cyclist dream in Europe but as my first career has come to an end I’ve been asking myself, what was the point of becoming a pro in the first place? Did it matter? What can I do now? What must I do now?

It would be easy for me not to use my privilege, influence, and visibility for good. But if I don’t, why did I gain these things?

Back in 2010 I had an idea. It has taken 12 years to realise, but it is finally happening and it’s time to share it with you.

With the help of Robin Mather, Matthew Sowter, David Mercer, Andres Arregui Velazquez, Tom Sturdy, Columbus, The Bicycles Academy and countless others, we have created a frame-building workshop in my hometown, Omaruru, where Namibians are now building world-class, steel-framed bikes. I was meant to ride one of our bikes at the Tokyo Olympics. We would launch with a bang to a global audience. But COVID didn’t let that happen, so we went back to the drawing board.

Does the world really need another bicycle brand? No. But my hometown, Omaruru, does.

Namibia is a country of talented makers stuck in low-value jobs. Many of them struggle to find work aside from farm labour. Building world-class steel bicycles is a high-value trade that matches the quality of their workmanship.

ONGUZA’s story is about celebrating Namibian people and culture. The easy thing would have been to talk about nature and wildlife the way most people think about Namibia, but it is far more important and interesting to find inspiration right on the side of the road: Namibia has many beautiful fashion traditions, the food, the cows, goats and chickens, the general stores and even the design of shebeens that are truly the lifeblood of so many small communities here – but also for cyclists passing through.

Our first builders, Petrus Mufenge and Sakaria Nkolo, are building world-class steel-framed bikes on a dusty farm in

Namibia. It’s maybe the last place you’d expect something extraordinary to come from. But we’re doing it. The business is really putting its money where its mouth is and have made Nkolo and Mufenge shareholders in the company. We have already had orders from customers as diverse as New York City and Malawi.

What we are doing is not just assembly. We get specialist steel tubing and machined parts from Italy and California specifically for this kind of bicycle, but then the work starts. Designing geometry, further bending of tubes, hand-mitering and hand-filing all parts for a perfect fit before brazing the parts using brass and silver and working with temperatures of up to 900 degrees, before continuing with the very tricky task of attaining perfect alignment and beautifully clean welds. It takes a full week to build every single frame, even with four sets of hands in the workshop. All to create bicycle frames good enough for racing at the highest level – or to ride across the continent.

What do you picture when you hear “African bikes”? There is a good chance you are not thinking of a luxury, world-class bike. And you are not alone. We need to change the way people think about goods made in Namibia – and in Africa as a whole. Name a luxury brand from the African continent…? We have our work cut out for us.”

Launched in 2022 by Dan and his partner (and wife) Collyn Ahart, ONGUZA has already made international headlines across the cycling and sport industry with features on CyclingTips, BikeRadar, UK Sport, Cyclist.co.uk, GearPatrol and many others. ONGUZA has been dubbed “the most interesting bike in the world” by Bicycling Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Bill Strickland.

Learn more at www.onguza.com

Watch ONGUZA’s incredible video here: www.qrco.de/ bdWEZc

Dan Craven, the retired two-time Olympic road cyclist and Namibia’s only professional cyclist to ride a Grand Tour, shares the story of ONGUZA – steel-framed bicycles built entirely by hand in Omaruru.

Discover the very best of Namibia

DAILY hop on hop off shuttle flights to Namibia’s top destinations... at the price of a self-drive. Spend less time travelling and more time discovering the wonders of Namibia.

Discovering the Deep South

The country’s most spectacular geological phenomenon and the highlight of Namibia’s ‘Deep South’ is the Fish River Canyon. The famous ravine lies in the lower reaches of Namibia’s longest river, the Fish River. It took millions of years to evolve to its present shape – a massive 161 km long, up to 27 km wide and up to 550 metres deep.

TOP ATTRACTIONS IN THE SOUTH

Top tourist attractions in the region include the quaint coastal town of Lüderitz; Namibia’s most famous ghost town, Kolmanskop, a former diamond settlement that was deserted in the 1950s; the Northern Sperrgebiet, which can be explored with concession-holding tour operators. Further east are the Quiver Tree Forest, Giant’s Playground and Brukkaros Mountain, the latter not an extinct volcano as is popularly thought but the remnants of a gaseous explosion that took place many millions of years ago. Lying at the centre of this region is the unofficial capital of the south, Keetmanshoop – the gateway to many of these attractions. Further south lies the Fish River Canyon, the second largest canyon in the world.

FISH RIVER CANYON AND /AI-/AIS RICHTERSVELD TRANSFRONTIER PARK

The /Ai-/Ais Hot Springs and Fish River Canyon were first proclaimed in 1968, and in 1989 the Huns Mountains complex west of the canyon was added to these features to form a single conservation entity. The Namibian Government acquired several farms in the surroundings, which were also incorporated into the unit, and in 2003 the long-term conservation objective to manage the Huns Mountains and /Ai-/Ais Game Park jointly with the Richtersveld National Park in South Africa as one integrated Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) became a reality when the /Ai-/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park became Namibia’s first transfrontier conservation area. The attraction

of this rugged wilderness is its isolated and otherworldly landscape, and wealth of interesting xerophytic plants, such as the halfmens or elephant’s trunk, Pachypodium namaquanum Geologically and botanically the area is similar to South Africa’s Richtersveld south of the Orange River. Eroded over many millennia, the Fish River Canyon is the second-largest natural canyon in the world. Set in a harsh, stony plain, dotted with drought-resistant succulents such as the distinctive quiver tree or kokerboom, Aloidendron dichotomum, and Euphorbia gregaria, the canyon is a spectacular natural phenomenon that took hundreds of millions of years to evolve. While its full length is 160 km – the width is up to 27 km and depth up to 550 metres – its most spectacular section is the 56-km stretch downstream of the northernmost viewpoint. Because the river flows intermittently, there is always water in some of the pools, except in very dry years. Containing small- and largemouth yellowfish, sharptooth catfish, tilapia and common carp, the pools are also frequented by the water monitor or leguan. Baboon, rock hyrax, ground squirrel and klipspringer are often seen in the canyon, while the presence of leopard and mountain zebra is indicated by tracks left at waterholes. Kudu inhabit the densely vegetated lower reaches north of /Ai-/Ais. An interesting variety of birds, such as the Olive Thrush, Cape Robin-chat and African Black Duck, are found in the canyon.

ORANJEMUND

Known as the ‘town built on diamonds’ where jackal, ostrich and gemsbok wander the streets amongst the local inhabitants, Oranjemund was officially granted localauthority status in August 2011. The long-standing plan to proclaim Oranjemund as an open town came to fruition following the proclamation of a 90-km access road linking Rosh Pinah to Oranjemund as a national road. The town was previously owned privately by Namdeb.

Oranjemund can lay claim to being the only town surrounded completely by the Tsau//Khaeb National Park. In its heyday, when Oranjemund boasted 15 000 inhabitants, the mining giant DeBeers provided luxuries for its employees, such as one of the best 18-hole golf courses in Namibia. Fishing and birding are further popular pastimes in Oranjemund, as the town is located at the Orange River mouth, a RAMSAR wetland.

The Jasper House Museum in 7th Avenue has an interesting photographic display depicting the town’s history, mining at Oranjemund and the desert environment, as well as numerous historical artefacts. As of October 2017, visitors to the town no longer require to apply for an entry permit prior to their visit.

ORANJEMUND BORDER CONTROL

Oranjemund Border control is situated between Namibia and South Africa. On the Namibian side you have the town of Oranjemund, and on South Africa’s side, Alexander Bay. A single paved carriageway leads towards the border post crossing at the bridge at Alexander Bay to Oranjemund.

Find more Namibian travel inspiration at www.thisisnamibia.com

Follow @thisis_namibia on Facebook and Instagram for extraordinary Namibia travel stories.

TO ORANJEMUND AND BEYOND

FlyNamibia between Eros Airport in Windhoek and Ondangwa, Rundu, Katima Mulilo, Walvis Bay and Oranjemund, as well as between Hosea Kutako International Airport and Cape Town.

www.flynamibia.com.na

What to do in Swakopmund

This slow town at the mouth of the Swakop River is a favourite for locals and visitors alike. Its centre is filled to the brim with unique shops and restaurants, from antique stores to boutiques, Brauhauses to bustling coffee shops. The best way to explore the heart of Swakopmund is by foot. This way you can stroll through pedestrian-friendly arcades, find a few hidden gems, photograph the historical architecture and stop for ice cream, all at a leisurely pace.

Zip up a wetsuit

The best way to embrace the surfer lifestyle associated with Swakopmund, is to zip up a wetsuit and paddle out into the Atlantic. The Salty Jackal offers packages and once-off lessons for groups wishing to partake in Swakopmunders’ favourite activity, and those brave enough to get acquainted with the icy Benguela Current. While the famed Skeleton (aka Donkey) Bay is just around the corner, there are plenty of safe beaches, suited to beginners around the Swakopmund area.

See the small 5

From afar, the desert may appear inhospitable to any living creature. Yet, many beings, including what we call “the small 5”, call this enigmatic place home. Living desert tours are therefore a brilliant activity to engage with the environment surrounding Swakopmund. Practise patience, as these creatures are sparsely scattered, making for a fun challenge to find them amongst the endless sea of sand.

Segway through Swakop Zip around the historical, architectural and other landmarks in the centre of the surfer’s town, on a Segway. These tours are highenergy and great for groups, or solo and they’re electric (softer on the planet). The segways do take a little getting used to, but once your guide has demonstrated and advised manoeuvres, it’s a breeze.

TO THE COAST AND BEYOND

FlyNamibia between Eros Airport in Windhoek and Ondangwa, Rundu, Katima Mulilo, Walvis Bay and Oranjemund, as well as between Hosea Kutako International Airport and Cape Town.

www.flynamibia.com.na

Charene Labuschagne

Living up to its name. A white rhino caked with the pale-coloured clay of Etosha pan during the rainy season.

Elzanne McCulloch

Namibian Wonderlust Photography Feature:

A baboon holding a snack watches his two mates fool around in Bwabwata National Park.

Playful elephants kick up dust around a waterhole.

The early bird catches the worm. A young lion walks through grass backlit by the yellow rays of a rising sun.

From the Orange River to the Zambezi, the Atlantic Ocean to the Kalahari Desert, Namibia is blessed with captivating wildlife and aweinspiring landscapes. Start 2023 with wanderlust as we showcase some of the beautiful sights that await travellers who embark on a journey to Namibia.

An ostrich grooms itself as the sun sets over the plains of Etosha National Park.

The waterlilies growing in its canals just add to the striking beauty of the Kwando River.

Charene Labuschagne

The rivers of northern Namibia are well-known for their large-teethed inhabitants of flatdogs, also known as crocodiles.

Proclaimed as a Ramsar site, the Walvis Bay lagoon attracts tens of thousands of birds, especially the pink-stockinged flamingoes.

Charene Labuschagne

Charene Labuschagne

On the lookout for its next meal, a cheetah surveys its surroundings.

Elzanne McCulloch

At

55 metres, Bogenfels dwarfs visitors with its sheer size.

Elzanne McCulloch

What to do in Walvis Bay

Walvis Bay

Supposedly the world’s longest palm-tree-lined avenue welcomes you to the sailor’s town of Walvis Bay. Here, industry, food and the social scene revolves around the ocean. The harbour is ranked one of the best in Southern Africa and services our land-locked neighbouring countries. On the outskirts of Walvis Bay is the largest producer of solar sea salt in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also one of four Ramsar sites in the country, a birding paradise of international importance and a great attraction for birders and just about everyone else.

The Walvis Bay Yacht Club, an old, charming and uncertified national monument, is the home of local water activity. If ever you fret about sailors being a dying breed, or mollycoddling your own children, spend a Saturday on the deck at the yacht club. Kids of all ages venture out onto the water, some in twoperson training boats, others on bigger catamarans. Did I mention the adults sit at bay and supervise from afar? It’s ridiculously refreshing, both the food and drinks served by the restaurant, and witnessing a fraction of this generation being so brave, disciplined and simply outdoors.

Kayak with Cape Fur Seals

While catamaran tours are widely available in Walvis Bay, an extra special experience is kayaking at Pelican Point. The peninsula stretching around the lagoon is home to a large colony of cape fur seals. Kayaking tours transport guests from Walvis Bay to Pelican Point, from where you will paddle out amongst the mammals, which will likely swim and splash in the water around you, or lazily lie on the beach. Catamarans cannot possibly get you this close to the animals. However tempting it may be, please do not touch the seals.

Birdwatch by the Lagoon

One of the best bits about Walvis Bay is its pedestrian friendly promenade that meanders alongside the lagoon. Pelicans, Flamingos, Cormorants and many more migratory birds breed and feed here throughout the year. Some parts of the promenade have benches, perfect for binoculars, and a keen photographer could sit down by the water’s edge and photograph them for hours. Locals stroll along the lagoon, walking their dogs and having picnics.

Explore the Kuiseb Delta

The larger Walvis Bay area is a natural wonderland including Sandwich Harbour and the Kuiseb River’s meeting with the sea. Kuiseb Delta Adventures is currently the only tour operator that offers quad bike trips into the Kuiseb Delta and surrounding desert landscapes. Not only is this land an arid Eden to fill your camera roll with, the area is also very historically and ecologically significant.

Charene Labuschagne

TO WALVIS BAY AND BEYOND

FlyNamibia between Eros Airport in Windhoek and Ondangwa, Rundu, Katima Mulilo, Walvis Bay and Oranjemund, as well as between Hosea Kutako International Airport and Cape Town.

www.flynamibia.com.na

The Giving Village

Penomwene Nekwaya, a 25-year-old resident of the Havana informal settlement in Windhoek, feeds about 100 children every week. She uses her own money, earned with her tuckshop and selling second-hand clothes, to buy food for the soup kitchen. Realising the need, she has added a kindergarten to cater for young children who are not attending school in the area. "I think I'm that person that likes giving. I so much like to give,” she says.

Penomwene started her initiative in 2021. “I met a girl who was pregnant and had two toddlers aged two and four years. She did not have a place to stay and her parents did not want her. I spoke to my mom and we had her stay with us for three months. When she went into labour, we took her to the hospital," Penomwene says.

The number of children she feeds increases every week. ”The food never seems enough,” Penomwene says. "But I am also a businesswoman and therefore make sure I can buy the

combo that will provide for everyone. There was a time when we had no food at all but kids are kids and they always come, so then I had to get bread quickly and make soup."

There are others willing and able to help. On World Humanitarian Day (under the theme It takes a village) the Eengoshi Bikers’ Club visited Penomwene’s soup kitchen and donated food and toiletries. The president of the club, Tuhafeni Jekonia, said that with their donation they wanted to give hope to the children who only get one meal a day: "We thought, why not go where people cannot reach.” Penomwene Nekwaya and the Eengoshi Bikers’ Club are spreading a message of compassion and solidarity. We are the village.

Selma Taapopi

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How Ndapanda Haininga turned a love for travel into a growing business

The pandemic had devastating effects on businesses worldwide. But one of the welcome ripple effects of international travel bans during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was a boom in local travel.

In Namibia, a witty, stylish and savvy social media user cashed in on the trend when she turned her love for local travel into a growing business. Obviously a fan of her social media content myself, it was a lovely treat to finally sit down with her and hear just how she became one of the post-lockdown success stories.

A family that travels together… Born in the north of Namibia, Ndapanda was raised in a close-knit family that travelled a lot when she was a child.

If the family wasn’t visiting the mighty Ruacana Falls, or the coastal town of Swakopmund, they were indulging in some recreational leisure time in the beautiful town of Tsumeb. “We travelled a lot, but that changed when my dad got a job outside the country”, she says. Not having her dad around to go on family trips made Ndapanda realise just how much she loved travelling. One of their getaways to Tsumeb still stands out. “Our parents would dress us in matching outfits and we would go to a local hotel. Those are my fondest memories.”

The family trips were resumed, however, and Ndapanda along with her parents and siblings are just as passionate about hitting the road together as they were many years ago.

Banking on travel

In 2020, as Namibia joined the world in enforcing COVID-19 travel restrictions, Ndapanda had her lightbulb moment. She had just been offered her first influencer gig by Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR). The offer was made after she had visited three lodges and shared her experiences with her followers. “I think it was Popa Falls, Halali and one of the Gondwana lodges.

“That is when it hit me that I can actually make something out of this, and after that offer, I wasn’t even sending out proposals anymore. The work just kept coming in,” says Ndapanda.

But while a lot of deals were coming through, not all of them were lucrative. So as much as she knew that she would have to take on barter exchanges here and there, especially in the early days of positioning herself as a Namibian travel influencer, Ndapanda knew when to raise her fees.

It is no surprise that she is not shy of dealing with the moneyside of her influencer business, considering that she is first and foremost a girl in finance who is passionate about numbers.

“Once the travel offers started rolling in, I began to realise how much money I was spending on creating the content. I needed to start charging in order to elevate my content,” she says. And her content DID elevate. Her top-performing Instagram shot at Voigtland attracted over 400 000 views and was reshared by users across the world.

As she consistently documented her trips around the country, Ndapanda’s following grew bigger and her inbox filled up with requests for travel tips and recommendations. Her partner was instrumental in helping her to capitalise on her growing influence by starting her own travel company. “The business was born during one of my trips. My partner is the one who told me that I could make money by charging consultation fees for all these requests,” she recalls. Soon enough she registered a business and it has been growing steadily over the last two years.

Managing a growing brand

Being the typical millennial juggling multiple jobs, family and social life, Ndapanda has had to scale down her business and focus on serving an exclusive clientele. She now offers her travel consultancy service to private clients who are looking for specialised solutions from a dedicated consultant. On how she has managed to juggle her different roles, she notes that time management and discipline are her mainstays. “There was a time when I used to spend 12 hours of screen time per day. Half of each day! But once I learned how to prioritise my time, I learned to do it all.”

Ndapanda is committed to putting Namibia on the map. However, judging by how well her content performs she urges Namibian companies to start appreciating local influencers. “The issue with the people who have power is that local influencers don’t have the numbers. But I think that is an unfair take because the only way to get the numbers is by getting paid opportunities that help you elevate their content.”

Her hope for Namibian travel is that industry players start paying influencers who are marketing the country to the world. She envisions her company as the preferred travel agency for executive retreats in Namibia and employing a few more people.

As for her travels, her bucket list includes the beautiful Little Kulala near Sossusvlei, Serra Cafema on the Kunene River, Kolmanskop, New York, Barcelona and the Maldives.

Rukee Kaakunga is a Windhoek-based Communications Specialist, Blogger and Freelance Fashion Writer. Contact her via email: rukeekaakunga@gmail.com and follow her on Twitter @rukeeveni and on Instagram @rukeekaakunga.

AFRICA’S FEARLESS THINKER A SYMBOL OF EQUALITY

Africa’s Fearless Thinker radiates our stance on gender equality, courage and diversity. At RMB, we don’t just acknowledge it, we stand for it. Facing challenges head-on requires fearless thinking, which in our minds takes pride of place.

Come and view these incredible artworks outside the RMB Head Office on Independence Ave, Windhoek.

The Project Room

Frieda Lühl

Laschandré Coetzee

Photography: The Project Room & Willem Vrey

If (black) walls could talk

While colour affects mood, going over to the dark side might not be such a negative construct as formerly thought, especially when it comes to creating a backdrop for framing artworks in all shapes and sizes. On the contrary, black walls bring out a moodier aesthetic that makes the surroundings pop, build a deep and dramatic narrative, and never fails to make a statement.

The duo behind Windhoek’s only black-walled gallery, The Project Room, brings their own unique flair and distinctive imprint to the local exhibition space. Designed out of the need to provide an intimate environment for Namibian art and artists, The Project Room in its original format was established by Frieda Lühl in 2016. Fast-forward six years and the space not only changed location and its stage from the traditional white to a more daring black, but also onboarded co-creative Laschandré Coetzee. “I always thought we were the perfect match,” says Lühl. “As friends, we’ve had many discussions about the projects we wanted to do together and the impact we wished to create, and somewhere along the line, it became a shared vision.” At the start of 2022, they took the plunge together and turned over a new leaf for The Project Room. Coetzee adds that it wasn’t an easy start and required long planning sessions and a good dose of physical labour. “We worked tirelessly to get the groundwork done, developing a new strategy, finding a more suitable venue, and agreeing on what we can offer and accommodate.”

The very first event to grace the space was a private preview of internationally acclaimed Namibian artist Tuli Mekondjo’s exhibition Oudjuu wo makipa etu / The burdens of our bones, which went on to feature at Hales Gallery in New York. The screening included an intimate cleansing ceremony, which literally wiped the slate and set the scene for a new start.

In terms of accessibility and interest in fine arts, the pair agrees that the concept is not often on the radar of many locals, as it is largely considered a luxury. “But, people tend to forget that galleries offer a public place where you can freely look at art in all its forms, and it won’t cost you a thing!”

The Project Room has a well-established reputation as one of these welcoming venues, and the new location adds to its distinctive charm. “This space is just so different, not only from the previous one, but also in terms of what else is out there for creatives, and our community has expanded and diversified in ways we almost couldn’t have imagined.”

As in the past, the main focus remains on providing an exhibition platform for local artists, but there is a strong emphasis on presenting an innovative place for collaboration, as well as hosting private events, “as long as people remain respectful of what’s on our walls”. And of course, remain open to think beyond the boundaries and colours of the traditional gallery.

The Project Room is located at Lazarette Square, 30 Julius Nyerere Street, and forms part of a collective of vibrant shops and trendy spaces, including a barber shop, craft brewery, tattoo parlour and design studio. The gallery is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 1pm. Find out more about past exhibitions and future events at www.theprojectroom.com.na.

Marita van Rooyen

The Project Room - Namibia www.theprojectroom.com.na

“Every

subsequent exhibition has contributed to growing our gallery from strength to strength,” says Coetzee.

FOSTERING NAMIBIA TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Namibia Trade Network is the country’s leading multi-media platform providing a network for business professionals and potential investors to access relevant and accurate trade-related information.

With 31 years of experience, Namibia Trade Network promotes and encourages local and foreign investment in Namibia, aligning with Namibia’s Vision 2030 of growing the country into a prosperous and industrialised nation.

NTN is endorsed by the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade and is in proud partnership with the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB).

The real magic kingdom

Experiencing Namibia with tiny humans

Iembarked on a new adventure this year. Probably my most daunting and most exciting to date. Raising a tiny human.

Every step of the journey has not only been eye-opening, but a game of comparison between how I used to see the world and what it looks like now. Through slightly blurry eyes and highly heightened senses (hormones), the world around me seems to glow with a new sense of awe and wonder.

And there is this intense excitement brewing inside in the knowledge that I get to share this place I love with such a fiery passion with my tiny human. He will see, hear, taste, smell, experience, wonder and get to know Namibia (and the world) from scratch. What an incredible adventure that must be!

The first thing I learned was that raising a tiny human is an incredibly humbling experience. The equivalent to standing at the bottom of a towering red ochre sand dune in Sossusvlei and looking up, up, up. Am I ready for the climb? Will I make it? I hear the view from above is indescribable.

The second thing you learn is that tiny humans are a species unto themselves. They have their own way of operating as they figure out the world around them. I kept comparing it to the awesome sight of a giraffe calf getting up on extremely wobbly legs after it had dropped into the world with a decidedly dramatic entrance. A few minutes after such a traumatic introduction to the universe it slowly and shakily gets up and sets off after its mother, starting a beautiful life of nibbling on nebrownii bushes and their beautiful yellow flowers and meandering across Etosha’s vast white expanse.

Third on the list is that moment you realise that this tiny human is in fact… a human. A person with thoughts and ideas, likes and dislikes. They seem strange to you because they are so very different from you (even though you created them). Isn’t it wonderful to meet new people? To get to know them, their interests and idiosyncrasies? Namibia’s diverse cultures are a melting pot of faces, ideas, creativity and delightful personalities. Something they all seem to

have in common is a welcoming spirit. But their lives differ vastly and it is one of my absolutely favourite experiences to get to sit around a dinner table, a campfire or anywhere else for that matter and have chats. Listen to stories. The beauty of oral tradition and getting to know new people. Looking beyond yourself and your own views of the world and truly attempting to understand and appreciate those of others.

Curiosity, that eager desire to learn, is such an enriching trait. Above all, tiny humans are inherently curious. That curiosity will serve them so well in a wondrous place such as Namibia. With new trees, new birds, new animals to discover around each bend. Rocks, bugs, geckos, grasses, mountains, anthills, holes, leaves, clouds, flowers. I could go on forever. Can you imagine the excitement and joy of being young and curious and having this plethora of discoveries at your fingertips. If for no other reason, fuelling the fire of youthful curiosity, discovery and learning is the best gift you can ever give your tiny humans. Experiences linger in the heart, mind and soul long after physical things have lost their shine.

Africa, and Namibia, has long been seen as not being a particularly “child-friendly” holiday destination. Fed by old tales of wildlife and danger around every bush, Africa is no longer the ‘dark continent’ of Wilbur Smith novels.

Tourism operators and lodges have also become more welcoming and encouraging of little guests. Though some of the higher-end establishments still have a minimum age limit (understably), there are many options for families looking to discover Namibia’s wilderness and freedom together.

So bring your tiny humans along on your adventure through Namibia. They will learn about the importance and wonders of nature, and in the process they will teach you to look at the world with glittering eyes. There’s definitely more magic to be found in the wilderness than in any other kingdom…

First published in the Summer 2022/23 issue of Travel News Namibia magazine. Subscribe to Travel News Namibia here: www.zinio.com/za/travel-news-namibia-m38306

Elzanne McCulloch

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”

- Roald Dahl

Spreading positivity through stories

In a world where every media house and would-be influence shouts louder and louder to grab your attention, we are doing news differently. We insist on having positive news stories in each bulletin. The effect on our communities has been clear. We see viewers celebrating each other and offering to be part of the solution. We see people inspiring others to take a chance, do something bold, be a problem solver. The daily news segment is a great place to spread positivity.

Our editorial policy, and overall ethos, is to promote positive change while presenting breaking news that is fair and accurate. Using a lateral approach, we cover each story from three angles to triangulate the core of the issue and how it affects us as Namibians. In addition, one of our segments, NewsOnOne Weekly, a Sunday evening programme, delves deeper by bringing in experts in a particular subject to go beyond the bulletin.

If you have an uplifting story about someone in your community, share it with us. Let's spread good news.

Watch weekly at 19:00 on OneAfrica.

Managing Editor

Selma Ikela

News Editor

Joseph Sheefeni

Hollywood’s new favourite playground Part 2

There are endless filming opportunities in Namibia and filmmakers from Hollywood and the rest of the world are beginning to take notice.

Namibia has unique landscapes and towns that translate well onto the silver screen. The Land of the Brave has hosted various movie, TV and documentary productions over the years. Apart from the dunes of the Namib Desert or the alien-looking Moon Landscape, there are many other beautiful shooting locations to pick from.

Will Smith, Tom Hardy, Tom Cruise, Charlize Theron, Forest Whitaker and many other household names have spent time filming in Namibia. Apart from international productions, Namibia has also been home to awardwinning local productions.

Katutura, Baxu and the Giants and The White Line are just a few local productions that have garnered international attention. These films had premieres at various international film festivals. Join us as we take a look at some of the wonderful film locations in Namibia over the next few months.

Windhoek

Namibia’s capital city might not seem like the obvious choice to shoot a film, as it usually gets overlooked for Swakopmund or the coast in general. Nevertheless, Windhoek has been the stage for various local and international productions.

Recently the local movie Kapana has been making waves and it incorporates local culture into the story. Other local productions like Katutura also put the city on the forefront. Through this movie local and international audiences got to see what life is like in the townships.

Windhoek has also played an important role in some international productions. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard

Hammond and James May, stars of The Grand Tour, shot part of their show in the capital.

The trio, best known for their time on the motoring show Top Gear, decided to launch their new show in Namibia back in 2016. Their presence in Windhoek caused a lot of buzz as they were staying in one of the city’s hotels.

Swakopmund

The country’s most well-known gem is also the one town that attracts productions from across the globe. Swakopmund has hosted numerous film and TV crews, and that is not even including its surrounding areas like the Namib and the Moon Landscape. The Grand Tour also filmed a few scenes here in town.

Swakopmund became a hot location for filmmakers back in the 1970s. One of the first productions in the coastal town starred well-known Italian actor, Bud Spencer. Spencer shot the 1978 movie Piedone I’africano (Flatfoot in Africa) in Swakopmund.

This led to interest from Hollywood filmmakers during the 1980s. Productions that took place in Swakopmund include Alien from L.A. starring Kathy Ireland, Red Scorpion starring Dolph Lundgren and Laser Mission starring Bruce Lee’s son, Brandon Lee.

One of the coastal town’s biggest productions, The Prisoner, was shot in 2008. Ian McKellen, known for his role as Gandalf in Lord of the Rings , and Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ , starred in the show. Shooting took place over a period of 18 weeks, both inside and outside of town.

Next month we continue to explore the beauty of Namibia and how it attracts big-budget film and television crews from across the globe.

Barry de Klerk

How blueberry farming started in the Kavango

When the Königstein Capital team first visited the Mashare Irrigation team operating on the government estate in Namibia’s far north, the farm was producing harvests of cash crops like maize, wheat and potatoes. Watered by the Okavango River, these fields of sustenance to the local market proved to be an opportunity for something even greater. What about a crop that could employ more people, use water more efficiently and contribute significantly to the Namibian economy? After extensive research into the environment of the Mashare farm, it was decided that blueberries would be the next big thing for Mashare Irrigation, now Mashare Agri Group, and Namibia at large.

In January 2019, the Mashare Agri team set out to repurpose one centre pivot. The pivot was moved to a different area of the Mashare property for cash crop production and in its place, these crops, that are of local and international importance, were moved to a different area of the Mashare property. In their place, an area of 20 hectares was cleared for Mashare Agri Group’s next great venture. The groundwork involved levelling, debushing and infrastructure setup, which was completed in September 2019. Twenty hectares of carefully laid ridges, irrigation pipes and shade netting was now ready to become home to 160,000 little blueberry plants. They were planted in November that same year. Mashare’s first harvest of blueberries came to fruition in June 2020, yielding 160 tonnes of beautifully plump, sweet fruits for the export market. At this stage, Mashare employed 30 permanent and 400 contract employees.

While the first trial proved to be a major success, further development of any agricultural project requires a thorough thinking-through. For over a year, while the first batch of blueberries was slowly readying for their second harvest, the Mashare team carefully considered the lessons learned and areas of potential improvement, before putting the planting of another 40 hectares in motion. By the end of 2021, the farm comprised not only abundant wheat, maize and potato crops, but 60 fruitful hectares of export quality blueberries. This time around, with 85 permanent and 500 contract employees.

Mashare’s future is promising to be as prolific as their first three harvests, with a long-term goal of 600 hectares of blueberries set for the year 2030. Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, Mashare’s ambitious expansion plan takes calculated steps. A project of this magnitude will see more Mashare village and surrounding community members benefiting from seasonal and potentially permanent employment, not to mention the capital investment directly back to the greater economic ecosystem of Namibia.

Charene Labuschagne

This month in history:

DID YOU KNOW?

6 January 2021

The United States Capitol in Washington DC is stormed by a mob of Donald Trump supporters in the last days of his presidency. The attack was an attempt to halt the certification of the results of the 2020 presidential election won by Joe Biden. Five people died in the riot, and many more were injured, including over 150 police officers.

11 January 1935

Amelia Earhart becomes the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland. The dangerous 2408-mile flight across the Pacific Ocean took nearly 19 hours to complete and had already claimed the lives of several flyers attempting the same feat.

20 January 2009

Barack Obama is sworn in as U.S. president and makes history as being the country’s first black head of state.

22 January 1970

The Boeing 747 takes off on its first scheduled flight. The flight from New York flying to London heralds the dawn of the jumbo jet age of air travel.

12 January 1969

Celebrate, observe and take part!

The African National Congress (ANC) is founded in Bloemfontein.

8 January 1912 10 January 1946

The first General Assembly of the United Nations opens with 51 nations represented that day.

British rock band Led Zeppelin releases their debut album

15 January 2001

Wikipedia goes online. The free encyclopedia has since become the largest reference work on the internet, created and edited by volunteers around the world.

FUN FACTS ABOUT JANUARY:

January was named after the Roman god Janus, who as the protector of gates and doorways symbolises new beginnings and endings. The roman god is depicted with two faces, one looking into the past, the other with the ability to see into the future.

SUDUKO

26 January 1905

The world's largest diamond is found in South Africa. The Cullinan weighed 3106.75 carats before it was cut into several pieces. The value of the largest one, also known as the Star of Africa, is estimated at more than U$2 billion.

January’s birthstone is the garnet and is believed to keep the wearer safe during travel.

The goal of Sudoku is to fill a 9×9 grid with numbers so that each row, column and 3×3 section contain all of the digits between 1 and 9.

The Walvis Bay lagoon consists of adjacent intertidal areas that support a large variety of wetland birds (37 000 to 79 000 individuals depending on the time of year). Some species such as flamingos can be seen here in considerable numbers.