Mahangu and Ilyayaka

With the start of the rains in December comes the start of the crop growing season in Owamboland.  The staple crop is mahangu, otherwise known as Pearl Millet. Some hasty 'mahangu' internet research reveals that it was first domesticated in Nothern Mali around 2000 - 2500 BC.  It is adapted to growing in areas of drought, lousy soil, and hot temperatures, which would explain it's popularity here.  As far as I can recall, I can't say I have ever seen or heard of millet being grown in the states.  Maybe for feeding the birds?  Mahangu is an extremely important crop to the Owambo as it is used to make everything from their daily porridge to fermented drinks.  Mahangu keeps them busy throughout most of the year from cultivating the fields in November, planting in December, battling weeds January through April, harvesting the grain in May, and pounding the grain June and July.  It is no doubt a labor intensive crop especially with little to no mechanization.

Another grain is often grown alongside the mahangu, locally known as ilyayaka, or in english sorghum.  I have to admit that I was completely oblivious to the existence of sorghum prior to coming here but after doing some research on sorghum, my ignorance is almost embarrassing.  Sorghum, quoted from Wikipedia, "is the the third most important cereal crop grown in the United States."  Further, the United States is the world's largest producer or sorghum.  Sorghum is primarily used in the U.S. as a corn substitute for livestock feed and 12% of production is used to make ethanol.  In Africa, like mahangu, it is an important food crop that is adapted to drought conditions.  It is also commonly used on the continent for brewing beer, commercially and traditionally.  In fact, the local version of Guinness that is brewed in South Africa, is brewed with sorghum.  This now leads to the Owambo's use of sorghum; brewing beer.  As far as I have discovered, the only thing sorghum is used for here is for producing the traditional beer known as omalovu iiya.  It is mildly alcoholic, a bit sweet, poured with a gourd, and drank from a wooden goblet on special occasions.  Sorghum is not grown in near the quantities as mahangu but in most fields it is not uncommon to see a few stocks of sorghum mixed with the mahangu.

 

What a great learning experience for me; I only took the pictures of the mahnagu and sorghum because they looked nice in the evening light! 

New Textbooks Have Arrived

The new entrepreneurship textbooks have finally arrived.  It turned out to be more of a hassle getting them here than I was expecting.  The company from which I was originally planning to purchase them from in nearby Ongwediva closed their doors in January with no indication as to when they would be open again.  As the only supplier of textbooks in the north I was dependent upon them for the books.  After a month of waiting for them to open their doors, I finally learned that the store had been shuttered after an employee-wide money laundering scheme.

With all hope lost of purchasing the books in the north, I turned to Windhoek.  Coincidentally, I ordered the textbooks from the same company that had shuttered their store in the north.  I was able to order the books but with no extra money to pay for a courier to deliver the books, I had to wait until PC sent a vehicle to the north.  The books finally made their way into the hands of the learners at the end of the term.  They will now at least have the books to help them study for the end-of-term exam.

The learners were excited to have new books and they expressed their appreciation after I explained to them where the money to buy them came from.  Each class applauded and cheered loudly.  I could tell that it truly meant something to them that people whom they have never met cared about their education and wanted to help them succeed.  To those that contributed to this project, the learners at Enguwantale Combined School and myself are very grateful.  Tangi unene!

The learners of grade 8 expressing their appreciation (if I could only add sound…)

Grade 10 may benefit the most from the new textbooks.  The textbooks are far superior to what they currently have and will certainly help to prepare them for the end-of-year exam which they need to pass in order to be considered for Grade 11.

Some grade 8 learners being cool with their new books.

Independence Day Celebrations

Like every other country on the African continent, Namibia has not always been free.  First colonised by the Germans and then later by South Africa, Namibia had to fight for its freedom.  Independence finally came March 21, 1990 after nearly 30 years of armed struggle.  The leading force behind the fighting was the South-West African People’s Organisation or SWAPO.  SWAPO, which almost exclusively consisted of Owambo, carried out their guerrilla campaign in the North of the country and into Angola.  SWAPO today remains the dominant political party in Namiba and still has a strong Owambo influence.

Needless to say, the Owambo are proud of their accomplishments and Independence Day does not pass with little fanfare.  Even in Enguwantale, where cattle are more abundant than people, independence was publicly celebrated in a relatively exquisite way.  Important people from the government attended to take part in the festivities.  Throughout the day speeches were given, surrounding villages performed traditional dances, and cows were slaughtered.  It was a fun occasion, even for me who understood very little of what was being said.  It was great to be part of the community and witness how they celebrate their independence.

The highlight no doubt for me is to watch the traditional dancing, especially the dancing of the learners that I have come to know.  I am always proud to them dressed up and so beautifully respecting their own culture.  Below are a handful of pictures from the celebration.  Note that they have been doctored up a bit; not that the originals were not good, but more because I was having fun playing with photo editing software.  Even after doctoring the photos, they still do not do it justice; my photos never will.

 

 

Biogas Digester Thanks

Once again, I have to give a huge thanks to those that supported yet another project in Enguwantale.  The biogas digester project has been fully funded which means Anna and I will begin immediately.  Over the next few weeks we will be busy gathering the materials and making sure everything is in place for the construction to begin.  We will begin construction in early June and if all goes as planned the digester will be up and running sometime in July.  You can expect periodic updates as the project progresses.  Thanks again!

What Planet is That?

Enguwantale has certainly been a very privileged school over the last couple of years; a PC volunteer, a new administration building, a new science lab, and a new computer lab all courtesy of America.  The computer lab has been the latest addition.  Besides the 16 desktop computers provided by the Ministry of Education, the Millennium Challenge delivered several new desktops for teachers, 36 classroom laptops, two projectors, a state of the art white board, 3 printers, and a wireless network that covers the entire school.  Privileged, right?  

However, the Millennium Challenge may have overlooked one important aspect to this equipment….who knows how to use all this stuff?  It was quit humorous watching the gentleman who was sent to the school to train the teachers on how to use the teaching software.  Try teaching people how to use software when they don’t even know what the mouse is let alone where the spacebar is.  Luckily I am still here for a few more months.  Out of necessity, I have had to take the all of this equipment under my wing and am now trying to get the teachers and learners up to speed on how to use this stuff.  It has been an educational experience for me as well.  I am using Windows 7 for the first time, learning how to manage a server, and learning how to teach computers.  Needless to say, much of my time is now spent in the computer lab.

Now to the point of this post.  With the computer lab being my new office, many of learners like to drop in to hang out and gawk at all the equipment.  The other day Natulele, who happens to be one of the brightest girls in grade 9, wandered in for a visit.  I had set the desktop background to a comforting frigid mountain scene probably somewhere on the coast of Alaska.  I watched Natulele’s eyes widen as she examined the picture.  She turned to me with a serious face and asked, “Mr. Grant, what planet is that photo from.”  I could only laugh and try to explain to her that not everywhere on earth is flat, hot, and sandy.  I am not convinced she believes me since I often like to joke around with them.

I am certainly looking forward to opening up the world to these kids...

…or other planets.

 Some of the learners from grade 9 and 10 learning to type for the first time.

Natulele pretending that she knows what she is doing...

Uukwambi Stop Station aka Samuel Aambunda

Today I went to the doctor in Ondangwa.  Of course not my favorite thing to do; early morning ride in the back of a pick-up, bumpy roads, paying for taxis, etc., but it has to be done I guess.  The doctor was a comforting man; kind of like a big black beardless Santa.  After assuring me that my rash was not the result of internal problems or a flesh-eating disease, he sent me on my way with a tub of cream.  After some errands in town I made my way to Uukwambi Stop Station, as it’s unofficially known, in Oshakati.  Uukwambi is where I crawl into the back of a pick-up (bush taxi rather) to go back to the village.  I have a love-hate relationship with the place.  When I am not getting hassled, stared at, asked for money, and accosted by belligerent drunks, Uukwambi is an OK type of place.  I can buy my fruit and veggies, get my boots fixed, get my hair cut, and exchange friendly greetings with people who know me but I have no idea who they are.   Besides the old Afrikaner who rolls through occasionally to load his pick-up with villagers, I am the only oshilumbu (white person) around.

I usually visit Uukwambi once a week.  My routine is to show up, greet a few people, buy my fruit, and then find an empty wall to stand against until a jalopy that I recognize as one going to Enguwantale comes around.  However, a cheerful old man called me over today where he and several others were enjoying omagongo (the local marula wine) that is now in season.  I am not one to pass up the deliciousness of fermented juice.  He bought me a pitcher from an old woman with friendly eyes and an even friendlier smile.  I had arrived earlier than the bush taxis at the stop station so I spent the afternoon drinking and chit-chatting in broken English and Oshiwambo with the old farts.  It was one of the first times I really observed the stop station come to life as the afternoon progressed.  I watched as Kangulu fired up his beast (a wired together 2-wheel drive Toyota that very well could have come from the front lines of the independence struggle, as well as Kangulu himself) and move it into position to accept customers.  More and more vehicles continued to roll in as well as villagers wanting to get back into the bush after a day of stocking up in town.  At one point Tate Thomas, who I was depending on for a ride back, nudged me with his elbow and said “Chev” as he pointed at an old Chevy with a makeshift wooden rack of sorts and a payload of coke and a goat that rolled into the stop station.  I was later verbally abused by an old man in Afrikaans who apparently thought I was an Afrikaner.  I asked the man standing next to me what he was saying but he only said, “That man is really drunk. We have no problems.”  Even though I couldn’t understand a word he was saying I could tell by his tone that his remarks were racially charged.  Fair enough.  I am not going to hold it against him given Namibia's past.  After someone finally explained to him that I was American he quickly shut his mouth and even mumbled an apology as he walked past. 

 My Uukwambi experience ended for the day with no customers going to Enguwantale which meant I got to ride in the front seat with Tate Thomas as opposed to in the back uncomfortably crammed with 15 other people.  Uukwambi is one of those things I have taken for granted after a year and half here.  It is by no means a place to visit for the heck of it, but it is nonetheless always an interesting and dynamic experience.

A Missed Turn

The blog has lain quiet for some time.  Not because there hasn’t been anything worth sharing but instead of one part busyness and one part difficult times.  The last couple of months have proven to be very busy for me; in fact, much busier than I would have ever had expected in the Peace Corps.  Sixty-hour work weeks have taken their toll on me.  I am doing what I came here to do, however I have this feeling that I am missing other aspects of why I came.  Time is going and now I am left to wonder if I will leave here fulfilled and at peace.

Besides the busy times, I have been struggling with hard times.  My service has taken an unexpected turn which has brought on frustration and a feeling of total helplessness.  I had to stand aside and watch as a garden fell apart and was abandoned against my will and my best efforts.  On top of that, I have had to watch a PC mural project at the school gate become a victim of the elements as a result of vandalism.  These are two things that I have to look at every day and for me it is a lot to stomach.  It has brought about doubt about my own abilities and has diminished my motivation.  It makes it difficult to carry-on when you begin to wonder if the community you’re here to help, supports, appreciates, and in general just cares about your efforts.  The realities of development in Africa have just slapped me in the face.  There are reasons that I can’t explain, as to why Africa is lagging well behind the rest of the world.  However, I still can’t help but feel that I missed a turn somewhere.  What could have been done differently?

Despite it all, I am hanging in there and have absolutely no regrets; I am in Africa after all.  Development work is a puzzle, and I like puzzles.  As ready as I am to strap my skies on again or spend a lazy afternoon at an alpine lake trying to catch a cutthroat, I still have work to do here.  I want to at least find that missed turn before my time is up.  I honestly don’t even know what that means.  But in an attempt to get me back on track I plan on picking up the camera and pen (or in this case, the keyboard) more and remind myself why I came here in the first place.  I want to blog more for no one else but myself. Posting my thoughts publicly  forces me to look at things in a different way which I think is very beneficial at times like this.