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Few tourists plan
to spend more time in the capital than the unavoidable stop-over
at the start and end of their roundtrip. On the one hand this
is understandable, as everybody’s time is limited and
Namibia’s great natural wonders are beckoning mightily.
On the other hand the country’s charm does not consist
of nature alone but also of its inhabitants, combining a multitude
of different peoples and cultures. Ever so often tourists
unhappily realise at the end of their visit that they have
had little opportunity to get in touch with ordinary people
and experience everyday life in Africa beyond the hula skirt
cliché. Windhoek offers this opportunity and is worth
more than a night’s stay. All those who claim that it
is a totally European city have been misled by the looks of
the city centre.
Everyday life in Africa
The suburb of Katutura is far removed from the colonial architecture,
the glass fronts of the high-rise buildings and the shopping
malls of downtown Windhoek. Correctly translated from Otjiherero
the name Katutura means ‘We will never settle (here)’.
Katutura
The fascinating history of the suburb and its inhabitants
is relayed on guided city and township tours. Trained local
tour guides take visitors around their home area in a totally
relaxed atmosphere. They are shown the tiny houses in a residential
quarter called Babylon, cleverly patched together with any
kind of building material; the Penduka project (‘Wake
up’) at Goreangab Dam where women embellish high-quality
textiles with African themes and run a café; the Soweto
Market with its many stalls selling snacks like dried spinach
and Mopane caterpillars, Vetkoek (cakes fried in fat) and
bits of freshly roasted meat; the hairdresser’s shop
at the side of the market, where elaborately plaited hairdos
are created during hours of painstaking work; and the tailor
shops for the magnificent traditional dresses. The tour is
wrapped up with a visit to one of the many shebeens with colourful
names like Manhattan, Love Bar or African Dream.
There is hardly
a more intensive way to get acquainted with foreign cultures
than via the taste buds. Those who cannot bring themselves
to try Mopane caterpillars at the market, get another chance
to sample traditional delicacies in the evening. A special
Katutura-by-Night tour, to be booked in advance, includes
dinner at the Otjikaendu Restaurant. Otjikaendu is Otjiherero
for ‘well-endowed woman’. The well-endowed owner,
Milba Tjahere, serves Smilies – stuffed and roasted
heads of sheep and goat – which are known all over town.
Alternatively, you can opt for a simply delicious chicken
curry or a totally ordinary steak. The restaurant is very
popular with the locals too.
Galleries, Theatre and Museums
The history of Namibia’s many people and present-day
life are reflected in the nation’s art. A permanent
exhibit and changing exhibitions in the National Gallery or
the Omba Gallery give a general idea of the work of Namibian
artists. The history of the country and its people come across
vividly in the Alte Feste, the National Museum and the Owela
Museum.
Alte Feste
Railway enthusiasts will be drawn to the TransNamib Museum
at the railway station, whereas Namibia’s exciting geology
and its mineral riches are on show at the Museum run by the
Directorate Geological Survey of Namibia.
Concerts, musicals
and ballet performances produced in Windhoek, as well as neighbouring
countries (mostly South Africa) are staged at the National
Theatre - mostly towards the weekend, although not every week.
Much more intimate, is the atmosphere of the Warehouse cabaret
theatre in the Old Brewery. The Warehouse offers local and
international theatre and cabaret productions, as well as
concerts. When a music group performs it usually does not
take long before the whole, cheerfully mixed audience is on
its feet.
Other cultural
offerings are arranged by the Franco-Namibian Culture Centre
and the Goethe Zentrum / Namibisch-Deutsche Stiftung (Goethe
Centre / Namibian-German Foundation).
Strolling through Yesterday and Today
It was probably about 160 years ago that the first Oorlam
Nama, led by Kaptein Jonker Afrikaner, settled at !Ae-gams
- the site in today’s suburb of Klein Windhoek where
water bubbled from the ground at a temperature of more than
70 degrees Celsius. They simply called the place ‘hot
springs’. Not far from there German Schutztruppe Commander
Curt von Francois built the Alte Feste fort in 1890. Since
then Windhoek has been the seat of varying administrative
bodies governing the area of today’s Namibia.
The traces and
the influence of German colonial times and later on South
African mandatory rule are in evidence everywhere in the capital:
here the equestrian monument, the Tintenpalast and the railway
station, there the town hall and municipal offices built in
the sixties, the post office and the bombproof complex of
the national broadcasting company. Among the latest additions
are the imposing Supreme Court and statues of leaders of the
liberation struggle against decades of oppression by South
Africa’s apartheid regime. Today’s people pursue
their daily tasks between all these relics of the past without
taking much note of them. In Namibia’s capital, yesteryear
merges with yesterday and today, and Africa mixes with Europe
in a way which is full of contrasts, not always without tension,
but always stimulating.
In downtown Windhoek it is often the many examples of German
colonial architecture under the dazzling blue African sky,
which are selected as subjects for photos: the equestrian
monument commemorating the casualties of the 1904 uprising;
behind it the Alte Feste fort, lined by palm trees; Christuskirche
(Christ’s Church) in front of
Monument and Church
the well-kept gardens of Tintenpalast (Ink Palace), the House
of Parliament; and the neatly preserved railway station northwest
of the city centre. African trends are provided by the statues
of the leaders of the liberation movement - Hosea Kutako,
Hendrik Witbooi and Theophelus Hamutumbangela - at the flight
of stairs leading up to Tintenpalast, and by the many people
who spend their lunch hour relaxing on the lawns of Zoo Park.
The Botanical Gardens on the slope behind Alte Feste are much
quieter. Under expert guidance visitors are given a good idea
of the country’s manifold flora.
In the pedestrian
area of Post Mall Street you come across a fountain, without
water, which features pieces from the famous meteorite shower
of Gibeon. Should you be looking for souvenirs - this is where
you find them: the well-stocked street market around the fountain
is a treasure trove of wood carvings, baskets and plenty more.
Scores of shops in the city specialise in high-quality jewellery,
gemstones, minerals, leather goods or carpets made from Karakul
wool, to name but a few. There are several bookshops where
to look for publications about Namibia. And if you want to
listen in on a bit of gossip you can stop for a coffee-break
at the legendary Wecke & Voigts coffee bar.
Discovering the Vicinity
There is African bush savannah right on Windhoek’s doorstep.
Daan Viljoen Game Reserve, west of the capital in the Khomas
Hochland Mountains, offers several hiking trails through its
hilly, park-like scenery.
They can be used without the slightest worry, as there are
no wild animals which could pose a threat to hikers. With
a little luck you will encounter Kudu, Blue Wildebeest, Hartmann’s
Mountain Zebra, Eland, Gemsbok, Red Hartebeest or even Giraffe.
Or do as the Windhoekers do and have a picnic at the scenic
little dam.
Zebra
About 120 km to the west, one of Namibia’s most striking
mountains rises from the Khomas Hochland: Gamsberg. It is
after all, the third highest in the country, with a plateau
at the top. The extremely steep ascent by 4x4 is an unforgettable
experience in itself. The view from the top is spectacular
– to the west, where the Namib spreads out beyond, as
much as to the east across the Khomas Hochland right up to
the Auas Mountains near Windhoek.
The thermal baths
at Gross Barmen, about 80 km north of Windhoek and 10 km south-west
of Okahandja, are fed by a hot spring. The water is said to
relieve rheumatism. The spacious, handsome spa consists of
an indoor and an outdoor pool. A trip to Gross Barmen can
be combined with a visit to the little town of Okahandja.
Apart from historic sites such as the graves of the famous
Maharero leaders, there are two large markets selling wood
carvings, as well as an ostrich farm.
Those looking for
adventure will not want to miss Arnhem Cave, 120 km south-east
of Windhoek. On a tour of up to three hours part of the cave
system is explored. It is 4.5 km long in total. As the cave
is very dry there are no stalactites or stalagmites, but various
types of bats inhabit the place.
Since August 2002
a memorial site, visible from a distance, towers above the
southern approaches to Windhoek. Hero’s Acre commemorates
the history of Namibia’s liberation struggle and its
dead heroes. Visitors to the site receive a small but very
informative brochure with details about some of the country’s
important heroes.
A great idea for
an evening with a difference is a visit to the privately-run
observatory south of Windhoek. No doubt you will remember
details about the magnificent Namibian night sky for a long
time to come. Do note, that you have to make an appointment
in advance.
South of Windhoek,
in and around Rehoboth, you can spend some hours bathing to
your heart’s content. Reho-Spa is a thermal bath similar
to the one in Gross Barmen, fed by a hot spring. Situated
right in the centre of Rehoboth, it is much more frequented,
however. Oanob Dam was built a few kilometres out of Rehoboth
to supply drinking water. The surrounding area has since been
proclaimed a conservation area. The dam is available for various
aquatic sports. For those interested in ethnology there is
Rehoboth Museum. It is small, but the exhibit about Namibia’s
peoples is well worth a visit.
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