I have now travelled Namibia for four weeks. A time when I can only scratch the surface, but these are my observations.

Firstly, the Church is very important in the lives of the people. They practise their faith, taking moral guidance, support and cleansing of evil from the preacher. One person said to me, ” even if you make someone cry you will have your time with God”. Witchcraft was a topic in tandem. Thankfully, studing this during my social anthropology studies I was armed with meaningful questions. Witchcraft is widely believed, but the cleansing of bad spirits now takes place in the church, rather than with the witch doctor who was described as simply a money making machine.

Tribal origins and allegiances are still fundamental. In the time of Apartheid tribes were separated in the countryside, and in townships. Now this has largely gone, there is no conflict between tribes and intermarriage allowed. I understand that only the San tribe ( in the far south) have conflict with the Government and feel marginalised. The roots of this go back to 1974 when the South African Government recruited San people to track and kill Swapo (the current Government) rebels fighting for Namibian independence.

Migration to the city away from the tribal heartlands of the north, who suffer from high unemployment, is evident, and with it creeping modernisation. Aspirations are for your : own home, a fancy car and a smart phone. Angolese and Congolese illegal migration to Namibia is also a hot topic. It must be a massive draw to come from these worn ravaged countries, to the peace and relative prosperity of Namibia.

My fourth observation is about black poverty ( I suspect a bigger issue than portrayed) and still white dominance. Maybe 30 years is not long in the history of a nation, but still the political opponents to today’s Government say that 70% of the land is with the 6% white Namibians. I’m trying to think of a business that I have come across, big, small hotels, restaurants, cafes ,bookshops. All have been fronted by a white faces : Namibian, South African, Africaans or German. Namibia’s wealth distribution is one of the worst in the world.

Politically, Namibia may have a Government that is a notch better than other African countries, but nevertheless suffers from : a party in power for too long (33 years), friends in powerful Government positions, selling the countries assets cheaply ( namely to the Chinese) and corruption scandals. The Minister of Fisheries and Minister of Justice, taking bribes to assure an Icelandic fishing company had preferential fishing quotas are now in prison. Many Namibian’s believe that the President himself was at the top of that (fish) food chain. Does any of this sound familiar?

There is nowhere else in Africa like this (or not that I have visited). Maybe only a surface veneer, but it feels prosperous and safe. Tarmac roads, where they exist are good quality, all towns have pavements, rubbish is collected along thousands of kilometers of roads ( in Windhoek a separate sedan car collects discarded bottles). I have vivid memories of poverty, garbage and open sewers in other large African cities. Mr Israel took me in to his township in Windhoek. Poorer, yes , and I needed to censor some of the photos I took in the local market, but there was a visible civic pride and a comfortable air.

Lastly, two areas close to my heart: conservation and the UN goals. Firstly, conservation. In Namibia conservation seems to be led by a few organisations that are mixing conservation with tourist dollars. The Government, I believe, should be doing more to stop the poaching in the national parks if they are to sustain tourism. Also educate the Namibian people on the importance of the wildlife asset (Mr Israel laughed at my interest in springboks, something only yesterday he was having for his supper) . It would be a dream to move more of those vast tracks of unused land over to more National Parks. Now 17% of the land is over to wildlife. Wouldn’t it be great to double this?

Only on my last day in Windhoek when Mr Israel took me to see his local charity for deaf women, where they are taught crafting skills , did I see /hear/ witness anything to do with the UN sustainability goals. The poster was put on the wall by the Dutch charity financing the project. Don’t they say to make change you have to take people along the journey with you? Probably the Government is making positive strides on their behalf, but the people have no awareness.

What of the people themselves? They are all very friendly, smiley and energetic. Despite their daily worries, they do everything with humour and open infectious laughter. They are a proud, self confident and chatty (very chatty) race.

Would I recommend Namibia to others? Oh, hell, yes!