Pastoral Nomads of the Central Namib Desert: The People History Forgot
"Precolonial Namibian history is largely unrecorded, but crucial evidence still exists in the form of archaeological remains, and it is to these neglected sources that I have turned to reconstruct the course of the last few millennia in the Central Namib Desert. The research described here covered several hundred archaeological sites, including the remains of large settlements in areas that are now completely deserted. Evidence from these sites forms the basis of this book which is my attempt to regain for the history of Namibia those lost episodes of the last two thousand years, from the first appearance of the pastoral economy, until the advent of the colonial era. Prior to this investigation the Namib archaeological sequence was poorly known, being incomplete for want of essential field evidence and, I believe, severely hampered by inappropriate premises of research. Although the research I describe in this book builds upon previous knowledge, my arguments and general approach are new to the archaeology of this region. In contrast to earlier research which tended to embrace the conventional history and project the descriptions of the nineteenth century deep into the past, I have developed a largely independent account, presenting the archaeological evidence for each step towards a history of the economy and society of the Namib pastoralists. This introductory chapter first presents the background to the research, describing the Central Namib Desert and the archaeological sequence as it is presently known."
Namibia Archeological Trust & New Namibia Books
"Farming has thus forcefully shaped human history over the past 11,000 years. But what of Namibia, where agriculture has only been practiced during the last thousand years or so? How has farming changed, and what sections of Namibian society are hunter-gatherers, pastoralists, crop producers or the beneficiaries of surpluses produced by others? What kinds of agriculture may help us escape poverty? Can we produce surpluses that are simply edible, or can they be sold to generate money to buy food grown by other people, perhaps in other countries? And setting ourselves higher goals, how can Namibia secure enough surplus food to have time and energy for technological and economic development? These are big questions. This book focuses on more modest questions, such as: how do Namibians farm and what factors influence agriculture? But without addressing the smaller questions, it may take much longer to get at the bigger challenges."
John Mendelsohn, Selma el Obeid, Nico de Klerk and Piers Vigne
Namibia National Farmers Union, RAISON (Research and Information Services of Namibia)
The Justice Sector and Rule of Law in Namibia: Management, Personnel and Access
This publication forms part of the series The Justice Sector and the Rule of Law in Namibia, which is jointly published by the Namibia Institute for Democracy (NID) and the Human Rights and Documentation Centre (HRDC), which is based in the Faculty of Law at the University of Namibia (UNAM). The series comprises three publications: Framework, Selected Legal Aspects and Cases; Management, Personnel and Access; and The Criminal Justice System. It has been published within the scope of a corporate agreement between the NID and the Embassy of Finland, with the overall aim of strengthening the institutional, advocacy and anti-corruption capacity of civil society and selected government institutions. The series does not claim to be either comprehensive or without some rough edges; after all, the publications are the products of capacity building. Divergent views are reflected with the aim of providing the reader with an overview of the nexus where the rule of law intersects with the administration of justice and with the protection and promotion of human rights in general, and in particular of the rights of those most vulnerable within our society, such as women and children. The publication is intended to be useful for lawyers and non-lawyers alike. Long-term, sustainable economic and social development is dependent on democratic governance and the rule of law. A framework for the rule of law is essential for the effective regulation of the interactions and co-existence of citizens within a democracy. This series of publications comes at an important time for Namibia, which celebrated 20 years of independent nationhood in 2010. It is intended to describe the institutional arrangements in a constitutional democracy and to reflect on the quality of democracy in Namibia. The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) conceptualised, initiated and supported this research project. The NID was assigned by the Africa Governance Monitoring and Advocacy Project, or AFRIMAP, to conduct the research in partnership with the HRDC.
The Justice Sector and Rule of Law in Namibia: The Criminal Justice System
The former Labor Minister of SWAPO (Southwest Africa People's Organization) recounts his personal saga of developing political commitment, conflict with the Boer adversary, imprisonment, torture, trial, rustication, and the agonizing decision to flee his homeland. His experience affords the reader an unusual perspective on black-white relations in Namibia and the (necessarily) subterranean world of black politics there.
John Ya Otto: with Ole Gjerstad and Michael Meer
Manasse Tjiseseta: Chief of Omaruru 1884-1898, Namibia
“Biographies of Namibian leaders of the nineteenth century are rare. We have indepth studies of Hendrik Witbooi, Samuel Maharero and Kahimemua for that period, but few comprehensive analyses of other leading figures. This book, a biography of the Herero chief Manasse Tjiseseta, who reigned in central-western Namibia between 1884 until his death in 1898, is thus to be welcomed. Its importance is enhanced by the fact that the editors of the series have added fourteen documents, including letters written by Tjiseseta himself, reproduced here in facsimile, and providing the reader with a personal glimpse of the chief. Joris de Vries reconstructs the life of one of the first Herero chiefs deeply embedded in a Christian context. He was a schoolteacher for the Rhenish Mission before succeeding his uncle, Tjaherani. He was also one of the first chiefs who had to act in a political environment increasingly influenced by German colonialism. He had to do so much earlier than the later paramount chief Samuel Maharero, whose biography partly resembles that of Tjiseseta. The structural confines of Christianity and colonialism, and the political and economic possibilities these entailed for a chief, became important for all central Namibian Herero polities from the late 1880s onwards. De Vries’ study provides an insight into the skilful means by which a fairly young chief (some 34 years of age at the beginning of his reign) used these contexts to carve autonomous spaces for himself and his people. The author shows convincingly how the particular economic possibilities of the Omaruru region provided an essential power base for the chief. Omaruru was an important commercial centre along several major trade routes connecting western, central and northern Namibia, and Tjiseseta set up a coherent taxation system. In addition, the area provided for regular agricultural activity which, next to the pastoral economy, provided an important source of income. In the case of the Damara community at Okombahe, relations of dependency, including the control of labourers, added to the power base of Tjiseseta and that of several other Herero petty chiefs. As de Vries shows, Tjiseseta played out these economic possibilities and social differences while maintaining political autonomy, not only vis-a-vis the encroaching German military, but also vis-a-vis the dominant Maharero polity. To characterize Tjiseseta as a ‘ tycoon’ (pp. ff.) with respect to his economic ventures and wealth might, however, be an overstatement, not least as he did not act solely by himself but in accordance with a council. This raises the question of the distribution of wealth, and relations with other enterprising Herero families, analyses of which are missing. The analysis of the transformations faced by Tjiseseta in the s (chapter ) remains superficial. While the general lines of conflict with the German administration are well outlined, resulting in the chief losing more and more control, the complexities of the dynamics within the polity are not addressed coherently. A case in point are the transformations of the chief’s relations with the Damara community in Okombahe. De Vries omits an important manoeuvre by Tjiseseta in 1894 through which he transformed the tribute payments of the Okombahe agriculturalists into a lucrative annual revenue granted by the German administration without himself and his petty chiefs losing de facto control of Damara labour, while the Damara chief in turn had to enter into agreement with the German administration for the provision of labour (de Vries only mentions the latter). The case is important as it raises questions about the changing relations between Tjiseseta, his petty chiefs and the Damara population, as well as issues relating to the manipulation of pre-colonial relations of dependence by the Herero elite during the initial phase of German administration. In-depth analyses of these issues are missing. De Vries’ study is a slightly revised version of his MA thesis submitted at the Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden in 1997. This explains the limited source basis on which the book is based. The omission of the rich correspondence of the Rhenish missionaries of Omaruru, Okombahe and Omburu limits de Vries’ understanding of the internal dynamics of the Herero polity and results in a rather sketchy picture of Tjiseseta’s (extended) family. Although the author acknowledges some of the shortcomings (in chapter  and the conclusion), one wonders for example why such important political bodies as the chief’s council and the church council are not analyzed in their own right ? Despite these limitations, the book is a welcome contribution to the biographical and regional studies of central Namibian history. This reviewer hopes that the publisher (who has failed to provide an index) has made it available to the Namibian readership at an affordable price, as it is biographies that often lend themselves much better to discussions of history in its broader contexts than any other so-called history books. -- Dag Henrichsen, Journal of African History”
The Tourism-Development Nexus in Namibia : A Study on National Tourism Policy and Local Tourism Enterprises' Policy Knowledge
PhD Dissertation - "The tourism development nexus in southern Africa involves highly topical issues related to tourism planning, power relations, community participation, and natural resources. Namibia offers a particularly interesting context for the study of these issues due to its colonial legacy, vast tourism potential, recently adopted tourism policy and community-based approaches to tourism and natural resource management. This study is an interdisciplinary endeavour to analyse the role of tourism in Namibia s post-apartheid transformation process by focusing on Namibian tourism policy and local tourism enterprises' policy knowledge. Major attention is paid to how the tourism policy's national development objectives are understood and conceptualised by the representatives of different tourism enterprises and the ways in which they relate to the practical needs of the enterprises. Through such local policy knowledge the study explores various opportunities, challenges and constraints related to the promotion of tourism as a development strategy. The study utilises a political economy approach to tourism and development through three current and interrelated discourses which are relevant in the Namibian context. These are tourism, power and inequality, tourism and sustainable development, and tourism and poverty reduction. The qualitative research material was gathered in Namibia in 2006-2007 and 2008. This material consists of 34 semi-structured interviews in 16 tourism enterprises, including private trophy hunting farms and private lodges, small tour operators and community-based tourism enterprises. In addition, the research material consists of observations in the enterprises, and 37 informal and 23 expert interviews. The findings indicate that in the light of local tourism enterprises the tourism policy objectives appear more complex and ambiguous. Furthermore, they involve multiple meanings and interpretations which reflect the socio-economic stratification of the informants and Namibian society, together with the professional stratification of the tourism enterprises and restrictions on the capacity of tourism to address the development objectives. In the light of such findings it is obvious that aspects of power and inequality affect the tourism development nexus in Namibia. The study concludes that, as in the case of other southern African countries, in order to promote sustainable development and reduce poverty, Namibia should not only target tourism growth but pay attention to who benefits from that growth and how. From a political economy point of view, it is important that prevailing structural challenges are addressed equally in the planning of tourism, development and natural resource management. Such approach would help the Namibian majority to enjoy the benefits of increasing tourism in the country. Matkailun ja kehityksen välinen suhde eteläisessä Afrikassa heijastaa ajankohtaisia kysymyksiä matkailun suunnittelusta, valtasuhteista, paikallisten yhteisöjen osallistumisesta ja luonnonvaroista. Namibia sopii oivallisesti näiden kysymysten tarkasteluun maan poliittisen historian, matkailupotentiaalin, tuoreen matkailupolitiikan ja yhteisöpohjaisten lähestymistapojensa johdosta. Tämä tutkimus tarkastelee matkailun roolia Namibian itsenäisyyden jälkeisessä kehityksessä kansallisen matkailupolitiikan ja paikallisten matkailutoimijoiden politiikkatietämyksen valossa. Tutkimus selvittää miten eri matkailuyritysten edustajat ymmärtävät ja käsitteellistävät matkailupolitiikan sisältämiä kansallisia kehitystavoitteita. Paikallisen politiikkatietämyksen kautta tutkimus tarkastelee matkailuun kehitysstrategiana liittyviä mahdollisuuksia, haasteita ja rajoituksia. Tutkimus lähestyy matkailun ja kehityksen välistä suhdetta poliittisen taloustieteen näkökulmasta kolmen ajankohtaisen ja toisiinsa kytkeytyvän diskurssin kautta, jotka soveltuvat erityisesti Namibian kontekstiin. Ne ovat matkailu, valta ja eriarvoisuus, matkailu ja kestävä kehitys sekä matkailu ja köyhyyden vähentäminen. Laadullinen tutkimusaineisto on kerätty Namibiassa 2006-2007 ja 2008. Se koostuu 34 teemahaastattelusta 16 matkailuyrityksessä, joihin lukeutuvat yksityiset metsästystilat ja majatalot, pienyrittäjä-matkanjärjestäjät sekä yhteisöpohjaiset matkailuyritykset. Lisäksi aineisto koostuu matkailuyritysten havainnoinnista ja 37 epävirallisesta sekä 23 asiantuntijahaastattelusta. Tutkimus osoittaa, että paikallisten matkailuyritysten valossa matkailupolitiikan kehitystavoitteet ovat monimutkaisempia ja tulkinnanvaraisempia. Niihin liittyy erilaisia merkityksiä ja tulkintoja, jotka heijastavat haastateltujen matkailuyrittäjien ja Namibian yhteiskunnan sosio-taloudellista kerrostuneisuutta sekä haastateltavien ammatillista kerrostuneisuutta ja matkailun rajoittuneisuutta kansallisten kehitystavoitteiden edistämisessä. Näiden tulosten valossa valtaan ja eriarvoisuuteen liittyvät kysymykset vaikuttavat keskeisesti matkailun ja kehityksen väliseen suhteeseen Namibiassa. Tutkimuksen johtopäätöksenä on, että kestävän kehityksen ja köyhyyden vähentämisen edistämiseksi Namibian ei tulisi ainoastaan keskittyä kasvattamaan matkailua ja sen talousvaikutuksia, vaan huomiota tulisi kiinnittää yhtälailla siihen, ketkä hyötyvät matkailun kasvusta ja millä tavoin. Poliittisen taloustieteen näkökulmasta on tärkeää, että vallitseviin rakenteellisiin ongelmiin puututaan sekä matkailun ja kehityksen suunnittelussa että luonnonvarojen hallinnoinnissa. Tällainen lähetysmistapa edesauttaisi Namibian enemmistön hyötymistä lisääntyvästä matkailusta."
On the record: Political party representatives challenged - Part 1: Political Platforms
Based on questionnaires that constitute the basis of in-depth interviews with party representatives. 1 Introduction 2 Methodology 3 Section 1 of the questionnaire: Government 3.1 Decentralisation 3.2 Government efficiency 3.3 Government corruption 3.4 Transparency 4 Section 2 of the questionnaire: External relations 4.1 The United Nations 4.2 The African Union 4.3 New Partnership for Africa’s Development 4.4 The Southern African Development Community 5 Section 3 of the questionnaire: Democracy 5.1 Individual rights 5.2 Group rights 5.3 Constitutionalism 5.4 Democratic rule 5.5 Participation 5.6 Opposition
Namibia Institute for Democracy & Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung
© Namibia Institute for Democracy & Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung
Who Should Own the Land? Analyses and Views on Land Reform and the Land Question in Namibia and Southern Africa
A selection of views on and analyses of land reform and the land issue in Namibia. Edited Volume by Justine Hunter of the NID. Contributions Willie Breytenbach Ben Fuller Colleen Muchinarwo Gwari Oliver Horsthemke Justine Hunter Uazuva Kaumbi Willem Moore Dirk Mudge Lloyd Mambo Sachikonye Robin Sherbourne Wolfgang Werner Interviews Alfred Angula Jan de Wet Hon. Marco Hausiku Risto Kapenda Hon. Hifikepunye Pohamba
Damara in Namibia: Naturally Namibian and Proudly #Nu-Khoe - Geschichtsproduktion im Spannungsfeld von Tradition und Politik
Dr. Phil. Dissertation: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz in Historical/Cultural-studies - Teil I: VOM NUTZEN DER GESCHICHTSPRODUKTION – ZIELSETZUNG, THEORIE UND METHODIK DER FORSCHUNGSARBEIT Teil II: DAMARA IN GESCHICHTE UND GEGENWART NAMIBIAS Teil III: AUF DER SUCHE NACH DER „VERLORENEN GESCHICHTE“
Yearbook of the Karakul Breeders Association, 1958
-50 Years of Karakul-Breeding in SWA -Scientific Abstracts -Disease Outbreaks amongst Rams -Karakul Research on Experimental Farms -Annual Report 1957 -Bloodline of the Neudam Stud
Karakul Breeders Association of South West Africa
Yearbook of the Karakul Breeders Association, 1959
-The Development of the SWA Karakul Breeding Associations -The pros and cons of opening up the Karakul Stud Book -Annual Report 1958 -Scientific Abstracts -Karakul research on the Experimental farms -Hair strength and its relationships to good qualities in lamb pelts -Karakuls in Argentina
Yearbook of the Karakul Breeders Association, 1960
-Jackal-Proof Fencing and the Karakul Sheep -General Breeding Questions in the Karakul Industry -Annual Report 1960 -Hair Thickness and it's relationship to quality traits in lamb pelts -Annual Report 1959 -Karakul research on the proefplase -Scientific Abstracts
Yearbook of the Karakul Breeders Association, 1961
-A.D. Thompson: Beneficiary for the Karakul Farmers -Regarding the inheritance of curl patterns in karakul sheep -Progress in Karakul Farming held back by poor herd management -Large extension of Karakul Studs in the Soviet Union -A good management programme is necessary -Annual Report 1960 -The farmer must understand medicine -Importance of Hair quality in Karakul breeding -Scientific Abstracts -KTV Ram Auctions 1960
Yearbook of the Karakul Breeders Association, 1962
-Ewe Families -Report on a visit to Argentina -Karakul industry in Angola -The Soviet Karakul -Karakul Research on the Experimental Farms -Annual Report 1961 -My memories on Haribes -Export of Karakul pelts, 1961 -KTF Ram Auctions, 1961/62
Yearbook of the Karakul Breeders Association, 1963
-Successful Karakul Sheep Farming -Anomalies in Karakul Sheep -Descent of the Neudam Stud Rams -Pelt Prices 1962 -Annual Report 1962 -Karakul Research on the experimental Farms -Karakul Short Courses -Advanced Karakul Short Course -Ram Auctions 1962/63 -New Breeding Inspector for the KBA
Yearbook of the Karakul Breeders Association, 1964
-Improper preparation of pelts reduces karakul farmers' income -Annual Report 1963 -Suitable breeding methods for the Karakul Industry -Karakul Research at Neudam -Ear Length in Karakul sheep -Karakul Research at Gellap-Ost -The Growing Importance of a By-Product (Wool) -Advanced Karakul Short Courses -Ram Auctions 1963/64
Yearbook of the Karakul Breeders Association, 1965
-Factors which Affect the Breeding of Karakoel Sheep -The SWA Breeding book at 40 years -The Selection of Hair length of Day-old Karakul Sheep -Annual Report 1964 -Karakul Research on the Experimental Farms -Advanced Karakul Short course -The Impact of Drought years on SWA and its Overcoming -Ram Auctions 1964/65 -Photographing Karakul Lambs -The Karakul Industry and Thorer
Yearbook of the Karakul Breeders Association, 1966
-Erich Gusinde obit. -London Karakul Pelt Auctions and the Future of the SWA Persian Lambskin -The interval between birth and subsequent conception in Karakul Sheep -Broadtails may be obtained in large numbers from Culled Ewes -Methods of creating a flock of Karakuls of the Sur variety -New results in immunization research in domesticated animals, particularly sheep. -Annual Report 1965 -Karakul Research at Neudam -Peculiarities of Pedigree Breeding with Grey Karakul Sheep -Karakul Research at Gellap-Ost -Ram Auctions 1965 -Genetic Study of Neudam breeding -The effect of Multiple births on the quality of Karakuls -Hair thickness and hair length of day-old karakuls and eight-year old karakuls -Scientific Abstracts -Changes in the Constitution of the KTV
Yearbook of the Karakul Breeders Association, 1967
-60 Years if Karakul Breeding in SWA -Testing offspring of Karakul Sheep -The Neudam Bloodline -Views regarding the SWA Pelt Supply, with special emphasis on the Pipe Curl -Karakul Research on the Experimental Farms -Annual Report 1966 -Auctions -Green light for the Galjak (sheep) -Scientific Abstracts