Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE SHAPE OF THINGS PAST
The Caprivi Strip's notably odd shape is a story in itself. When Germany laid claim to British-administered Zan-
zibar in 1890, Britain naturally objected, and soon after the Berlin Conference was called to settle the dispute. In
the end, Britain kept Zanzibar, but Germany was offered a vast strip of land from the British-administered
Bechuanaland protectorate (now Botswana). Named the Caprivi Strip after German chancellor General Count Ge-
org Leo von Caprivi di Caprara di Montecuccoli, this vital tract of land provided Germany with access to the
Zambezi River.
For the Germans, the motivation for this swap was to ultimately create a colonial empire that spanned from the
south Atlantic Coast to Tanganyika (now Tanzania) and the Indian Ocean. Unfortunately for them, the British col-
onisation of Rhodesia stopped the Germans well upstream of Victoria Falls, which proved a considerable barrier
to navigation on the Zambezi.
Interestingly enough, the absorption of the Caprivi Strip into German South West Africa didn't make world
news, and it was nearly 20 years before some of its population discovered that they were under German control.
In 1908 the German government finally dispatched one Hauptmann Streitwolf to oversee local administration, a
move that prompted the Lozi tribe to round up all the cattle - including those belonging to rival tribes - and drive
them out of the area. The cattle were eventually returned to their rightful owners, but most of the Lozi people
chose to remain in Zambia and Angola rather than submit to German rule.
On 4 August 1914 Britain declared war on Germany and, just over a month later, the German administrative
seat at Schuckmannsburg was attacked by the British from their base at Sesheke and then seized by the police. An
apocryphal tale recounts that German governor Von Frankenberg was entertaining the English resident adminis-
trator of Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) when a servant presented a message from British authorities in Living-
stone. After reading it, the British official declared his host a prisoner of war, and thus, Schuckmannsburg fell into
British hands. Whether the story is true or not, the seizure of Schuckmannsburg was the first Allied occupation of
enemy territory in WWI.
KATIMA MULILO
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Out on a limb at the eastern end of the Caprivi Strip lies remote Katima Mulilo, which is
as far from Windhoek (1200km) as you can get in Namibia. Once known for the elephants
that marched through the village streets, Katima is devoid of wildlife these days - apart
from the hippos and crocodiles in the Zambezi - though it continues to thrive as a border
town and minor commercial centre.
Sleeping & Eating
Mukusi Cabins $$
( 253255; Engen petrol station; campsites N$80, s/d from N$460/640; )
Although
it lacks the riverside location of other properties in the area, this oasis behind the Engen
CABINS
