Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BEYOND THE CLICHÉS: A TRAVELLER'S
PERSPECTIVE
IAN KETCHESON
It's hard to write about the Himba in a way that doesn't sound like a cliché or a
National Geographic
article. They
are the widely photographed subject of many travel brochures and glossy coffee-table books. They are often por-
trayed as an 'early people' who have lived untouched by outside influence for thousands of years. Their practice
of smearing red ochre over their bodies, and their not-so-modest attire of leather miniskirts and loincloths, has
also made them quite popular on the tourist circuit for those wishing to travel to a remote corner of the continent
for a glimpse of 'traditional' Africa.
While these stereotypes might seem accurate at first glance, the reality is much more complex. In fact, the
Himba have only lived in this part of Namibia for about 200 years. After being on the losing end of many ethnic
battles during the 18th and 19th centuries, this group of people managed some success on the battlefield in the late
19th century, stole a bunch of cattle and goats, and headed off to the remote northwestern corner of the country
where they could finally get some peace and quiet - at least until the tourists started turning up in the 1990s.
As for their attire, it's just a sign of the lack of success that 19th-century Christian missionaries had in colon-
ising the Himba. One of the top priorities of missionaries across Namibia (and beyond) was to convince people
that the first thing a 'civilised' person could do was to put on hot, uncomfortable and expensive clothes. After
they had proper clothes, all they had to do was get a 'real' (read Christian) name, renounce polygamy and sit
through long church services. Next stop, heaven.
Although the Himba are also widely portrayed as victims of the steady march of modernisation, their leaders
have shown themselves to be quite adept at dealing with the outside world. In the late 1990s the Namibian gov-
ernment was moving ahead with plans to dam Epupa Falls in order to reduce the country's dependence on impor-
ted electricity. The plan would have flooded large areas of Himba land, and posed a major threat to their way of
life.
Chief Kapika, the Himba leader for the area bordering the falls, with the assistance of some of the top lawyers
in the country, mounted a campaign of opposition to the scheme that included a high-profile trip to Europe, where
he spoke to foreign investors, NGOs and activists. Chief Kapika quite successfully managed to shine a bit of the
international spotlight on his cause, attracting attention and generating support to help in the fight against the gov-
ernment. In recent years, the dam proposal has fallen through, although the Namibian government has been mak-
ing noises about the prospect of a dam on the Cunene River, which has its source in Angola and demarcates the
border between the two countries before spilling into the Atlantic. The Himba are also fiercely opposed to this
dam project.
Damara
The Damara resemblance to some Bantu of West Africa has led some anthropologists to
believe they were among the first people to migrate into Namibia from the north, and that
perhaps early trade with the Nama and San caused them to adopt Khoisan as a lingua
franca.
