32 | SUNRAYS
JULY 2013
ONLINE:
SCTXCA.ORG
2
”“
The world is a book, and those who do
not travel read only one page.
- St. Augustine
J
ust north of South Africa, on the
continent’s west coast, lies a coun-
try unknown to many travelers,
yet rich in history, scenery, animals,
and culture. My husband and I trav-
elled to Namibia last November in a
return to a continent that has captured
our imagination.
The tour company made it easy for us:
arranging accommodations in a variety
of locations that showcased the oldest
desert in the world, the heritage of Ger-
man colonization, the deadly Skeleton
Coast, and one of the world’s largest
game preserves. They also arranged
cultural interactions for us: a tradition-
al dinner (really, Mopane worms?) and
conversations with a medicine man,
tribal elders from a small desert vil-
lage, a class of middle school children,
and black township residents strug-
gling to find their way in a country in-
dependent from South Africa for only
a little over two decades.
In size, Namibia is about 20 percent
larger than Texas, but it only has about
7 percent of the population of our state.
It was colonized by Germany at the end
of the 19th century as a way of expand-
ing the land available for a burgeoning
German population in Europe. Since
the native Herero and Nama tribes al-
ready occupied the best land, Germany
embarked on an official policy of exter-
mination through concentration camps,
slave labor, and the issuance of hunting
permits. Three quarters of the Herero
population and half of the Nama popu-
lation were annihilated. After World
War I, what was then called German
Southwest Africa was annexed to South
Namibia
By Sandy Nielsen
Dark Secrets, Stunning Scenery, Vibrant Culture
PHOTOS BY SANDY NIELSEN
