Archive for the ‘Namibia’ Category
by Amy on Aug 21st, 2012
Jacana presents wildlife photographer Shem Compion’s Insider’s Guide: Top Wildlife Photography Spots in Botswana and Namibia:
Inspired by Africa’s unique beauty, Shem Compion, in the second instalment of a three-part series, explores the best photography spots in Botswana and Namibia. This book provides a comprehensive guide to visiting some of the most remote destinations in the world. The daunting questions of when to go, how to get there, where to stay and what to do are quickly answered. The detailed and instructive photographic notes provide up-to-date information on the vital technical aspects of photography. In addition, this book is a guide to understanding animal behaviour – a photographer’s greatest asset.
Insider’s Guide uncovers the wonders of Botswana from the Okavango Delta, Deception Valley, to the Northern Tuli Game Reserve and many more. In Namibia, discover the splendour of the Southern Deserts, the lesser known locations in Etosha National Park as well as the Caprivi Strip. This is an essential guide for photographers, nature enthusiasts and travel junkies to begin their exploration into the vast and beautiful expanses of Botswana and Namibia.
About the author
Shem Compion has dedicated his life to his two passions – photography and nature. This dedication has made him a world-renowned photographer who has had his images published in many iconic magazines. In 2010 Shem supplied all 56 images to the Africa Geographic for the wildlife calendar which went on to sell out within 2 months, the first time it has done so. He has also been the recipient of numerous photographic awards such as winning the birds category in 2009 at the Getaway-Fuji awards.
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by Amy on Apr 12th, 2011
In 1990 Namibia gained its independence after a decades-long struggle against South African rule – and, before that, against German colonialism. This book, the first new scholarly general history of Namibia in two decades, provides a fresh synthesis of these events, and of the much longer pre-colonial period.
A History of Namibia opens with a chapter by John Kinahan covering the evidence of human activity in Namibia from the earliest times to the nineteenth century, and for the first time making a synthesis of current archaeological research widely available to non-specialists. In subsequent chapters, Marion Wallace weaves together the most up-to-date academic research (in English and German) on Namibian history, from the mid-eighteenth century to the present. She explores histories of migration, production and power in the pre-colonial period, the changes triggered by European expansion, and the dynamics of the period of formal colonialism. The coverage of German rule includes a full chapter on the genocide of 1904-8. Here, Wallace outlines the history and historiography of the wars fought in central and southern Namibia, and the subsequent mass imprisonment of defeated Africans in concentration camps.
The final two chapters analyse the period of African nationalism, apartheid and war between 1946 and 1990. The book’s conclusion looks briefly at the development of Namibia in the two decades since independence. A History of Namibia provides an invaluable introduction and reference source to the past of a country that is often neglected, despite its significance in the history of the region and, indeed, for that of European colonialism and international relations. It makes accessible the latest research on the country, illuminates current controversies, puts forward new insights, and suggests future directions for research. The book’s extensive bibliography adds to its usefulness for scholar and general reader alike.
About the Author
Marion Wallace is African curator at the British Library and a historian of Namibia.
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by Amy on Jan 27th, 2011
In 1990 Namibia gained its independence after a decades-long struggle against South African rule – and, before that, against German colonialism. A History of Namibia: From the Beginning to 1990, the first new scholarly general history of Namibia in two decades, provides a fresh synthesis of these events, and of the much longer pre-colonial period. A History of Namibia opens with a chapter by John Kinahan covering the evidence of human activity in Namibia from the earliest times to the nineteenth century, and for the first time making a synthesis of current archaeological research widely available to non-specialists.
In subsequent chapters, Marion Wallace weaves together the most up-to-date academic research (in English and German) on Namibian history, from the mid-eighteenth century to the present. She explores histories of migration, production and power in the pre-colonial period, the changes triggered by European expansion, and the dynamics of the period of formal colonialism. The coverage of German rule includes a full chapter on the genocide of 1904-8. Here, Wallace outlines the history and historiography of the wars fought in central and southern Namibia, and the subsequent mass imprisonment of defeated Africans in concentration camps. The final two chapters analyse the period of African nationalism, apartheid and war between 1946 and 1990.
The book’s conclusion looks briefly at the development of Namibia in the two decades since independence. A History of Namibia provides an invaluable introduction and reference source to the past of a country that is often neglected, despite its significance in the history of the region and, indeed, for that of European colonialism and international relations. It makes accessible the latest research on the country, illuminates current controversies, puts forward new insights, and suggests future directions for research. The book’s extensive bibliography adds to its usefulness for scholar and general reader alike.
About the author
Marion Wallace is African curator at the British Library and a historian of Namibia.
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by Thando on Nov 3rd, 2010
Paul Trewhela wants to straighten out the facts regarding Umkhonto we Sizwe commander Thami Zulu’s death. This comes as a response to a column written by Jeremy Gordin in which Gordin writes that “it was unknown who actually administered poison to TZ (if it was poison that killed him). Trewhela says that Gordin’s statement, drawn from Gordin’s reading of Trewhela’s Inside Quatro: Uncovering the Exile History of the ANC and SWAPO is incorrect.
Rather it is very much undisputed that TZ (as he was known) was poisoned (an examination of his stomach contents revealed traces of diazinon, an organic phosphorus pesticide). Also, Trewhela clarifies that though it is true that it is unknown who administered the poison, this is not because the individual responsible cannot be found, but rather, because a formal investigation is yet to take place:
Jeremy Gordin’s column, “The Justice Malala Question” (Politicsweb, 27 October), creates more confusion than clarity in relation to the death of the Umkhonto we Sizwe commander, Thami Zulu (real name, Muziwakhe Ngwenya, also known as TZ), in Lusaka on 16 November 1989, three months before the unbanning of the ANC.
Gordin states “it was unknown who actually administered poison to TZ (if it was poison that killed him)”.
The first half of this sentence is true. The second half is false.
Meanwhile, Trewhela’s been active on other fronts. Here’s his obituary for Panduleni Kali, a Namibian political activist who survived brutal torture and imprisonment at the hands of SWAPO, the very party to which she had dedicated her life:
Panduleni Kali was an outstanding and emblematic woman of contemporary southern Africa. Her life embodied the schizophrenic contradictions of the region, torn between suffering and modernity. Kali was chief statistician in the Division of Labour Market Information in the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, but her distinguished professional service was remarkable for having taken shape after a terrible experience when she and her twin sister, Ndamona, were in their 20s.
For almost six years in the 1980s, the twin sisters and well over a hundred other Namibian women endured torture and imprisonment in pits in southern Angola at the hands of men who led the organisation to which they had dedicated their youthful political energies, the South West African People’s Organisation (Swapo). Since 1990 Swapo has been the sole governing party of Namibia; over the previous 24 years it had been engaged in a guerrilla war against white South African rule.
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by Thando on Mar 16th, 2010
David Lush chats to author Paul Trewhela about the significance of his book Inside Quatro in today’s South Africa.
While Inside Quatro documents meticulously the abuses of the ANC and Swapo in exile, there is little reflection or analysis on what implications these abuses have had for the ANC and Swapo’s governance of South Africa and Namibia respectively. Wasn't this a missed opportunity?
PT: Primarily the book has an historical character, though with open-ended relevance to the present and the future. The two most important chapters in the book, in my view (chapters 2 and 11), are not ones written by me, but give first-hand accounts of the experience in exile in the ANC and Swapo camps. As I explain in the Introduction, all but four of the 14 chapters are from Searchlight South Africa, which was banned in South Africa. While available to academics, and quite widely cited in various publications since then, these texts have not been available to the general public until now.
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by Russell on May 21st, 2008
South Africa’s laws protect the rights of gay and lesbian people. But what of other countries on the continent? African activists discuss the situation
The International Lesbian and Gay Association (Ilga) reports that 38 African countries still criminalise consensual same-sex sexual activity between adults, and there have been many cases of victimisisation across the continent, with new laws passed to limit gay and lesbian activity. In line with its Constitution, South Africa passed the Civil Union Act in 2006, making it possible for gay and lesbian couples to marry. In 2007, gay and lesbian activists met in Johannesburg, under the aegis of Ilga and local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersexed (LGBTI) organisations, to discuss lesbian and gay rights and activism in Africa. The editors of a new book, To Have and to Hold: The Making of Same-Sex Marriage in South Africa, interviewed several activists about rights in their countries. These are excerpts from their responses.
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