Meeting Its People, Culture, and Complex Past

While the focus of this trip to Namibia was nature and wildlife, I can’t go anywhere without trying to understand how the destination works in terms of the culture, politics, and everyday life.

Conversations with locals is one of the great pleasures I get from travel. I’m curious about life. I want to know what people are worried about and what they are proud of.

While this post is about the people I met in Namibia, I don’t have photos of them. There is a challenge, as a writer, to talking with locals when you also want to write about what you learn. If I ask at the beginning of the conversation if I can take their photos, they are guarded. If I ask at the end, they scramble to think of what they said. In neither case, are they usually excited about having their photo associated with what they share.

So, you’ll have to do with more photos of the beauty of Namibia.

Thank you to Exodus Adventure Travels for their support on this trip. Please be assured that all I have to say is based on my personal experience.

Meeting the People of Namibia

It was day 5 on my Namibia tour. It was a free day, one which could be of my own making or I could choose from three optional day tours. There was a dolphin-watching excursion, dune buggy rides on the massive sand dunes, and a small plane discovery option.

I chose to wander the town of Swakopmund which is known for its German heritage. I wanted to talk with people. It was so much fun!

Below I share a few small encounters in Namibia starting with my seat mate on the inbound flight.

The Architect and Urban Planner

On my overnight flight to Windhoek (pronounced Winduk, the country’s capital) I sat beside a quiet man. We barely exchanged words until the morning and then we really found common ground in terms of community building. He was an architect and urban planner working for a German company on the development of affordable housing in Namibia. He spoke passionately of the need for more than housing but also community infrastructure.

He also shared his excitement for Namibia’s work to convert wind power to produce renewable hydrogen for the European market. He suggested that it would reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian power.

He was also excited to talk about the country’s new president, Ndemupelila Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who, in his opinion, is setting the country on a positive course. Among other things, she is putting past ministers in jail for corruption. She is cleaning things up.

His optimism for his country was my first encounter with Namibian culture. It was a great start to this trip.

The Two Men at the Visitor Centre

As I set out on my day in Swakopmund, I headed for the city’s museum. It was simply a destination and, it turned out, was not really worth my time. However, on route I had two great encounters.

I first stopped at a visitor centre where the dolphin-watching tours and others were sold. I popped in and it was very quiet and, therefore, an opportunity to chat.

My conversation opener was simple: am I headed in the right direction for the museum? Of course, I was pretty sure I was and that was confirmed. It was just an opener. I then asked, after a couple of neutral exchanges, what it is like to be Namibian.

He responded by contrasting life as a Namibian to life as a South African and how much more stable, peaceful and safe it is in his country. In terms of travel, he would not go to South Africa or Zimbabwe for safety reasons but he would go to Angola.

His co-worker then arrived and I asked him the same question about life as a Namibian. He talked about it being calm and that there are many cultures in Namibia and that they collaborate and learn from each other.

What they said, including their attitude towards the new president, was consistent with the architect I met on the plane.

Shane, our guide explained the peace in Namibia this way: what’s in the past is left in the past.

A Small Scam Can be a Great Education

Continuing on my walk to the museum, I stopped to take photos of the gardens and guinea fowl wandering around it. I was approached by a man holding a photograph for me to see. He told me that he was one of the children in the photo. At the age of 2, he was taken to East Germany along with 400 other children. He was brought back in 1990.

I needed to do some research.

In 1978, about 400 children were taken from Namibia to the German Democratic Republic for their safety and to be educated so that they would be leaders in Namibia once the War of Independence was over. They are referred to as the GDR children. This man said that they are now all over the world. He was raising funds for a reunion.

I gave him the equivalent of about US£10.

The cost was small considering the window on a new aspect of history he opened for me .

Namibia’s War of Independence is known in South Africa as the South African Border War. Interestingly, it was not fought on the border between Namibia and South Africa. It was fought in the northern part of Namibia, close to the Angolan border. The naming of a war is part of a country’s propaganda.

Namibia was a German colony until the end of World War I. In 1919 it became a South African mandate which, against the orders of the United Nations, continued until 1990 when the country gained its independence. Throughout the century, some of the German population returned to Germany and some stayed.

The 1877 Coffee Shop at the beginning of the pier in Swakopmund is a good example of the German heritage. The owner is fourth generation Namibian of German decent. She has lived in both countries. Her coffee shop is called 1877 because the starter for her sourdough baking was begun by her great grandfather in 1877.

A woman at The Village Cafe who had been in the north during the War of Independence described the relations of the various ethnicities in the country as “calm, peaceful and respectful”.

It’s important to note that there was a genocide under German rule of an estimated 100,000 of the Herero and Nama people between 1904 and 1908. Germany is making economic restitution with Namibia by investing and collaborating in infrastructure projects.

There was strict apartheid during the South African control of the country. That was just 35 years ago. With independence, apartheid ended and the official language changed from Afrikaans to English.

Given this complicated history, many on our tour wondered why there is little discord in the country. Something (I have theories but they are only theories) has generated a cultural acceptance of the past and a desire to look forward.

The Children’s First Pajama Day

Walking along the waterfront I saw in front of me two young girls in bathrobes. It was a colder than typical day. I puzzled at that.

Then I noticed that school was getting out and all the kids were in their pajamas. I approached one group and asked what was going on. They were delighted to share that it was their first pajama day ever.

I spent about 20 minutes with the children as they spoke over each other answering my simple questions. They were the standard questions adults ask kids but, me being a tourist, they were enthusiastic to speak.

• They were in grade 5.
• Their favorite subject was German which they start studying in grade 4. They didn’t know why it was their favorite.
• They like school and their teachers except for Mr. … . They would not say.

The Small Things that Say a Lot about a Country

My understanding received from my fellow travelers is that Namibia is quite different from other African countries. Here are a few of my general observations:

• People were always ready to talk. I encountered no rejection or cynicism when approaching people to talk. They were open and friendly.
• We were safe to wander. Like any country, I’m sure there are areas that are not safe but I never experienced them. Others on the tour who had traveled Africa told me that it was much safer than other countries.
• There is a great respect for elders. Lining up at an ATM, I was moved to the front of the line. I was told that, as a pensioner, I had preference.
• Getting along seems to come naturally to Namibians. In asking a few people about racism, I was told that it exists but it is not significant. What’s in the past is left in the past.

Last updated: 15th October, 2025