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The Himba People (Namibia) - 2004

The Himba People (Namibia) - 2004

Jacek Pałkiewicz
2006-06-25 14:17:39

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the richest Bantu-speaking pastoralists in Africa.
Their fortunes changed drastically in the 1980's when they fell prey to the worst drought in living memory. Eighty to ninety per cent of their cattle succumbed, forcing thousands of Himba to take refuge in emergency camps set up by the government, Red Cross, army and local service organisations. Several hundred fled to the outskirts of Opuwo, the main army base and administrative capital of Kaokoland. When the drought broke in 1982, the majority of the refugees returned with what was left of their livestock to their semi-nomadic lifestyle. Resourcefully they built up their herds, often travelling hundreds of kilometres on foot to buy breeding stock. Many, however, remained behind in Opuwo. While some found employment and live relatively well today, others have sunk into alcoholism and despair.

In the 1980's tourism started gaining momentum in Kaokoland. Because of the scant infrastructure and roads that are often little more than tracks, the region is still regarded as one of the last outposts for an authentic four-wheel-drive adventure. Small groups are flown or driven in, often with Epupa Falls as the ultimate destination, and a visit to a Himba settlement as part of the package. A strong attraction to Kaokoland is the possibility of seeing the much-publicised desert-adapted elephant and black rhino in their natural habitat. Heavy poaching, especially of rhino, in the 1960's and '70's had led to the establishment of a community game guard system in the early 1980's. This resulted in a gradual but steady increase of game populations in the region.

In 1987 a pilot project was set up at Purros, a Himba settlement centred around a permanent spring in the Hoarusib river course. Tourists were required to pay a fee to the local community, as caretakers of their land and wildlife resources. The project included the revival of the Himba skills of basket-making and woodcarving and the development of a craft market in which Himba and Herero goods are manufactured and sold to tourists. In the sense that a culture changes as people's needs change, Himba men appear to be embracing change. Many incorporate some Western garments in their apparel, most often a shirt. Conversely, Himba women have generally remained "traditional", and Herero women still wear the copious full-length dresses copied from the wives of missionaries at the turn of the century.