Thanks, Maggie. I'm trying it, but neither of the two links work. Can you check the urls again?

Ree, try them with just two // http://www.kli.org/KLIhome.html http:///www.linguasphere.org/ That is why I usually copy and paste URLs so that does not happen!

http://www.linguasphere.org/ SORRY!!!

Thanks Marcia, I hadn't noticed the slip up.

No problem *smile* After working on a web page (my first independent one) all day, I learned to look carefully at what they need to have in place before you can access the site to which you want to go.

WOW; is this your webpage, Maggie? I need more time to go into all the links, but it looks really cool! And this is the stuff you're writing a thesis on?

No, it isn't my web page - haven't got round to it yet!!! :-) Linguasphere is a great site for language related materials. My thesis is on language and education in sub'saharan africa with particular focus on Mali. Did you try http://www.oneworld.org its another good spin off site for country info. You could also try http://www.africanews.org which is a newsgathering service. I use it to keep up to date on the countries I'm interested in. Well, what about Klingon then? Is it 'outlandish' enough for you???????

Namibia Voting Ends, Nujoma Expected to Win WINDHOEK, Namibia (Reuters) - Voting in Namibia's presidential and parliamentary elections officially ended Wednesday amid questions about voting irregularities. Voting at most of the southwestern African nation's 900 polling stations ended at 2 p.m. EST although those still in lines at that hour would be allowed to vote. ``Officially, voting in the 1999 election is over,'' Electoral Commission spokesman Peter Mietzner told reporters. Vote counting would begin at 1 a.m. EST Thursday with the first result coming later in the day. Political observers expect the ruling SWAPO and President Sam Nujoma to win comfortably, although the government has faced criticism. Earlier, opposition leaders cried foul in the elections but voting officials shrugged off the protests as ``some hiccups.'' Independent observers said they were investigating the complaints. The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) said it had received reports of irregularities, including people voting more than once, from its observers and opposition party officials in 24 polling stations across northern Namibia. ``There are allegations that many people were able to vote more than once,'' NSHR director Phil ya Nangoloh told Reuters. Opposition leaders said their party officials were barred from many polling stations in the Caprivi Strip and Owamboland. ``It was not isolated cases, but a trend to refuse COD agents entry into polling stations,'' Elizabeth Amukugo, a spokesman for the opposition Congress of Democrats, told reporters. If the reports are confirmed, Nangoloh said the elections in the affected areas should be re-run. ``If that is true how can an election in those polling stations be free and fair?'' Owamboland is a stronghold of Nujoma's ruling SWAPO party which used its overwhelming majority in the last parliament to remove a two-term limit from the constitution to allow Nujoma to stand again. NUJOMA EXPECTED TO RETAIN PRESIDENCY While Nujoma, 70, is widely expected to retain the presidency, voters are angry at his government's failure to dent a 35 percent unemployment rate, rising corruption and involvement in a protracted war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Opposition parties say another two-thirds majority would allow SWAPO to further tailor the constitution to its advantage. Director of Elections Joram Rukambe said some opposition officials did not have the correct papers when they tried to enter the polling station. ``There was nothing intentional to bar people from these facilities,'' he told reporters. ``Here and there we have experienced some hiccups,'' Rukambe said, but he believed there was confidence in the electoral system. Opposition leaders have also complained that ink used to mark voters' thumbs could be washed off, allowing multiple voting. Rukambe admitted there had been problems with the ink, but said it was not widespread. The opposition has also questioned the accuracy of the voters' roll which showed a sharp rise in the number registered. Uhuru Dempers, director of the independent Namibia NGO Forum, said they were trying to verify the allegations and would make a report Friday. Dempers said he was encouraged by the high voter turnout, expected to exceed the 54 percent recorded in the last election in 1994, but opposition parties say the voters' list contains dead people, incorrect names and duplications. About 878,000 Namibians are eligible to vote, out of a population of 1.7 million people, up sharply from the 654,000 registered voters in 1994. A member of an international election observer group agreed the voters' list might not be accurate. ``It does seem quite high, but I don't think it's part of a massive conspiracy,'' the observer said.

Send Page Chef Gets Life for Cooking Wife WINDHOEK, Namibia (Reuters) - A German chef was given life imprisonment in Namibia for murdering his wife, dismembering her body and cooking her bones before hiding them in the roof of their house. Namibia's High Court sentenced Thomas Florin, a 32-year-old unemployed chef and carpenter, after convicting him of killing his 30-year-old wife Monika last year in their home in the coastal resort of Swakopmund. The judge said Florin should spend at least 15 years behind bars before being eligible for parole and added eight weeks to the sentence for violating a human corpse. ``You removed the flesh from the bones and discarded it together with the internal organs,'' the newspaper The Namibian reported the judge as saying when sentencing Florin on Wednesday. ``Then you cooked the skeletal remains to minimize the rotting and concealed them in the ceiling of your house,'' the judge said. Prosecutors told the court that Florin killed his wife after she threatened to leave him and take their two infant children back to Germany. Friends tipped off police after her disappearance and Florin was arrested in the capital, Windhoek, on his way to the airport. He was initially charged with wrongfully transporting 10 live tortoises, and the judge added a further four weeks to his sentence for the illegal possession of wildlife products.

I can see why you put that here rather than the other conference, Marcia - YUK!

I thought about "news outside the spring"...but I thought it would be best understood by people who have been there and know the culture...rather than causing racist comments and tarring the entire populace with the same brush. I am awaiting Ree's comments.

I'm sorry, but I can't seem to keep from chuckling!

Received this today, thought you might be interested. From: Basler Afrika Bibliographien Basler Afrika Bibliographien (BAB) - Southern Africa Library and Namibia Resource Centre in Switzerland - has a new homepage: http://www.baslerafrika.ch Initially, our catalogue of periodicals is accessible whilst the full catalogue will be available shortly.

Thanks for posting that, Maggie...I am hoping Ree will see it and post again on the conferences. We miss her!

Oh, and Ree, if I offended you by my post about the nasty man who killed his wofe, I meant nothing personal. In fact, more British seem to do that than anyone esle I know, and I am half English!!!

Post 109 - probably reflects not Namibian customs, but rather German ingenuity in disposing of evidence. I seem to faintly remember having seen something about this case on the telly. I can understand killing somebody in a rage, but acts as organized as this, the effort invested... Enough about this. 15 years and twelve weeks. Does anybody have knowledge of the state the Namibian correction system is in?

(BTW, the level of ingenuity mentioned above is indicated if you compare the amout of thought and work invested to the result = 0 .)

I noted that I said he killed his wofe...Must not confuse wife with Wolf. Yup - definitely premeditated...

Received this today, thought it might be of interest to someone Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2000 From: Martine Prins, Univ. Wuerzburg Namibia Workshop in Germany. We hereby would like to announce that a Namibia- workshop will be organised in Wuerzburg/Germany, June 29-30, 2000. The workshop will elaborate on the topic Namibia: developments in the former homelands since independence. We cordially invite under-graduates, graduates and postgraduates working in the social sciences and interested in Namibia to attend the workshop. Participants will have the possibility to present their own work in an informal setting, which will prompt further discussion. For more information: Martine Prins or Eberhard Rothfuss Bayerische Julius-Maximilians Universitet Wuerzburg Department of Geography Am Hubland 97074 Wuerzburg Germany Tel: + 49 931 888 5551 Fax: + 49 931 888 5556

Thanks, Maggie. It is always hoped that Ri�tte will see this and post something...even just to let us know she is alright...

W�rzburg is not too far from Frankfurt... Dunno, two hundred kilometers maybe. ;=}

Is that another spelling for the place which was connected with Martin Luther? Lotsa really great Universities in your environs!

Uh, which place? Wartburg (hehe: wart-burg!), maybe? That's in Eastern Germany. Luther came through my area, too, when he went to the disputation in, where was that, Worms? He was accompanied by a man of the emperor, who was there to secure his security on the journey. This man's ceremonial bihander is kept in the county museum in the city they slept in.

I thought he ate worms...You know, the Diet ....never mind...(Yes, I do know better!) The emperor made him sleep with man with a bihander?! Alexander, that word is not in my dictionary and I am ever curious. What is a bihander?

Latest Namibia news from the United Nations: NAMIBIA: Border unrest affects immunization Insecurity along Namibia's northern border with Angola has affected polio immunization efforts and sparked fears about a renewed polio outbreak in the country, 'The Namibian' said on Thursday. Director of Primary Health Care, Maggy Nghatanga said: "The fighting will contribute negatively to the immunization programme. We visited Rundu three weeks ago and our health workers are really frightened to go into remote areas for the immunization of the children." She said that long established health services between Divundu and Kongolo in the north had been closed because of the insecurity in the region. Nghatanga said that at present Namibia was polio free and that Angolan children entering the country were immunised before being sent to the Osire refugee camp. She said that last year a 65 percent immunization figure was recorded, but "insecurity in the northeast would worsen these figures." NAMIBIA: Citizens want more protection Citizens of Gciriku in eastern Kavango have demanded that the Namibian Government restore security in their area, news reports said on Thursday. About 500 people on Wednesday marched to the Gciriku tribal office at Ndiyona, 100 km east of Rundu in northern Namibia, calling for urgent action to end cross-border raids by suspected UNITA rebels. According to 'The Namibian' the Gciriku area, which stretches for 90 km along the Kavango river, has borne the brunt of the attacks over the past three months. NAMIBIA: Accused Caprivi secessionist dies Alleged Caprivi secessionist Steven Mamili died in a Windhoek hospital at the weekend after apparently collapsing at Grootfontein prison where he had been in detention since August last year, an official of the Namibian Society for Human Rights (NSHR) confirmed to IRIN on Thursday. Mamili, 41, a former talk show host for the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation, was among the first group of about 100 political refugees from the northeastern Caprivi Strip who crossed into Botswana at the end of 1998. They claimed they feared for their lives because of their association with the secessionist movement led by Mishake Muyongo and Chief Boniface Mamili. For a detailed report see: http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/sa/countrystories/namibia/20000224.htm

Received this today and thought it might be of interest to this topic. From H-NET List for African History and Culture From: David Nolan, U.S. Military Academy "Bergdama" is an archaic term for the "click-language" speaking Damara people of north-central Namibia. They definitely exist both as a concept and on the ground. Physically, the Damara have the same general characteristics as other "black" Africans. Thus the uninitiated would not be able to distinguish a Damara from a Bantu-speaking Ovambo or Herero. Traditionally, the Damara were less economically developed than the millet-growing Ovambos living along the central Namibia-Angola border and the cattle herding Hereros of central Namibia (as well as their cousins, the Himbas of the far northwest). The Damaras traditionally raise goats and donkeys (for food) in the barren mountains (thus "berg" in Bergdama)northwest of Windhoek, west of Etosha National Park, and east of the Skeleton Coast. Unlike the Ovambo and Herero, the Damara speak a dialect of Khoisan, Namadamara, they share with the Nama people of southern Namibia. The Nama are descendants of the Khoi Khoi ("Hottentot") pastoralists that once populated the whole region. As a group, the Nama have lighter skin tones and quasi-oriental features, and thus look quite different from both the Damara and the Bantu-speaking peoples. In other words, the Damara and the Nama speak the same language, but appear physically distinct from each other. The Damara and Herero look the same, but speak entirely different languages. Based on my travels in Damaraland, Namaland and Hereroland in the early 1990's, I can verify that these generalizations correspond fairly closely with reality. One theory is that the Damara represent the genetic, if not the cultural, leading edge of the Western Bantu migration who adopted a Khoisan language, but did not extensively intermarry with the Khoi Khois. The Xhosa in South Africa, who have incorporated many Khoisan sounds into their own Bantu-based language, represent a similar phenomenon. Given their unique linguistic status, the Damara people have a relatively well-developed sense of ethnic identity and are not shy about advocating their political interests within Namibia's democratic system. In the past, they tended to support the opposition DTA party, although I do not know how the voting went in Damaraland in the 1999 elections. On the other hand, the most prominent Damara politician is Hage Geingob, Namibia's prime minister and a prominent leader of the dominant SWAPO party. The conventional wisdom in Namibia, however, is that as Geingob is not an Ovambo, he can never hope to succeed Sam Nujoma as president. Such is the nature of "tribalist" politics, even in as enlightened a place as Namibia (or the U.S.).

Very interesting, Maggie! Btw, I awoke to the horrific BBC hourly news this morning about a mother giving birth in a tree top due to floods in Mozambique. I most assuredly would not have survived - nor would my son have! I cannot get the image out of my head! I see American and France and UK have sent aid and money (very little by comparison to other things they spend money on...)

Mmm I saw that one too. It appears she was winched off just after - with a medic to cut the cord. Unbelievable. Yes, action is being taken, but our military are still dragging their feet. There was something on further rising of the flood earlier. I've got to the point where I can't watch.

I immediately thought of you and your anguish last night. My heart and head were stricken by the scope of this misery, and I knew what you were feeling last night. I shall avoid wtching the news and turning on the BBC first thing in the morning. I just can't handle it.

I'm glad I'm not alone!

I am sure you are not. It has even made our local evening news telecasts. You do what you can, then shut out the rest because it is just destructive after that. Big *hugs* for caring so much!

From UN IRIN news service NAMIBIA: Rocket attacks in Rundu At least two of four 122 mm rockets fired from Angola on Sunday landed near the high-density residential area of Sauyemwa, just one km from the tense northern Namibian border town of Rundu, 'The Namibian' reported this week. No one was injured in the attacks. The newspaper said the other two rockets, allegedly fired by Angolan UNITA rebels, hit an open space near a hut on the southern side of the Kehemu settlement on the outskirts of Rundu. The report added that when the shelling started, people who had gathered at a recreational spot near the town fled the "Rundu Beach". A Namibian Defence Force (NDF) spokesman confirmed the explosions, but added: "There is nothing like war here in Rundu. Explosions don't mean people are fighting." Meanwhile, suspected UNITA rebels reportedly shot dead and robbed two people last Friday along the Trans-Caprivi highway when they attacked a government vehicle in the country's far northeast, 'The Namibian' said. An NDF spokesman told the newspaper that a group of between 10 and 20 attackers were involved in the incident. The report said the attack brings to 12 the number of known people shot dead in suspected UNITA attacks since Namibia allowed Angolan government forces to operate from its territory last November.

NAMIBIA: Nujoma, new cabinet, sworn in JOHANNESBURG, 21 March (IRIN) - As Namibia marked the 10th anniversary of its independence on Tuesday, President Sam Nujoma was sworn in for a controversial third five-year term. At televised ceremonies in the capital, Windhoek, attended by South African President Thabo Mbeki and several other visiting heads of state, members of a new cabinet named at the weekend were also sworn in following the sweeping victory in last December's elections of Nujoma's ruling South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO). Among the dignitaries was the former Finnish president, Martti Ahtisaari, who helped steer Namibia to independence from South Africa in 1990 when he oversaw one of the most successful peacekeeping operations of the United Nations. Ahtisaari said that he was "delighted" to be back in Namibia to see the achievements made over the last 10 years. In his inauguration address, Nujoma, 70, said: "The main objectives over the next five years for my government will be to accelerate the process of job creation by increasing support for small and medium scale enterprises." Nujoma, who has been in power since independence, also said his government had to tackle the spread of HIV/AIDS, unemployment, and access to better health care, education, water and electricity. Nujoma sought a controversial third term after his party removed a two-term limit from the constitution last year. In December he won 77 percent of the votes in the presidential race. SWAPO won 76 percent of the parliamentary seats, well above the two-thirds majority needed to change the constitution. "The main goal of my government is for Namibians to achieve the standard of living comparable to that of developed countries by the year 2030," Nujoma said. Analysts in Namibia told IRIN that the costly deployment of Namibian troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the decision last November to allow neighbouring Angola to use Namibian border bases to launch attacks against UNITA rebels had undermined confidence in Nujoma's government. [ENDS] IRIN-SA - Tel: +2711 880 4633 Fax: +2711 880 1421 e-mail: irin-sa@irin.org.za [This item is delivered in the English service of the UN's IRIN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or to change your keywords, contact e-mail: irin@ocha.unon.org or Web: http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer.]

Do you know anything about this new governement? Will it be an improvment on what they had before?

NAMIBIA: Amnesty International cites human rights abuses Amnesty International this week accused the Namibian and Angolan security forces, as well as the Angolan rebel movement, UNITA, of violating the rights of people in the volatile northern Namibian towns bordering war-torn Angola. Amnesty said civilians on both sides of the Okavango river, which forms the border between southeastern Angola and much of northeastern Namibia, had been subjected to extra-judicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, forcible deportations and beatings. The report is a sequel to a two-week investigation in the area by Amnesty's researchers last month. It said some civilians have "disappeared" without trace, while those suspected of assisting UNITA or of being illegal immigrants had been handed back to the Angolan authorities apparently without being given the opportunity to request asylum. "Civilian life has been disrupted." the report said. For full details of the report, see: http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/sa/countrystories/namibia/20000323.htm NAMIBIA: Nujoma sworn in for controversial third term As Namibia marked the 10th anniversary of its independence on Tuesday, President Sam Nujoma was sworn in for a controversial third five-year term. At televised ceremonies in the capital, Windhoek, attended by South African President Thabo Mbeki and several other visiting heads of state, members of a new cabinet named at the weekend were also sworn in following the sweeping victory in last December's elections of Nujoma's ruling South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO). Among the dignitaries was the former Finnish president, Martti Ahtisaari, who helped steer Namibia to independence from South Africa in 1990 when he oversaw one of the most successful peacekeeping operations of the United Nations. Ahtisaari said that he was "delighted" to be back in Namibia to see the achievements made over the last 10 years. In his inauguration address, Nujoma, 70, said: "The main objectives over the next five years for my government will be to accelerate the process of job creation by increasing support for small and medium scale enterprises." Nujoma, who has been in power since independence, also said his government had to tackle the spread of HIV/AIDS, unemployment, and access to better health care, education, water and electricity. Nujoma sought a controversial third term after his party removed a two-term limit from the constitution last year. In December he won 77 percent of the votes in the presidential race. SWAPO won 76 percent of the parliamentary seats, well above the two-thirds majority needed to change the constitution. Analysts in Namibia told IRIN that the costly deployment of Namibian troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the decision last November to allow neighbouring Angola to use Namibian border bases to launch attacks against UNITA rebels had undermined confidence in Nujoma's government. A list of the new cabinet and explanations of the changes Nujoma made can be seen at http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/

The business up north is a spectacular disaster - God knows how the government is going to get out of that one.

Hi Ree

Ree, welcome back to your topic. Every time we have been posting bad news from Namibia, I think of you most sorrowfully. It must be a frightening time back there. Have you relatives still living there? If so, are they alright?

Please tell us about your last sejour there.

Here's a review of some books about Namibia, several of them sound quite interesting. BASLER AFRIKA BIBLIOGRAPHIEN (BAB) Namibia Resource Centre - Southern Africa Library in Switzerland PO Box 2037, CH 4001 Basel NAMIBIA BIBLIOGRAPHICAL UPDATE No 3:2000 Compiled 8.5.2000 by Dag Henrichsen ISSN 1422-9900 This update covers monographs, periodicals, unpublished theses, papers and other materials as received by the BAB Namibia Resource Centre only.It is selective and annotations do not imply a comprehensive treatment of the title. For more detailed information kindly contact Dag Henrichsen at The NAMIBIA BIBLIOGRAPHICAL UPDATE is issued since February 1997 and approximately once a month. Backissues can be consulted on our webpage: http://www.baslerafrika.ch REFERENCE & GENERAL WORKS Richard B. Lee & Richard Daly The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Hunters and Gathers Cambridge (University Press), 1999, 511p., maps, ill., index ISBN 0 521 57109 X This encyclopedia, 'by leading experts', contains ethnographic case studies and thematic essays. Megan Biesele & Kxao Royal -/o/oo write about the Ju/'hoansi (pp.205-209) but forget, as is often the case with Bushmen in Namibia, those many Ju/'hoansi living on farms and in resettlement camps. The discussions amongst anthropologists about the relevance and directions of their research, including reference to the socalled Kalahari debate, are briefly touched on in the introduction and in some of the thematic essays. Axel J. Halbach Namibia. Wirtschaft, Politik, Gesellschaft nach zehn Jahren Unabhaengigkeit Windhoek & Bonn (Namibia Wiss. Gesellschaft & Weltforum-Verlag), 2000, 244p., maps, tab. ISBN 99916 40 15 0/ 3 8039 0494 3 This is a broadly scetched socio-economic analysis of Namibias politics, economy and society since 1990. This first detailed review on the 10 years after independence is written by an author who has analysed Namibian developments since the past 30 years. Whilst his long research experience and knowledge with regard to Namibia is an important asset, his analysis of the Namibian society still is imformed by the ethnic paradigms of past regimes. However, the book provides a wealth of information, especially with respect to the economic changes and politices after 1990, the state budget and monatary politics. The author does'nt say much on Namibias foreign policy which in any case lacks any serious research whilst his analysis of international and regional trade is very useful. The merit of this book lies in its general framework, providing overviews combined with structural analyses, specific discussions and detailed information. Trends and events until March 2000 are considered. The usefulness of the book would have been greatly enhanced and would make it a real reference work if the publishers would have added an index. Gretchen Walsh The ambiguos adventure continues ... researching Africa on the Internet In Africana Bulletin (Boston University African Studies Center), No 54, April 2000, pp 2-3. The brief article focuses on Namibia which according to the author 'is particularly well served by academic web sites'. The web sites of the National Library of Namibia and Basler Afrika Bibliographien are critically looked at. ARCHAEOLOGY Tilman Lenssen-Erz & Marie-Theres Erz Brandberg. Der Bilderberg Namibias. Kunst und Geschichte einer Urlandschaft Stuttgart (Thorbecke), 2000, 127p., maps, ill., tab. ISBN 3 7995 9030 7 This is the first overview for a general readership on the fascinating history and archaeology of the Brandberg area. The authors, expert archaeologists of the area, have not only produced readable texts on complex and controversial archaeological and historical issues concerning the nature and interpretations of rock paintings and engravings. The publishers have also produced a beautiful book, incorporating the textual and visual levels very appropriately. It remains to be asked when an Namibian audience, including school children, will be able to hold in their hands a book of such splendid and well researched quality in order to sense the historical treasures at the Brandberg? Strange is the fact that the book includes a map on modern Namibia which shows some of the former ethnic homelands instead of the modern regions. BOTANY Ben-Reik van Wyk & Nigel Gericke People's plants. A guide to useful plants of southern Africa Pretoria (Briza Publications), 2000, 351p., ill., index ISBN 1 875093 18 2 This is a fascinating book on useful plants, as foods & drinks, for health & beauty, for skills & crafts. Plants listed are given in various(local) names and their contemporary and historical useage is briefly described and illustrated. Unfortunately, the book does not include maps which makes it difficult to locate principal areas of plant distribution. Numerous references to Namibian plants and usages. ECONOMY Sylvanus I. Ikhide & Kava Katjomuise Estimating the demand for money in Namibia Windhoek (Bank of Namibia, Occasional paper), 1999 (?), 24p. The paper analyses the changes in real money balances since 1990, income and interest rates aswell as monetary policies. Hein Moellers Ein neues Leben. Ein Selbsthilfeprojekt in Katutura In afrika sued (Bonn), Nr 1/2000, November-Februar 2000, pp 30-31 ISSN 0947 8353 This article presents a self-help project Greenwell Recycle Innovation Project of eight women in Katutura. The Project produces utensils like pots, vessels and furniture for everyday use made from scrap material. Ussif Rashid Sumaila Impact of management scenarios and fishing gear selectivity on the potential economic gains from Namibian hake Bergen (Chr. Michelsen Institute), Working Paper 1999:3, 26p., tab. ISSN 0804 3639 'This paper develops a model for Namibian hake, which incorporates the biology, gear selectivity and the economics of the hake fisheries in a framework that allows the analysis of gear impacts on the potential economic gains from the resource.' The author provides figures on the standing biomass, catch sizes and proportions. 2000 Huntinamibia Windhoek (Venture Publications & Namibia Professional Hunting Association), 2000, 52p., ill. Annual magazine for the promotion of Namibia as 'a hunter's paradise'. This edition includes articles from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, the Namibia Professional Hunting Association and several individual authors, on topics like game species, trophy hunting and conservation, legal requirements, hunting techniques (including bow-hunting) and personal hunting adventures.Not surprisingly, the edition includes an article on 'The Bushman Hunter', lamenting that 'it is almost impossible to find a Bushman clan completely dependent on old values and traditions to make a living.' By contrast, the magazine includes a list of some 400 names and addresses of hunting professionals registered with the Namibian Professional Hunting Association. HISTORY & ANTHROPOLOGY Carol Beckwith & Angela Fisher Afrika. Kulte, Feste, Rituale Munich (Bucher), 1999, 2 vols, 360p.; 384p, ill., maps ISBN 3 7658 1243 9 This expensive, glossy coffeetable book by world-renowned photographers, originally published for the US market in 1999 under the title 'African Ceremonies', deserves some serious scrutinization with regard to the portrayal of 'Africa'. The hundreds of photographs in the two volumes, full of colour and manipulation to an extend that I had to close the books regularly after a few pages, invent the Idea Of Africa in a way that Mudimbe would perhaps hardly believe would be possible. Needless to say, the Africa of this book is rural, colourful, mysterious, ethnic, and different, and is composed of bodies, blood and earth. A myth. African ceremonies obviously do not take place in any cities or in New York, for example. For the Namibian audience is might come as a surprising fact that 'Bushmen', a principal building bloc of such books, are totally absent! This according to my knowledge is a novum in all the coffetable books of such type. Volume one includes a chapter on 'Himba marriage' (pp 286-301). Volume two includes a chapter on 'Himba healing treatments' (pp. 196-211) and portrays the female healer Katjambia Inge Brinkman & Axel Fleisch (eds) Grandmother's footsteps. Oral tradition and south-east Angolan narratives on the colonial encounter Cologne (Ruediger Koeppe Verlag), 1999, 255p., ill, maps, index. ISBN 3 89645 056 6 This is an important collection of oral narratives from people from south-east Angola who now live as immigrants in Kavango, north-east Namibia. Their narratives, presented here in interview from and in local languages together with an English translation, focus on Portuguese colonialism in Angola, often the arrival of Portuguese in Angola: Chief Diongo Cao, the one who brought slavery and colonialism; Hearken to the suffering the Portuguese inflicted upon you!; How the Angolan people acquired wisdom; Then they came with priests and guns; etc. The interviews/narratives provide a fascinating inside into popular constructions of history, strongly influenced by the oral liberation histories as performed/distributed by the Angolan liberation movements. The analytic introduction to the interviews/narratives discusses these issues aswell as the linguistic context of the texts. Budack, Kuno Raubmord 1912. Die 'Falk- und Sommer-Morde'. Ein Beitrag zur Kriminalgeschichte von Deutsch-Suedwestafrika Windhoek, 1999, 276p., ill., map, index ISBN 99916 50 18 0 This book tells the dramatic story of the murder of a German police officer, two African women and an African youth, in 1912 by two German men, Falk and Sommer. The author has conducted extensive research and presents detailed narratives of the investigations by the government, the police and a string of private helpers, both settlers and Africans, the trail and death sentence of the murders in Windhoek. The narrative is illustrated with many historical photographs, many from private archives. The book does not intend to contextualise the murder and investigations into a broader picture of court rulings, murder and death sentences during the German colonial period. Yet it follows, as it typical of 'Suedwester Historiographie', a somewhat hidden agenda with respect to crucial aspects of German colonialism in Namibia. Thus the author intends to show that the small police contingent in the colony dealt effectively with the difficult investigations of the cases and that the colonial court and the governor stressed the impartiality of the law when issuing the 'same' sentence for German murders as it would have done for African murders. It is not clear why this is felt by the author to 'beg respect' from the reader for the colonial police (p. x) or should be regarded as a 'civilizing' (zivilisatorische) role of the police in German South West Africa. The author dedicates the book to the imperial police of GSWA and it is hard to belief that this is an ironic dedication. As he explains, his dedication is offered to those 'officers and officials, who acted for impartial justice and order (Gerechtigkeit) for everyone irrespectively of pressure and interest groups.' One wonders, why the book does not include a brief chapter on the general history of the imperial police, or the courts in Windhoek, in order to allow readers to get a more balanced picture of the role and doings of these institutions, instead of this 'dedicated work of respect'? As is often the case with such books from Namibia, they reveal much about the ideological constructions of German ethnicity. Dick Lord Vlamgat. The story of the Mirage F1 in the South African Air Force Weltevreden Park (Covos-Day Books), 2000, 321p., ill., map, index ISBN 0 620 24116 0 This book is not dedicated to the German colonial police but 'the men and women who flew and supported the Mirage F1 during its 22 years of service to the nation.' The book attempts to reconstruct the history of South African Air Force (SAAF) activities throughout southern Africa, including the Namibian and Angolan war areas. As an insider of 'the bushwar' in northern Namibia, the author narrates numerous personal and institutional details on SAAF operations from Ondangua, Grootfontein, Rundu and Ruacana into Angola, and detailed war operations against SWAPO, MPLA and Zambian camps from the late 1970s onwards and during the intensive war phase in southern Angola between 1986 and 1988. As such, the book also contains information on SWAPOs air defence system in southern Angola and on its war machinary in general. The narrative contain much on the social history of the SAAF and its air force bases in Namibia, with some interesting details on personalized forms of dealing with violence and war. Language is an important aspect in this book which reveals much of past and current (white male) thinking and stereotyping. The book has no footnotes and needs serious scrutinazation of its information and interpretations, as do all Covos-Day Books which are mostly written by former 'war veterans'. The book contains important photographs on SAAF activities. LITERATURE Joy Hooi-Narimas & Nick Snatcross Chewing the bones. Junior Secondary English Literature Anthology Windhoek (Gamsberg Macmillan), 1999, 218p., ill. ISBN 99916 0 169 X This anthology is aimed at learners in grades 8 and 9 and include a couple of Namibian authors and their short-stories and poems. It is accompanied by a teacher's book with the same title, 43p., ISBN 99916 0 170 3. PHOTOGRAPHY Rory Bester & Barbara Buntman Bushman(ia) and Photographic Intervention in African Arts, Vol XXX11, No 4, Winter 1999, pp 50-59 This article looks critically at the contribution of photography to the exoticization of cultural identity and the spectacularizing history of Bushmen. It analyses Paul Weinbergs photographic documentations on Khoisan people as an 'important intervention with the photographic history of Bushman(ia)', as a counter-attempt to the romantic stereotype. However, Weinbergs photographs are revealed as 'producing 'victims' for an audience expecting subjugation', despite Weinbergs attempts of representation of difference. As such, Khoisan communities 'are bound to remain colonized subjects, generalized and abstracted by someone else's camera.' POLITICS Amnesty International (AI) Angola and Namibia. Human rights abuses in the border area AI March 2000, AI Index: AFR O3/01/00, 19p. The report critically analyses the human rights violations and abuses along the border between Angola and Namibia since December 1999. It is based on a visit by AI researchers to the Kavango region in January and February and additional information issued by the National Human Rights Society in Windhoek. It includes reports of extrajudicial executions by the Angolan Army FAA, arbitrary shootings by the Namibian NDF and Special Field Force, attacks and killings by UNITA, the refugee situation in Kavango and the Osire camp, deportations and torture, and the issue of child soldiers. Cristiana Fiamingo Namibia, ovvero delle ambiguit=E0 d'una democrazia In Afriche e Orienti (Bologna), No 4, inverno 1999, pp.19-25 Analysis of the parliamentary and presidential elections of December 1999, explanations for voting behavior and an indepth outline of the socalled Caprivi crisis. Hanns Lessing Biltong und Pap. Wahlen in Namibia zementieren Swapo-Herrschaft In afrika sued (Bonn), Nr 1/2000, November-Februar 2000, pp 8-10 ISSN 0947 8353 The author who teaches at the Theological Seminar in Windhoek analysis the December elections, the election campaign, and new lines of social polarisation. He stresses the fact that 'the exil slogan 'One Namibia, one Nation' is less and less implemented.' The Caprivi question entrenched the social and political polarisation as well as the 'military complex'. Tom Lodge Heavy handed democracy. SWAPO's victory in Namibia In Southern Africa Report (Toronto), vol 15, No 2, 2nd quarter 2000, pp26-29, ill. ISSN 0820 5582 Another analysis of the parliamentary and presidential elections in late 1999, the election campaign and voting behaviour. In contrast to other analysis, Lodge looks at the election manifestos of both SWAPO and CoD. Andre du Pisani, interviewed by Rolf-Henning Hintze Abweichende Meinung nicht als legitim verstanden In afrika sued (Bonn), Nr 1/2000, November-Februar 2000, pp 10-12 ISSN 0947 8353 The political scientist at UNAM, Andre du Pisani, analyses the recent presidential and parliamentary elections and provides insights into electoral shifts. John Saul Liberation without democracy? Rethinking the experiences of the southern African Liberation Movements In Jonathan Hyslop: African Democracy in the era of globalisation Johannesburg (Witwatersrand University Press), 1999, pp.167-178. ISBN 1 86814 331 7 This is a stimulating essay on 'an issues that has haunted the process of southern African liberation ever since the 'thirty years' war' to realise such liberation from white minority rule ... 'liberation without democracy?'. Saul starts by analysing Namibia which 'perhaps, provides the worst-cast scenario with respect to the question we are asking' and looks at other southern African countries. Saul does not provide new research on Namibia since the publication of his book, together with Colin Leys, 'Namibia's Liberation Struggle' (1994). Wolfgang Werner Die Landfrage in Namibia: Eine Bilanz nach zehn Jahren Unabhaengigkeit In Afrikanischer Heimatkalender (Windhoek), 2000, pp.39-46, ill. ISSN 0400 714X Very brief survey of the land issue, land politics and land laws in Namibia after 10 years of independence. Werner, who has published several of these surveys before, raises critical questions with regard to the importance of the land issue as is attested to by researchers and some pressure groups, whilst the low key-status it takes in the political agenda of the government point to a different political agenda. Werner is sceptical of the potential of a land reform to combat rural poverty. SOCIOLOGY & GEOGRAPHY Olivier Graefe Territoires urbains, pouvoirs locaux et gestion fonciere en Namibe. Oshakati, Ongwediva, Ondangwa et Rundu. Des collectivites urbaines en gestation Unpublished PhD thesis, Universite de Paris X-Nanterre, Departement de Geographie, 2000, 365p., maps, tab, fig. This is a thoroughly researched thesis which 'focuses on the making of local communities' in four towns in northern Namibia. 'After presenting the political context in which the four towns have emerged - including a history of urbanization of northern Namibia - the author analyses the establishment of the new local authorities ... He stresses their relations of dependence and subordination with the central power and the competition they face with other local powers, whether old or new. ... Land management has been taken as an indicator of territorial recompositions. The thesis throws light on the practices, strategies and logics displayed by political and institutional powers and city-dwellers to control and appropriate land. It shows how the relation between men and land evolves as well as the evolution of the social relations when land is at stake. Overlapping territories are being shaped by alliances and antagonisms that are liable to change.' The thesis is accompanied by many maps and illustrations and has to be regarded as an important contribution to the recent history on and current socio-geographical situation in northern Namibia. Inge Tvedten & Selma Nangulah Social relations of poverty: A case-study from Owambo, Namibia Bergen (Chr. Michelsen Institute), Report R 1999:5, 59p., tab., map. ISSN 0805 505X 'This study addresses urban poverty and the importance of social relations and networks ('social capital') in the coping strategies of the poor'. The case study refers to four shantytowns in Oshakati and two rural villages with extensive urban connections, Ompundja and Oniihende. A wealth of data is provided with the regard to the population structure, socio-economic characteristics like income, housing, education, health, nutrition, famly relations, female headed households, marginalization and social exclusion. The brief section on poverty in rural Owambo illustrates the rural-urban and rural-rural relations of poor people. The report is sensitive to the different perceptions of poverty. ANNUAL REPORTS Namwater Annual Report, Windhoek, 1998/1999, 22p. Basler Afrika Bibliographien Namibia Resource Centre & Southern Africa Library PO Box 2037 CH 4001 Basel Switzerland http://www.baslerafrika.ch Tel.: + 41 61 228 93 33 Fax: + 41 61 228 93 30 email: bab@bluewin.ch

--Namibia's Quiver Tree Forest-- If you are travelling in the south of Namibia, be sure to stop and see this natural forest of more than 300 trees growing in an arid area where little else will grow. The forest was declared a national museum in June 1955. These trees (actually not a tree, but an aloe plant - Aloe Dichotoma) are one of the most interesting and characteristic plants of the very hot and dry parts of Namibia. The plant is called a Quiver Tree, because some Bushmen and Hottentot tribes used the tough pliable bark and branches to make quivers for their arrows. Read more about Namibia's Quiver Tree Forest at, http://www.africa.com/namibia/ttd_sa_qt.phtml From ULUNDI http://www.africa.com

Wow! Have you seen any quiver trees? Amazing adaptability. Need to post that in Bioregions. Shall you or shall I? Please, allow me to snitch it for Geo!

Thank you for doing it! I've never seen these, but sounds incredible.

AfriCam / Agfa Awards 1999 AGFA Wildlife & Environment Awards Thomas Dressler's "Quiver Trees" http://www.africam.com/mirror/special_content/agfa/1999/44.html

AfriCam / Agfa Awards 1999 AGFA Wildlife & Environment Awards The beauty around us (Scenic and Plants) 2nd: Theo Allofs' "Quiver Trees at Sunset" http://www.africam.com/mirror/special_content/agfa/1999/16.html

wonderful pix!!!! Are these pix free to use???? (i.e. on home pages?)

They are on the website I have listed above. Check there for copyright sstipulations and such. They are striking and it is easy to see why they won prizes for photography../

I checked and I'm not convinced they are ...

try it out and see what happens