Health and Environmental Concerns and Cement Production in Namibia

Today national news was made in Namibia as a cement company began limestone blasting operations that may lead directly to the contamination of the only source of water for farmers living in the area surrounding the municipality of Otjiwarongo.



It's worth noting that the company involved in the cement production is Whale Rock Cement, which is a joint project between Namibian and Chinese investors (see Mini's previous blog post for more background on China-Namibia relations).

The local farmers in question are technically in the area illegally as they were meant to move elsewhere in 2005 when the agreement for Whale Rock Cement to develop the area was finalized.  However, land reform minister Utoni Nujoma has not said where the farmers might move to nor what land would be made available to them in the event of their displacement.



It's an interesting point of contention that the payment of N$10 million made by Whale Rock Cement to lease the land was intended to go into the community development fund, yet these people are being displaced and those who remain face serious health concerns should their water be contaminated by runoff from the blasting and cement mixing operations.

Sources:
https://www.namibian.com.na/63775/read/Health-fears-as-cement-company-starts-blasting
https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3425/3758547994_b94e02594b_b.jpg

- Cecilia A. 1/29/2018

Namibia 101

Here are some interesting statistics of Namibia:

Population: 2.48 million (2016)

GDP: 10.27 billion USD, approx. 0.02% of world economy (2016)

2008 -> 2010 rapid growth in GDP, 13.3% growth rate

Now since 2014, GDP is declining, -0.82% growth rate

GDP per capita is $4,140.46 USD (point of reference, US's GDP per capita is appox $57,400)
          8th largest GDP per capita in Africa (nominal), 102nd GDP per capita in world

27.4% unemployment rate (2012)

34.9% of population live on 1 USD per day, 55.8% live on 2 USD per day

Namibia is rich in natural resources, the mining industry brings in over half of the countries foreign earnings

Namibia is the fourth largest producer of uranium

Sources: http://statisticstimes.com/economy/african-countries-by-gdp-per-capita.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Namibia
https://tradingeconomics.com/namibia/gdp
https://www.gfmag.com/global-data/country-data/namibia-gdp-country-report

-- Romain Screve

Namibia's Population

Did you know Namibia is the second least densely populated country in the world? Mongolia takes the prize as the least populous. Twice the size of California, a state home to 40 million people, Namibia has a population of only about 2 million! While this is ideal for wildlife, some Namibian economists have agreed that it's bad news for the country.

Some are under the impression that there is a correlation between high population growth and high economic growth & cite China as an example of this trend, according to this article.  However, many African countries with extremely high populations experience very low economic growth similar to that of Namibia. In the cited article, Alexactus T Kaure explores what the arrival of 20 million people to the country would bring -- boon or bane? Ultimately, he decides that he'd prefer "a decent wealthier country than a big one with millions of poor people"-- in other words, he'd chose Namibia over Nigeria any day.
- Michelle H. 1/28

President Hage Geingob says government needs help

I was reading the Namibian Newspaper and ran across an article discussing Namibian President Hage Geingob askig for help in addressing post-colonial issues affecting the nation, such as inequality, unemployment, and land division.  He made these remarks three days ago in Windhoek, Namibia in a meeting with a Finnish parliamentary delegation. 

The president discussed the fragility and vulnerability of the Namibian economy since achieving independence from Germany.  He also discussed the high rate of unemployment and of growing inequality between citizens. .

He said, “For as long as the inequality is growing, we are telling people that we must join hands to see to it that we address this inequality to maintain peace and unity in the country."

He is also struggling with the extent of how much to open the Namibian economy internationally. GHe feels pressured to open up to get foreign investment, but does not want to lose independence.
He said, "We were told to open up to get foreign investments which we need, but the example we get from those who are powerful and advanced is that of protectionism, my country first – so it is a little bit confusing– are we supposed to open up? Because we are already a small and open economy, and we get exposed to external shocks very easily.

The Finnish parliamentary member emphasized Namibia's opportunities to grow in business and tourism.
“Namibia is a shining example to many countries in Africa and the world regarding the progress made in many aspects of development. We want to step in and build new and strong relationships,” she noted.

I'm interested to continue studying how Namibia progresses. It's difficult because they want to economically progress but doing so may require external help, and they also want to remain as independent as possible.

By Ellie Chen 

South African Musician Hugh Masakela Passes Away at Age 78

Hugh Masekela was a musician nicknamed the father of "South African jazz." He was known for the breadth of his musical talent- he was a flugelhornist (the flugelhorn is an instrument similar to a trumpet, but wider), trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and singer. But aside from his musical abilities, Masekela was also loved for his activism, especially in vocally advocating for equal rights during Apartheid (1). As a quick reminder of Namibian socio-political history, Namibia was- at the time- essentially a colony of South Africa and, by extension, under Apartheid rule.

Masekela left South Africa in 1960, and he studied music in the United States (1). During his career, he performed with many renowned American musicians such as guitarist Jimi Hendrix. But what has characterized his music over the decades has been his incorporation of African influences and inspirations rather than American influences (1).

He returned to South Africa in 1990 when Nelson Mandela was released from prison, and had been holding concerts throughout the African continent (including Namibia!). The depth and reach of his music has inspired generations of musicians, including up and coming artists such as the Namibian jazz musician Suzy Eises, and his death has been extensively covered in the Namibian press.

Below, I have included a few videos of Hugh Masekela in a press coverage, and one of his songs.

Hugh Masekela on One Africa Television. While the video is titled, "Namibia is like home away from home" Masekela tells a reporter that African countries, more generally, all feel like homes away from home.

Perhaps Hugh Masekela's most popular song, "Stimela."

1. http://hughmasekela.co.za/biography/
2. https://www.namibian.com.na/63606/read/Namibia-joins-the-world-in-mourning-Hugh-Masekela
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGeQ9thoQsI
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4Bb7p9gggc&list=PLzlacxg0nSoI2Wn7E_0zZFXqWBVDEMuq4

Child Killed when Namibian Gun Laws Neglected

This week, a 13-year-old student was killed in Northern Namibia when another child, only 11 years old, brought a pistol to school. The child suspect was playing with the gun in the classroom when it went off, presumably by accident.

There are conflicting reports about how the suspect got the gun. He claims that he inherited it from its registered owner, one of his grandparents. However, he did not go through the Namibian legal procedure for inheriting guns, in which the change of ownership is registered at a police station after a magistrate decides the inheritor is capable of operating the gun. Another story suggests that the child took the gun secretly from a hiding spot under a pillow.

In either case, the suspect’s grandparent displayed negligent behavior, and has been accused of not keeping the weapon in a safe or providing adequate licenses. In Namibia, gun owners are required to own a safe before purchasing a firearm in order to keep it out of the wrong hands. They must also wait nearly half a year after applying for a license for the government to complete a mandatory criminal background check. Meanwhile, in the U.S., there are some states where local authorities are prohibited from registering weapons.

Looking ahead, Namibian authorities hope to better enforce the country’s gun laws to prevent future tragedies.

-Mini Racker

Sources:

https://www.thevillager.com.na/articles/12355/eleven-year-old-fatally-shoots-13-year-old-at-iimbili-combined-school/  

https://www.newera.com.na/2018/01/22/owner-of-pistol-in-school-shooting-arrested/

https://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=140948&page=archive-read

https://www.theguardian.com/world/us-news-blog/2013/jan/16/gun-laws-need-to-know

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States

Cheetahs In Namibia

When we first brainstormed what our associations with Namibia were, I mentioned cheetahs. Prior to this seminar, I knew most of the world’s wild cheetahs resided in Namibia, but that was it. For my blog post I wanted to learn a little more about the fastest animal on land!

            In the 1900s more than 100,000 cheetahs lived across Africa, the Middle East and India. Today, cheetah populations have been reduced to just a fraction (approx. 11%) of their former range.

            Today just a little over 7,000 individuals exist, and the species is at risk of extinction. Since Namibia has world's largest remaining cheetah population, this country is key to the survival of the species. In the 1980s and 1990s, thousands of cheetahs were killed every year by Namibian farmers. Even today 90% of Namibia’s cheetahs live on livestock farmland and therefore are at risk of being killed during conflict with humans. Cheetahs kill livestock, and farmers therefore poison, shoot, and trap cheetahs. Educating Namibia’s farmers about cheetahs, is a key component to protecting the species.

            Part of the ongoing conservation work has also been aimed at finding ways to reduce livestock casualties, and encourage cheetahs to hunt their traditional prey like antelope. One effective method has involved introducing Anatolian shepherd dogs to live permanently with the livestock, because cheetahs are reluctant to attack livestock guarded by canines.

            At the heart of cheetah conservation, is the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) which is located in Otjiwarongo, Namibia. A woman from the United States named Laurie Marker

 founded and currently leads the organization.

            Some other fun facts about the cheetah are that it uses its tail like a rudder to turn sharply, and the black ‘tear’ marks on its face actually help to reduce the suns glare and improving their ability to see their prey.

Christina Savvides

Sources:

https://cheetah.org

https://phys.org/news/2016-03-namibia-cheetahs-female.html

http://earthwatch.org/Expeditions/Cheetah-Conservation-in-Namibia

Map source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cheetah_range_-_2.png