Julien was married in her early twenties.  Unbeknownst to her, her new husband was already married, and had never divorced his first wife.  He started abusing her when she found out that their marriage was not actually legal (polygamy is illegal in Namibia, despite the fact that some tribes practice it traditionally).  He beats her and often threatens to kill her.  He has a gun which he sometimes points at her.  He does all this in front of their two sons, who are only 4 and 5 years old.  In this video, Julien tells us about one instance in which he used the gun to frighten her:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U1hoodT6uc

She told me this story before I actually video-taped her, and she started giggling a little bit when she told me that after he brandished the gun at her by the side of the car, she started running, and he couldn’t catch up because he is “a little bit fat,” in her words.  I think that’s why she smiles when telling this part of the story in the video.  I loved that she could still laugh, could still find things funny, even while telling me this horrifying tale. She has an undeniable joie de vivre and enjoyment in life.  Talking with her, I found myself filled with admiration for her bravery, and also anger that someone would try to repress her joyful spirit the way her husband did.

I got to interview her because she took her kids, left her husband and her home, and came to Windhoek to find help.  She is working with Rosa Namises (I profiled Rosa in a previous blog post) who is helping her to find a safe place to live and work through the legal side of things.  Julien has taken out a protection order with the police, and as she put it, knocking on every door that could possibly help her, because ultimately, she does believe that her husband will eventually try to kill her.  She was not at all shy about being photographed and video-taped, and immediately gave me permission to use her name, because:

If there are women out there and they are are scared what their husbands are gonna do to them, if we don’t speak out no one is gonna hear us and know how we are suffering.  So really I’m willing to take a stand and make a change.  I might impact somebody else’s life, some other lady who cannot speak out.  So I’m willing to go that route.

After I was done asking all my questions, I asked her if there was anything else she wanted to say.  She thought for a minute and then said this:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4KJS_W6u5A

I am so grateful that I got to meet Julien.  She reminds me that even after undergoing trauma, women can change their own lives for the better, and that they can even emerge with their spirits intact.

Shaduka started abusing her immediately after the marriage and the situation deteriorated quickly.  He often threatened to kill her. Despite intervention by various family members, the abuse did not stop.  At one point, after he had threatened her with his gun, she went to the police to get a protection order.  However, she was pressured to withdraw her application by Shaduka’s family, and so she did not go through with the order.  The police confiscated his gun when she took out the order but he was able to retrieve it immediately after the case was withdrawn.  Soon after that, just one year after the wedding, he killed her with it, shooting her in the presence of their 8-month-old daughter.  Selma was just 33.  In this video Erastus describes her murder and what happened immediately afterward.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SKFcp6AtiA

Shaduka is still waiting for trial.

National reconciliation is an imminent forerunner and prerequisite of unity, peace, stability and democracy.  BWS believes that the following steps are essential for conflict resolution leading to effective national reconciliation:

1.     Truth and honesty about events/causes leading to the conflict

2.     Admission of wrong-doing and showing of remorse by perpetrators

3.     Apology

4.     Acceptance of apology on the part of the victim

5.     Analysis and assessment of the impact these human rights abuses have on victims/survivors and families of the missing persons for effective intervention and remedy

BWS wants to see ruling party SWAPO begin these steps in regards to the ex-detainees from the liberation struggle.  (If you haven’t read my previous post on the historical background of BWS’s founding, you might want to now).  As of this point, SWAPO leadership has never admitted wrong-doing in its abuse and torture of the detainees, let alone the fact that many of the victims were entirely innocent.  However, it is getting closer.  Just yesterday, this story appeared on the front page of the Namibian, announcing that the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs will consider ex-detainees from SWAPO’s spy crisis to potentially be eligible for war veteran status.  The Minister, Ngarikutuke Tjiriange, made a garbled statement about the detainees, saying that SWAPO did have suspected spies, and “In the process, you may have arrested people who you suspected, but who may not have been as active (as initially thought).  So the answer is easy.  If someone was not convicted of any offence, but was caught in the crossfire, they will be associated with the struggle.  They will be treated as a veteran.”

To encourage SWAPO to begin the steps toward true reconciliation, BWS lobbies SWAPO party officials, Parliamentarians and other politicians; conducts a public relations campaign through the national media; and works to get the word out internationally through partnerships with international organizations.  BWS has also conducted a painstaking campaign to record the testimonies of all ex-detainees or their families, and to reach out to Namibians in all regions to ensure they know about the detentions.

A few weeks ago I interviewed Samson Ndeikwila, who was one of the founders of BWS and also its first chairperson.  I asked him what he thought were the most significant achievements of the organization, and also its importance to Namibia.  He spoke eloquently about the need for national reconciliation and BWS’s part in that:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qzppm9fdXI4

Later I asked him whether he thought national reconciliation would actually happen, whether SWAPO would ever admit what it had done, and he said, “It will be resolved but I don’t know when.  I hope in my lifetime.”  I hope so too.

The Act provides for “declarations of unfitness” by police on grounds that the applicant is homicidal or suicidal, mentally unstable, “inclined to violence,” addicted to drugs or alcohol, or handles weapons “in a reckless manner.”  A person can be found unfit if he commits certain crimes without a firearm, such as murder, rape, assault, or robbery, but a court may find otherwise.  If a person is found to be unfit, his application for a firearms license can be declined, or a weapon in his possession can be taken away.

In 2003, Namibia enacted the Combating of Domestic Violence Act, which defines domestic violence (before 2003 not recognized as a separate crime in Namibia), provides for protection orders to be issued to victims, and outlines police responsibilities in responding to such crimes.  The law amends the Arms and Ammunition Act by including domestic violence as a crime that can render an offender unfit to own weapons.  In addition, the CDV Act allows for police seizure of weapons at the scene under section 23:

“Any police officer who reasonably suspects that a domestic violence offence has been committed may -(a)  question any person present at the scene of the offence to determine whether there are weapons at the scene; and (b) on observing or learning that a weapon is present at the scene, search any person, premises, vehicle or other place and seize any weapon that the officer reasonably believes would expose the complainant to a risk of serious bodily injury.”  [italics mine]

Notice that “may.”  This is not a requirement, but an option, for police officers.

Pauline’s goal is to make the link between the two laws stronger; for example, to have the Arms and Ammunition Act require that weapons be taken not only from convicted abusers, but those with a protection order against them, and to require that police consult with family members before granting licenses.  She is also working to raise the legal age of gun ownership to 21, to institute a competency test for gun ownership, and to ban the carrying of weapons in public places by civilians.  She is hoping that progress will be made this year.  Some Namibian Parliamentarians have publically expressed support for amending the law to include these changes, among others.  Meanwhile, lobbyists for gun dealers and hunting groups are taking every chance they can get to bend parliamentarians’ ears.

*A note on the four-gun allowance: This policy has been defended as vital to a country of farmers and hunters. In his report for the Institute for Public Policy Research in Windhoek, “In Self-Defense: Firearms Usage in Namibia,” researcher Martin Boer quotes security consultant Colonel Radmore as saying, “Namibia is a gun country.  A farmer will have at least two rifles or a shotgun and a rifle.  He needs them to hunt, he needs them to feed his people.”  But as Boer’s report reveals, the vast majority of applications for firearms licenses show the stated reason for the application as self-defense.  Moreover, most applicants are located in urban centers and are requesting licenses for pistols or revolvers, not the rifles or shotguns that would normally be used for hunting.[1]

Namibians do have their own way of saying things, of course.  Many people call Namibian English “Namlish” to point out these differences in pronunciation and vocabulary with other English dialects.  Following are a few of my favorite Namlish expressions.  Some of these may also be used in South Africa, Botswana, or other African countries.

My dear – many people call me this upon meeting me, especially black Namibian women who are older than me.  Black Namibian men tend to call me sister or Mma (I am assuming it is similar to the Batswana term of respect “Mma” and have therefore spelled it the same way.  It is pronounced “meMA.”).

Are you fine? – Used equally to ask “How are you?” and “Are you OK?”

Even me/neither me – Used instead of “me too” and “me neither”

Learner/student – Children and teens in primary or secondary (high) school are called learners.  People who go to university are called students.

Bakkie – Actually from Afrikaans.  A bakkie is a kind of truck.  Honestly it looks just like a pickup truck to me but Namibians tell me that they are two different things.

Robot - Traffic light.  From my friends in South Africa I have learned that the same word is used there.

Honestly speaking – Used far more often than in the US, for emphasis.

Can you borrow me $10? – Namibians use “borrow” to mean both borrow and lend.

Is it? – A question of confirmation or disbelief, used regardless of the subject or verb originally used by the other person talking.  A couple of conversational examples:

A:  “I think Laura is cool.”   B:  “Is it?”

A:  “They don’t want to go to the soccer match tonight.”   B:  “Is it?”

Generally, Namlish uses many Briticisms (pants instead of the American underwear, for example, which I often forget to my embarassment) but surprisingly Namibians usually say soccer and not football.

If you’re interested, here is a website with a far more inclusive guide to Namlish.

At least somebody is getting some use out of this bus shelter. In Katutura, down the street from my office.

At least somebody is getting some use out of this bus shelter. In Katutura down the road from my office.

To get a taxi, you do not have to go to a rank or a specific stop.  Just walk along a main road.  Cabs with empty seats going in your direction will beep and/or flash their lights.  (As you can imagine, there is constant beeping on main roads, especially at rush hour.)  If you want a ride, just hold out your hand and the car will stop.  All the taxi drivers are private operators – there are no big cab companies you can call to come to your house.  Well, there are one or two such companies that cater to tourists; I called one and they quoted me a price four times what it would cost in a regular cab.

Once in the taxi, there is no telling how long the ride might take, because the drivers try to pick up other passengers.  The fares are per person, so the more people they have in a taxi, the more money they make.  Generally though, the rule is that the first people in are the first to arrive.  There is very little in the way of traffic in Windhoek, which helps.

In many ways, I find this system of transportation more convenient than buses at home.  There are no transfers, and very little waiting.  There is also a little adventure to it – I’ve met some interesting people as fellow passengers or drivers, and also some amusing ones.  However, there is an element of risk.  Women (and some would say men too) are not supposed to take taxis alone after dark, as they could easily be robbed or attacked by the driver.  The risk is elevated for foreigners.  Drivers, too, court danger.  One night I got in a taxi with a friend and the driver told us that he had just been beaten up and robbed by two female passengers!

Drivers are sometimes talkative and I enjoy hearing their stories.  They usually come from rural areas of Namibia, hoping to make some cash and expand their opportunities in the capital city.  They work crazy hours, usually 5 or 6 AM to at least 8 or 9 PM.  Some work late on weekends.  Most that I have asked have greater ambitions – to own some farmland, or to go to university.  The life of a taxi driver is tough and for the young.

Driver Yambo with his chariot. The writing on the side lets you know that this cab is officially licensed.

Driver Yambo with his chariot. The writing on the side lets you know that this cab is officially licensed.

Auntie Rosa

Rosa Namises

Although WSN has been around since the late 1990s, Rosa has been doing this work for over 30 years.  She was even a member of Parliament for a few years, and gender-based violence was the main cause that she worked on while in office.  Because of her dedication, she is well-known in Namibia, and every day she gets at least one call on her cell phone from a desperate woman looking for help.  She handles many of these calls personally, going to the women’s homes to talk to them, even talking with the abusive husband or boyfriend if asked to intervene.  I think she is one of the bravest, kindest women I have ever met.  Many of the women she helps, or their children, call her “Auntie” Rosa.

Rosa told us a sad story, the story of a woman who has been abused for many years.  Recently, her husband was angry at her and he started “asking about his gun,” presumably to let her know he was thinking of using it.  Rosa intervened and demanded that the husband give her the keys to the safe where the gun was being stored, and thankfully he handed them over (see what I mean about her bravery?).  This woman has a good job and has the means to leave her husband, but she hasn’t managed to do it yet.  We hope she can find the strength soon.

But Rosa also told us some inspiring success stories.  A woman who was abused by her husband for 27 years did manage to leave him, and is now running her own construction company in Windhoek.  Rosa had a big smile on her face as she told this story.  But she also said that in her 30 years working with troubled families, only about 25 women have actually gotten out of their distressing situations.

Finally, she told us one more inspiring tale.  She had invited the women from the support group that she runs to come to the campaign launch event.  One of them did come.  The next week, at the end of the support group session, this woman asked to speak.  She then proceeded to teach the other group members about the link between guns and domestic violence, saying that she was going to bring the message to her home town of Khorixas and that the other women there should do the same.  It was wonderful to hear that the launch inspired someone to teach others, and that the message is spreading.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE9bCGl3o4Y

ddv-logo

Every year in June, IANSA sponsors a Global Week of Action that highlights the negative consequences of gun violence around the world.  This year, one part of the Global Week of Action is Disarming Domestic Violence, a campaign to raise awareness about the link between guns and domestic abuse (I talked about this link in an earlier blog post).  Organizations in 28 countries are participating in spreading this message, and I am honored to be part of Namibia’s campaign.  You can read about how Advocacy Project Fellows are contributing to the campaign worldwide here.

The other week, the NANGOF Trust (the umbrella organization that represents Namibian NGOs, including the one I work for, Breaking the Wall of Silence) held a campaign launch event.  It was a panel discussion at a big hotel in downtown Windhoek, and we had four distinguished speakers, including two Members of Parliament and two representatives of civil society organizations.  All the speakers discussed the need for women to feel safe in their own homes.   Rosa Namises of the NGO Women’s Solidarity Namibia gave a particularly moving speech about women’s rights in Namibia and their continuing vulnerability to violence.

Pauline and the parliamentarians talked about how the firearms law here could be amended to improve safety – for example, by instituting a competency test that all gun owners would be required to take and renew.  One important part of any legal changes would be harmonizing the firearms legislation with the domestic violence legislation that they have here.  Harmonization simply means that the gun law prohibits ownership by domestic violence offenders, and the domestic violence law requires the removal of guns.  So far, harmonization has only been accomplished in four countries: Canada, Australia, Trinidad & Tobago, and our next-door neighbor, South Africa.  We’d like it to happen here in Namibia too.  It was great to see the two parliamentarians supporting these potential changes to the law.  Pauline hopes that debates in the relevant government ministries to institute the amendments could begin later this year.  It could definitely be an uphill battle though, as the gun dealer lobby and some in the hunting and farming communities are wary of any changes to firearm legislation.

Member of Parliament McHenry Venaani officially launches the campaign while MP Kaveri Kavari and Pauline Dempers listen.

Member of Parliament McHenry Venaani officially launches the campaign while MP Kaveri Kavari and Pauline Dempers listen.

Connected to the launch, Pauline and I were invited that same day to be interviewed on the national TV network, NBC TV.  We got up bright and early to be on Good Morning Namibia, the daily show that starts at 6 AM.  The anchor interviewed us for about 10 minutes live, and we talked about the problem, the legal side, and announced the launch event later that day.  It was a great opportunity to get the word out, and my first appearance on live TV!

We’ve also been working on getting the message out to the Windhoek community more generally through the Gun-Free Namibia campaign.  We visited two schools last week and talked to their staff to encourage their schools to become Gun-Free Zones.  Goreangab School in Katutura took on the challenge, so we’ll be returning soon to talk to the students and have an official ceremony.

It feels like the NANGOF Trust has a lot of momentum going with the campaign to end gun violence here in Namibia, and it’s very exciting for me to be here for it.  More updates soon.

One of the legacies of apartheid still visible in Windhoek is the different characters of the various “locations” – what would be called townships in South Africa.  In 1959, residents of the Old Location (a segregated area of Windhoek set aside for black people by the Germans in 1913) were forcibly relocated to another location outside of Windhoek, which the people called Katutura, or “the place we do not want to stay.”  On December 10, a protest against the removal in the Old Location turned bloody when 13 demonstrators were shot and killed by police.  December 10 is now recognized in Namibia as International Human Rights Day to commemorate the tragedy.

Katutura is still here.  In fact it has grown significantly, and now about half of Windhoek’s residents live here.  It remains the poorest location in Windhoek.  Although there are some nicer areas, a lot of the houses are just tin shacks erected by squatters too poor to buy or rent a house.  But Katutura is also a vibrant part of this city.  There are nightclubs, shops, markets, even a court, and teens walking home in their school uniforms.   I work here every day, as the NANGOF building is here (NANGOF stands for the Namibian NGO Forum, an umbrella organization that represents Breaking the Wall of Silence as well as many other organizations).  It is still an overwhelmingly black neighborhood; I have never seen another white person here, and people often look surprised to see me.  Recently, a taxi driver taking me home from the office joked that the longer I worked in Katutura, the browner my skin would become!

High school in Katutura

High school in Katutura

Kids at the school, in between classes

Students (called "learners" here) at the school, in between classes

The other locations all have their own character.  My host, Talita, took me to visit with some of her family in Khomasdal.  The houses there are obviously nicer, better-built and bigger.  She told me that it used to be the location set aside for the “coloured” people, or people who are mixed-race.  Now people of all races and tribes live there.

I don’t think the neighborhood where Talita and I live, Dorado Valley, used to be an official location, but it also has a mix of people.  There are black families of different tribes, “coloured” ones, and apparently even some white families.  I take this racial mix, perhaps somewhat naively, as a good sign of healing after the years of abuse and harassment under apartheid.  All is not perfect, however.  Talita told me that I will never see the white people in our neighborhood.  Apparently they only come out in their cars, never walking to the local taxi rank like others do.  And it’s true – at least at this point, I still haven’t seen them, whereas the other families all have children out playing in the yard or people hanging out on their front steps, listening to music.

My neighbor, Junior, in front of his house in Dorado Valley

My neighbor, Junior, in front of his house in Dorado Valley