Kamanjab and the Himba Village

Thursday 12th April – 420 km to the Himba Village

There are two alternate routes from Spitzkoppe to Kamanjab, however recent heavy rains in Angola had resulted in flooded rivers and meant that we had to follow the much longer route (over 400km in fact). As we travelled the landscape underwent a steady transformation from barren and rocky to scrubby bushlands punctuated by short trees and thin wispy undergrowth.

The day’s drive took us much further northwards towards the famous Etosha National Park and the border with Angola. Our final destination for the day was the region on Kamanjab, home of the Himba Tribe. Along the way we passed through the town of Outjo, regarded as the gateway to Etosha. This place is a real frontier town with several banks, petrol stations, supermarkets and a school we would not get over the feeling that our every move was being watched by dozens of hungry eyes. A large proportion of the local population seemed to have no occupation other than to sit about, drink beer and ask tourists for handouts. This is one place I would not have felt comfortable travelling through on my own.

After stocking up on food, water and other supplies, we were on our way again.
The narrow road to Kamanjab was paralleled by a telephone line whose poles had become the foundation for numerous social weavers’ nests. These huge nests can be a metre or more in diameter and are often shared with other cohabiting animals such as wasps. We also found a tribe of baboons who were using the posts to gain an elevated view of their surroundings.

We arrived at the Himba Village quite late in the day. Unlike the Damara, these people have ignored the modern world and chosen to live in much the same way that they have done for thousands of years. Although we noticed that the menfolk are more inclined to wear jeans and T shirts, the women still wear little more than a short apron around their waists. They spend most of their days looking after their cattle and fixing each other’s hair. Apparently they do not wash after reaching puberty, preferring instead to follow a daily routine of purifying themselves with a small smoky fire. The most unique feature of the women is their hair. This is styled into thick braids which are then covered with a liberal layer of mud, giving them a Medusa like appearance. In spite of their apparent lack of western hygiene and their mud covered hair, Himba women are often regarded as the most beautiful in Africa.

Bob was so infatuated with the Himba women that he decided that it would be a good idea to marry one of them. He selected a well built specimen and we conducted a short ceremony for the happy couple. Unfortunately he didn’t possess enough cattle to legalise the marriage and, alas for poor Bob, he had to return to his tent alone.

In spite of their appearances the Himba are quite a wealthy tribe, deriving most of their income from their cattle and also from selling handicrafts to tourists.

The campsite was in an isolated spot and, once the sun went down, we were treated to another brilliant display from the stars overhead. I stood outside in the middle of the night and marveled at the brightness of the Milky Way. Before the coming of the industrial age and the invention of artificial lighting, I guess this was how the stars would have appeared all around the world.Read more