Visual Storytelling

My Scholarship entry - Born a Himba

NAMIBIA | Monday, 24 November 2014 | Views [2480] | View Larger Image

Menjamwapis mother Kakuve is known as a midwife in the region. Himba women give birth naturally at home with no medical intervention. A second midwife has joined when the mother discovered the baby is inverted. They have messaged her belly in different positions in order to turn the baby around. A few moments before birth she was positioned in a kneeling position where she gave birth.

Menjamwapi sitting inside her self built hut during early phases of labor. In preparation for delivery she has built a mud hut with her sister. She would walk one hour daily with buckets of Mud and animal manure which were then used to construct the shelter. She gave birth before the hut was fully built.

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After many hours Menjamwapi has given birth.
Straight after birth, the baby was rubbed in soil to remove all fluids and the umbilical cord was cut and buried in the soil of the hut to represent the newborns connection to her ancestors land.

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Visual Storytelling

My Scholarship entry - Born a Himba

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