As Namibia Becomes Green

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Namibia | Saturday, September 18, 2010 | 5 photos

Namibia is a spacious land filled with a stillness that affords the imagination free reign. It is home to five desert regions, among them the oldest desert on the planet.

I arrived as the rains began, though deserts remain untouched by the change of season. Standing on those hot sands, feeling more alien than ever before, I was enveloped by the desert’s great emptiness and my perception of time and distance dissolved. I searched for signs of life and found long-legged beetles, scuttling to wherever it is they call home.

When I reached the Dead Vlei I felt a peace in the stillness. Glancing up at a frozen branch of one guardian of this sacred place, I watched a hawk alight and observe my presence.

Being observed in a foreign place can sometimes equal the wonder of observing.

I first noticed two young Himba women as they entered the store in Otjiwarongo, emitting a carefree solidity that held me in stunned amazement and drew me like a magnet. Visiting a nearby village, I met others with the same wild confidence. It was only for a moment that the woman in her hut granted me a glimpse of the immense softness balancing the strength of the women of desert tribes.

From the vastness of the Namib I came to a landscape dominated by enormous rocks and peppered with delicately blooming shrubbery. Bird song rang out, a perpetual chattering that scolded the deceptive blue skies and warned of storms soon to break all around.

The rains marked the days. At the end of my story, the Gamsberg range is transformed into rich green velveteen and I watch a turtle cross the road.

I hope to see you in Bhutan. I have the potential, with guidance, to hone my skills. I took the challenge of photographing Africa with a 1970s SLR and I’m ready for the next adventure!