I flew back to Namibia to spend the holidays with my family on February 3rd, as the semester break has started for many students in Germany. I was welcomed by a surplus of sun rays, as temperatures were already at an astounding 22° C when I arrived with Air Namibia at Hosea Kutako International Airport at round about 07:00 the next morning.
Of course I remembered from geography classes that the main rainfall period is between January and March, so I expected quite a lot of rain during my stay. Now in Namibia people react to rain like people in Europe react to a sunny day – it makes them happy. And they have every reason to, as annual precipitation only adds up to 362 mm in and around Windhoek, which is located in the centre of the country. The south of Namibia is much drier, with Mariental only receiving 194 mm a year for example. Certain northern regions of Namibia however are evergreen, with rainfall adding up to 600 mm and more.
The last time I was in Windhoek was more than two years ago. And it was in winter, when most of Namibia’s landscape is as yellow and dry as deceasing saffron pistils. Keeping that in mind, I was overjoyed when seeing the entire countryside between the airport and the city centre, as it reminded me of all the summers and rainy seasons I grew up with as a child.
Another advantage of rain in Africa is the spectacular view of the sky, once it is coloured with the darkest clouds you could dream of. Since I am a huge fan of “end-of-the-world” scenarios, my imagination has a chance to drift of with an imaginary deluge.
Unfortunately, heavy rainfalls can also have devastating effects on man-built areas. The northern plains in Namibia have a potential to get flooded, ending up with destroyed crops and inundated cattle. In cities like Windhoek, entire streets can collapse once rivers start to flow with large masses of water. This was the case in the nineties, when parts of concrete sewer canals were laying next to street signs. But luckily, no such horrible events have unfolded this time.
Many people that moved onto the African continent seem to end up saying: Africa is all about survival of the fittest – to eat, or to be eaten. This is quite difficult to understand for people living in developed countries, but by simply looking at the mortality or crime rates of African countries, one might get the impression that things are quite a bit different here. But this does not only apply to anthropogenic aspects, as you can see the difference between life and death in the photos above.
Extreme places on our globe can change people’s foundations. I can only encourage everyone to travel as much as they can. Get out of your everyday life once in a while and see how different places on Earth are going to influence you…for better, or for worse. You decide!
The Germafrican 