Photo taken at Opuwo
A 12-years old Himba girl in the Opuwo region in Northern Namibia.
This tribe is struggling to keep its primitive way of life with the climate and economical changes going on in the country.
Photo taken at Namibia
After visiting the Himba homestead near Opuwo I was supposed to move to another place to attend a traditional Himba funeral, but the ceremony was delayed.
So I decided to take some time to visit the desert before heading back to Windhoek and fly back to South America
Photo taken at Kunene Region
Himba women are famous for rubbing their bodies with “otjize”, a mixture of fat and ochre, believed to protect their skins against the harsh climate and dirt. They also mix it with clay to cover their hair in a beautification ritual
Photo taken at Kunene Region
At night the darkness covers the Himba homestead with only the faint fires and cheap telephones’ LEDs providing light
Photo taken at Kunene Region
In the Himba community men take care of hunting and political activities, sometimes leaving for extended periods of time.
When they are in the homestead, they often spend their time in the men’s house
Photo taken at Kunene Region
Women have a really central role in the Himba culture. They take care of the kids and household but also perform more labor-intensive work than men do, such as carrying water to the village, building homes, milking goats
Photo taken at Kunene Region
The Himba are a semi-nomadic, pastoral people that lives in Northern Namibia.
They survived the German genocide in the 1900s and a near extinction in the 1980s. However today the encroaching modernization of the country is threatening their ancient way of life
Photo taken at Ohandungu, Kunene, Namibia
The Himba homestead I visited was structured in a circle, with the house of the chief followed by the ones of his three wives and their respective children. A smaller circle in the center hosts the cattle, that grazes far away during the day and comes back by itself at dusk
Photo taken at Opuwo
Last week my guide and I have finally arrived in Opuwo, the last town in the Northwest of Namibia before the border with Angola.
In town you can already meet Himba people in local bars and shops. Some of them only come here occasionally but an increasing majority is moving here permanently to have a more comfortable life.
We spent the following days in an authentic Himba homestead in the desert north of Opuwo to observe local life. I will tell you more in the next posts
Photo taken at Namibia
After a long trip, with two layovers, I’ve finally arrived in Namibia and started my trip toward the North from Windhoek to Opuwo, where I will try to meet the Himba people