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
After getting the permission of the chief to enter a Himba homestead, I was welcomed by the contagious smile of the youngest members of the community.
Both girls and boys have their hair cut short, but the the way it is arranged and the handmade jewels they wear allow to determine their sex and age
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
Photo taken at Pequenos Lençóis Maranhenses
Tchau Lençóis! I wish I had more time to explore this incredible landscape and get to know even better the people that inhabit it.
I’m heading know to Namibia. It’s a long detour from my path through South America, but it was the only moment I could do this without risking to ran into the rainy weather
Photo taken at Pequenos Lençóis Maranhenses
On the opposite side of the river from Atins, in what are called Pequenos Lençóis, there are less tourists and it is still possible to find some local fishermen