Namibia

Peeling black eyed peas is apparently both desirable and possible! When I was planning a Namibian meal with Heidi and Linda for the first weekend of March, I knew I would buy the vegan lamb from Loma Linda Market because they aren’t eating red meat. I was excited to find a mushroom broth at Stater Bros for the same reason. These are easy adjustments, and this recipe came together really well: https://www.196flavors.com/namibia-potjiekos/

But the crazy part was that it took an hour and a half to peal one cup of black eyed peas! It’s fortunate that the recipe includes a video on how to do it, because otherwise I would have been stumped. It was worth the time and we served the oshingali in a broad pasta bowl with the lamb piled in the middle. They went together well and were both delicious and beautiful: https://www.esterkocht.com/oshingali-namibian-vegan-recipe/

There was one part of my meal plan that Heidi and Linda declined. They had an excuse because they were running a 10K the next morning, but Gladys and Laurie just flat out said no to the Namibian grape cheesecake when I offered to make it for them. I’ll admit that I had never thought of putting grapes and crushed chocolate chip cookies in cheesecake. Fortunately Allan said he was willing to try it. Kaitlin and Andrea hesitated (it was the chocolate chips that gave them pause) but once they tried it, they liked it. Everyone else missed out; it's that good! Allan says it makes sense because grapes and cheese go well together. The grapes are a little tart this time of year, so I replaced the sour cream with more Greek yogurt. I think it is perfectly balanced, not too sweet and not too tart, and it might be my new favorite cheesecake: https://www.esterkocht.com/grape-cheesecake/

After we ate Namibian food, Heidi, Linda, and I watched Baxu and the Giant on Netflix and and the 2010 Babies documentary that includes Namibian babies on Amazon Prime. The most well-known movies made in Namibia are The Gods Must Be Crazy (the original and the sequel). As long as you don't believe them to be an accurate portrayal of the Ju/'hoansi people (called bushmen in the films), track them down through your library and enjoy the hilarity!

Finding Namibian books at the library was a challenge. I ended up reading The Elephant’s Tale by Lauren St. John (I love children’s books!) and the chapter on Namibia from Lost White Tribes by Riccardo Orizio. Linda was able to find The Purple Violet of Oshaantu by Neshani Andreas. Not only does this novel illustrate the value of friendship between women, but Linda appreciated the independence and courage shown by the protagonist when facing abuse.

I’m going to recommend two more films to watch about Namibia before we jump into musicians, athletes, beautiful people, another inspiring person, geology, and the animals of Namibia. The films are the “Speed of Life” episode of Will Smith’s Welcome to Earth series on DisneyPlus and Namibia: The Africa You Have to See! on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSMNBrzJWGA

There are plenty of musicians from Namibia. I picked a long time favorite as well as both a man and a woman who are currently popular:

· Jackson Kaujeua: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TZXngsQjCU

· Gazza: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImL8YsJGFCA

· Sally Boss Madam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxUC1ZCNTbU&list=PLZ6afNou8CGu_7QFXeRc-vrDsWsocGyIZ&index=4

It was fun to watch a couple of athletes from Namibia. Just don’t be confused because in the first video, we are watching the silver medal winner:

· Frankie Fredericks: https://olympics.com/en/video/frankie-fredericks-a-namibian-gentleman

· Johanna Benson: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=844514612952365

There are some amazingly beautiful people from Namibia. The first video here shows clips from when one won Miss Universe in 1992 and the other is of a model when Architectural Digest showed off her home (you might recognize her husband):

· Michelle McLean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWOpGQbccp4

· Behati Prinsloo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n50DZvVAulM

Gwen Lister, a journalist activist against apartheid and for press freedom, is interviewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15bNj1nRQF4

A huge meteorite and rock art are part of the draw to Namibia:

· A video on the largest meteorite in the world: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQcAxzZtBwc

· An article on rock art: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-africa/southern-africa/namibia/a/apollo-11-stones?modal=1

I can’t guarantee that there will be animals on the live cam in the Kalahari Desert. With the time change, you might only see bugs flying around in the dark. But the first morning I saw some kind of antelope wandering around. It’s relaxing and beautiful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPd7Ys7FC0I. If you want to get a guaranteed look at animals in Namibia, check here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tRrYepZ6Cc

Namibia is rumored to be one of the cleanest and safest places in Africa. Here are some places to take in while you are there: https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-namibia/#more-20521. Yes, I would love to visit! I look forward to that time when we can travel broadly again. In the meantime, I’m hoping we all survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, learn to deal with our conflicts, and allow peace, health, and safety to flourish in the Namibia and throughout the world.

Photo Credit: Arne Smith https://unsplash.com/photos/jRYBR41lx3Y