At last, tar roads! We had a long drive north, stopping in Tsumeb, a mining town, because my phone was playing up. The town used to have a rich deposit of copper, lead, silver, gold, arsenic and germanium. The mine changed its name to Ongopolo Mine but has since closed. It is the regional centre of Oshikoto.
Both Zoe and I noticed that the Namibians liked words that start with O and have lots of
vowels in their language - note the above two names, but also Otjiwarongo, Okahandja, Oshati, Ondangwa.
Namibia is formerly a German colony and still has strong Germanic presence. South Africa gained control after the World War II. It gained independence in 1990 after a long military campaign between 1966-1990 by SWAPO (South West African Peoples Organisation) - a tough history in a tough country.
The First Genocide of the 20th Century:
In 1904, the Herero and Nama people revolted against colonial German rule, killing over 100 Germans in Okahandja but no women and children. The German General, von Trotha, defeated the revolutionaries at the battle of Waterburg and drove the survivors into the desert where most died of dehydration. 80% of the Herero nation and 50% of the Nama nation died .
We arrived at a lovely resort, Mikumi Lodge, just outside Etosha National Park in time for dinner - a very extensive and good buffet.
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