Namibia’s law states that abortion is legal in cases of rape, incest, or where continuing the pregnancy would threaten the mental or physical health of the mother, or the life of the mother or foetus. The Maputo Protocol, which should form part of Namibia’s domestic law, says the same thing. It also says that African women have the right to choose how many children they have, when they have them,… Keep Reading
Homophobia in Africa
An analysis on the origins of sexual bigotry in Africa. • Jacinta Kasume Homophobia is the cultural and systemic fear of- or prejudice against homosexuals that sometimes manifests in oppressive legislature, or in bullying or premeditated violence against queer individuals. The term homophobia was coined by an American clinical psychologist, George Weinberg in his late 1960s book Society and the Healthy Homosexual. In the 19th century Western psychology began to… Keep Reading
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[PODCAST] For Ama, Episode 2 – Running Away From Home
“For Ama” is an immersive Namibian storytelling series that explores the topic of healing through different women’s life stories and experiences. The series addresses the topic of healing through various life stories, from elders to young women and women from different economic and cultural backgrounds. We have so much to learn from each other’s stories. “For Ama” is available on all platforms! Listen to a new story every Monday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or… Keep Reading
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[PODCAST] For Ama: A Namibian Storytelling Series
Amara Evering “For Ama” is an immersive Namibian storytelling series that explores the topic of healing through different women’s life stories and experiences. The series addresses the topic of healing through various life stories, from elders to young women and women from different economic and cultural backgrounds. We have so much to learn from each other’s stories. “For Ama” is now available on all platforms! Listen to a new story every Monday… Keep Reading
For Ama
August 2021 – Amara Evering My sister was finishing up packing in the hotel and me and my Mom decided to take one more walk along the beach. We were barefoot, all our bags were in the car, and most of that walk was spent in silence. On the way back, my Mom asked me “What is something really important that has happened in your life? What is a life… Keep Reading
Abuse thrives in makeshift hostels
Rosemary Nalisa For many learners in the Zambezi Region, access to education is limited by an incredibly practical hurdle: distance. These learners have to decide whether to stay home with their parents or guardians, or find accommodation at schools kilometres away in hopes of accessing better education. ‘Home service’ facilities are common in the rural areas of the region where they serve as accommodation facilities for learners whose homes are… Keep Reading
A teacher’s dilemma: “we have become midwives to these kids”
Rosemary Nalisa Teachers at several secondary schools in the Zambezi region have termed the teenage pregnancy situation as a “time-bomb” that needs to be remedied as soon as possible before it completely explodes. A teacher who spoke on condition of anonymity pointed to unsupervised makeshift hostels – dubbed ‘home service’ – and poverty as contributing factors. This teacher claims his school usually records between four to six teenage pregnancies among… Keep Reading
Teenage pregnancy: when grandparents carry the burden
The adage “education is key to success” is a phrase emphasised amongst all sectors of society in the Zambezi region battling to reduce rising numbers of teenage pregnancies and ensure that teenage girls stay in school. The situation is raising alarm bells, as many poor and rural families experience the negative ripple effects brought about by their teenage children becoming parents and leaving them with no option other than to… Keep Reading
HOMOPHOBIC Namibia
The stylistic rebranding of oppression By: KIM STARR Before independence, the concept of ‘apartness’ legally sanctioned segregation among races, affording rights to some races over others. It was legal, so it could not be challenged through legal means. The motives: racial supremacy. Three decades later, we still have state-sanctioned othering. You’d think our history would make us wiser than to draw on legal grounds for unequal treatment of human beings…. Keep Reading
Misgendering matters – here’s why
Selma Ndasilohenda Iyambo Just like you wouldn’t want people to call you a name that is not yours, don’t call others by the wrong pronoun. Simple! We are living in the 21st century yet people still want to assume individuals’ genders based on their physical appearances. We were sitting in a restaurant at Johannesburg Airport with a colleague when a vibrant young woman decided to misgender my colleague. “Good morning,… Keep Reading
Community perceptions of rape overshadow the law
Ester Mbathera For many of the people at Divundu settlement, ‘rape’ or ‘statutory rape’ are foreign terms that they only read or hear about in the media. These forms of sexual abuse are not widely spoken about, despite the high pregnancy rates among young girls under the age of 15. These pregnancies are often the result of sexual relationships between young girls and older men meaning that they are legally… Keep Reading
Contraceptive shortages in rural Namibia leave young people vulnerable
Words and Images by Ester Mbathera The Divundu settlement on the banks of the Kavango River is one of the communities with high teenage pregnancy rates in the Kavango East region. In this village, 200 kilometres from the region’s capital of Rundu, it isn’t unusual to find girls as young as 13 who are mothers, and girls who have two children by the age of 15. The contraceptive injection, which… Keep Reading
