Namibians Have Their Own Specialities Too

ALFREDO Hengari’s glowing praise of Paris (The Namibian, 22 July 2011) is, as usual, eloquently expressed and obviously passionately felt.

However, his derogatory and snide remarks regarding Windhoek are insulting and depreciating and thus cannot be allowed to pass without comment. My own experience of European cities (Paris, London, Helsinki) is not the balmy romantic picture that he paints. Rather these cities are hectic, dirty melting-pots of stress, noise and rush. The days of quaint espressos and home-baked croissants have been replaced by instant coffee in cardboard cups and a pre-packed cellophane wrapped sandwich at fast-food outlets. There are no doubt exceptions to the rule and, as a loyal and passionate Parisian Hengari undoubtedly knows where to find the ‘utopian’ conversations and crème brulées that are so dear to his heart, but for the majority of visitors Paris is not the romantic city of charm but a maelstrom of anonymous humanity jostling for attention in a polluted and overcrowded space of a few square kilometres.And in the same way that Parisians have their crème brulées we too have our own specialities. Try melt-in-the-mouth biltong from Food Lovers Market; try kapana from Eveline Street; try Namibian Tafel Lager or home-brewed beer from Camelthorn; try a freshly baked brötchen from Wecke und Voigts; try a bokkop from Garlic and Flowers. All of these are our own Namibian specialities, known and respected not only in Windhoek but, in some cases, internationally. A week eating overpriced burgers and drinking instant take-away coffee at a Paris McDonalds will have most Namibians pining for home very quickly.Perhaps Hengari has been away from home for too long and has forgotten the basic etiquette of Namibian social intercourse. Not only do patrons here regularly greet waiters, often by name, but will often have long and intense conversations with them. Try that at Burger King Champs-Elysées and you will most certainly be greeted by a blank stare.I also have never entered a Windhoek taxi without greeting the driver. Indeed, such are the conversations in our taxis that Base FM, the Katutura community radio station, used to broadcast a regular programme of lively discussions, recorded in taxis, called Kudu Express. On the other hand, it’s not recommended to strike up a conversation with a local on the Paris metro – that will again be met with another blank stare.’Utopias’ such as Le Bistro have not ‘gone’ – indeed that venue is now a delightful raised wooden coffee shop in a quiet pedestrian mall allowing perfect Windhoek ‘people-watching’. In addition there are many other beautiful meeting places in the centre of town. Walk down Hepworths Arcade on a Saturday morning and enjoy a leisurely coffee and brötchen at Cafe Schneider. Spend time at the Wecke & Voigts coffee bar in Independence Avenue and enjoy some of the best coffee I’ve tasted in the world – for only €.80. Windhoek has in fact been rated as one of the cheapest cities to live in – Luanda is the most expensive with Paris no doubt not far behind!For a real treat take a visit to Zum Wirt beer garden in Independence Avenue in the heart of the city. The magnificent thatched roof structure and quaint mukoro carvings remain an isle of tranquillity in a sea of noise – and they serve the best and coldest beer in the city.He also fails to mention the warmth of our people that is so absent from European life. Various Namibian Facebook writers who are homesick for their motherland have expressed it eloquently on numerous occasions: ‘I miss the Namibian with the spirit of ubuntu’; ‘Namibians are another kind of people … there is nobody on earth like us’; ‘Where you can tell your neighbour to watch over your house when you are not there’; ‘Namibians and our way of living are just extraordinary.’So this piece is not just a rebuttal of Hengari’s remarks and my own personal praise for Windhoek, but on a deeper level to remind Namibians not to be misled by the Euro-glow of Hengari’s besotted love affair with Paris and to realise that Windhoek, for all its flaws, is as good as, if not better than his beloved Europe. Beware of Afro-pessimism – it is not only wrong but it can be contagious.