Rehoboth-Baster - The 'Kappie' of the Women - 3 May 2012
Although the long dress and the headdress of the Rehoboth-Baster women has today disappeared from the everyday scene it is still worn during special ceremonies such as the annual festival commemorating the battle of Tsamkhubis.

The Caprivi Strip - Under Changing Administration - 26 April 2012
As from 1914 the area was placed under South African military rule. In 1921, the British High Commissioner administered it as part of Bechuanaland. In 1929, the area was handed over to the South West Africa Administration.

The Caprivi Strip - Result of a Diplomatic Blunder - 19 April 2012
The question that often crosses people's minds is why the Caprivi Strip, which reaches far into the heart of the Southern African subcontinent, was demarcated in its present form and is part of Namibia.

The Nama Padloper - Uniquely Namibian - 12 April 2012
The Nama Padloper – also known as Berger's Cape Tortoise – is the only endemic tortoise species in Namibia, i.e. it is found nowhere else. Its scientific name is Homopus solus (previously: Homopus bergeri).

OvaHimba - The Ekori-Headdress of the Women - 5 April 2012
The OvaHimba have retained their age-old prescribed sets of skin clothes and headdresses until fairly recently. Both, men and women wear various headdresses, of which each symbolizes a specific position within the community.  

Gladiator - Predatory Insect creates a new Order - 29 March 2012
At the start of this millennium Namibia caused worldwide headlines when biologists found a mysterious insect on Brandberg Mountain which did not fit into any known genus, family or order - the 'gladiator'...

Twyfelfontein - engraved in Rock - 22 March 2012
Amidst the red table-top mountains of Damaraland, a wealth of rock engravings are etched into the Etjo sandstone, powerful reminders of the hunter-gatherers of old who chiselled thousands of animals into the rock.

Independence - More than 300 Years of Resistance - 15 March 2012
In early March 1677 the Dutch ship 'Bode' arrives at Sandwich Harbour. The crew goes ashore but is attacked by Khoisan. Thus the inhabitants of today’s Namibia have put up resistance against European intruders for more than three centuries.

Traditional Basketry - The /oámà-baskets of the Khwe - 8 March 2012
A large variety of basketry has always formed part of the material culture of the sedentary Bantu-speaking peoples of Namibia. With the exception of the Khwe, most San groups traded their baskets from Bantu-speaking neighbours.

Leopard - How it got its Spots - 1 March 2012
One of the best remembered fables of the ages is 'How the Leopard Got His Spots', where Rudyard Kipling elucidates the benefits of camouflage. The fable holds much truth...

Fish River Canyon - Traces of a Death Struggle - 23 February 2012
An old Nama legend explains in a vivid manner how the Fish River Canyon was formed. Geologists offer a more prosaic explanation. It also involves an epic death struggle – though not of a snake but of a super-continent...

Ngandjera - the oshikoma and iipando Headdress - 16 February 2012
For centuries the Ngandjera and Kwaluudhi have occupied the western regions of the former Ovamboland.  In the past the coiffures worn by their girls and women were of such stunning beauty that they were known far beyond their tribal areas.

Fossilised Dunes - Ostrich Family Tree in Sandstone - 9 February 2012
How does one know that the Namib is the oldest desert on earth? The answer is revealed by the fossilised dunes of the Namib Desert, largely covered by the sand sea of the 'young' Namib.

Zebra - Distinguishing the two Z’s - 2 February 2012
Striking, with their distinctive black and white stripes, zebras form part of the wonderful array of wildlife. Although a zebra has a unique pattern of stripes, it is possible to distinguish between the two southern African species at a glance.

Zebra - Pyjamas and other Theories - 26 January 2012
White stripes on black or black stripes on white? Although our perceptions may differ, we can all agree that the zebra has one of the most striking coats seen in the animal kingdom.

Omajova - A wild Delicacy - 19 January 2012
Towering termite mounds reaching heavenwards from the savannah characterise many areas of Namibia. Adding to the visual impression, giant mushrooms emerge from the base of the mounds during the rainy season.

Adorned with Shells - The Headdress of HaMbukushu - 12 January 2012
Ever since the arrival of the first Roman Catholic missionaries along the Okavango River in north eastern Namibia during the early 1900s, women’s traditional coiffures became a much-debated issue.

The Leopard - Prince of Stealth - 5 January 2012
As the leopard emerges from a thicket and pads across the leafy earth to disappear once again into the vegetation, the observer cannot help the quickness of breath he experiences for this fleeting vision of the 'prince of stealth'.

The Jetty - Oyster Bar instead of Harbour Cranes - 29 December 2011
Swimming in the bay at the Mole, standing on the jetty and marvelling at the sunset – that is as much part of a holiday in Swakopmund as salt belongs in the ocean. Both of these attractions are simply the result of a few quirks of history.

Martin Luther - Vehicle with staying Power - 22 December 2011
When you pass 'Martin Luther' just outside Swakopmund and have heard the story of the road locomotive you will probably chuckle spontaneously. But is the story that is told about the monstrous steam engine in fact correct?

Mûgorob - Writing on the wall for Apartheid? - 15 December 2011
The massive sandstone pillar which until 7 December 1988 pointed to the sky like a warning finger in southern Namibia was 12 m high, up to 4.5 m wide and weighed some 450 tons. It inspired various tales.

Mûgorob - Who shook the 'Finger of God'? - 8 December 2011
For thousands of years it defied the sun, wind and rain. It stood 12 m high and up to 4.5 m wide. A sandstone giant of 450 tons sitting on a narrow mudstone base just 1.5 m wide. On 7 December 1988 it toppled over.

The Quiver Tree - a Victim of Climate Change? - 1 December 2011
Red alert for the quiver tree was declared at the climate conference in Copenhagen in January 2010. Aloe Dichotoma and nine other plant and animal species were added to the 'Red List'.

The Quiver Tree - a Symbol of the South - 24 November 2011
In the plant kingdom the quiver tree, along with the Welwitschia, is Namibia's national symbol. As the emblem of the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) the quiver tree advertises Namibia as a travel destination.

Omhatela-headdress - Symbol for married Women - 17 November 2011
The OvaKwanyama comprise the largest population group among the OvaWambo. The hairstyles and headdresses worn by girls and women were closely related to their social position and status within the community.

Black-backed Jackal - Jack of all Trades - 10 November 2011
The innocent-looking black-backed jackal Canis mesomelas is one of the five species of the Family Canidae in southern Africa that includes foxes, jackals and wild dogs. Its drawn-out call characterises the Namibian night.

Black-backed Jackal - The Trickster - 3 November 2011
Like the fox in European folklore, the jackal has often been represented in African folk tales as a trickster. Its adaptability to changing circumstances has spurred stories of the wily jackal that dodges traps and avoids hunters.

The otjikaeva-Headdress - Symbol of Cattle-horns - 27 October 2011
The picturesque 'Victorian' dress worn by OvaHerero and OvaMbanderu women, which evokes the admiration and curiosity of visitors and fellow-Namibians daily, has become part of the Namibian scene for many decades.

Wild Horses of the Namib Desert - 20 October 2011
The Namib horses have survived in the desert in the south-western reaches of Namibia for close to a century. And like all wild horses they feed our dreams and fill our hearts.

Postal Runner – a Postage Stamp for a Gravestone – 13 October 2011
No one else knew the route through the desert as well as him, no one was as fast as him. Yet: Why would NamPost dedicate a stamp to a postal runner 100 years after his death?

Postal Runners – the Heroes of early Communication - 6 October 2011
Talk of snail mail! That’s putting it very mildly. German missionaries in Namibia had to wait long, sometimes in vain, before receiving an answer to their letters home. Around 1840 the mailing route was not only very long but also dangerous.