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Defying gale-force winds and the spray of the thundering surf, the stone cross stands firmly on a rocky promontory that juts some 50 metres into the Atlantic Ocean southwest of Lüderitz. It is a monument to Bartholomeu Dias, the Portuguese seafarer who was the first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa and thereby pioneered the way to opening up the sea route to India. 

Namibia is becoming increasingly popular as a travel destination, especially for tourists from the European countries, particularly the German-speaking areas. The Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) in Frankfurt played a decisive role in this development. In January there has been a change in leadership.

Gys Joubert started as Gondwana’s new Managing Director on 16 January. The forty year old lawyer knew exactly what he was getting himself into, as he has served on the group’s Board of Directors for the past year. “As I got to know the company better, I fell head over heels in love with it and its potential. My primary focus will be on growth, rather than change.” He is also sure of the support he will receive from his predecessor. Manni Goldbeck will stay on with the Gondwana Collection as the Director of Brand and Marketing.

Illegal fishing in Namibia is taking its final toll. Commercialization and exportation has placed immense pressure on the eco- and river systems, the local communities and tourism. This is stated through a video that was released on Friday morning (13/01) as part of an enlightenment campaign. Gondwana Collection Namibia is in full support of this initiative.

When travelling in southern Namibia it is worthwhile visiting an historic place dating back to the pioneering times of the missionary era, today known as Bethanien. When missionary Schmelen arrived there in 1814, it was called /ui//gantes, the rock fountain. 

Standing on the jetty and marvelling at the sunset is an experience that is as much a part of a holiday in Swakopmund as salt belongs in the ocean. It is surprising then to find that both of these attractions are simply the result of a few quirks of history. If the bay of today’s Walvis Bay, 30 km further south, had not already been in British hands at the end of the 19th century and had Imperial Germany not declared the southwestern part of Africa a protectorate and done its utmost to build a harbour for the country, things might have been very different. 

This year has been eventful on Namibia’s political front with “unprecedented headwinds” as President described 2016 in his New Year message on 31 December. President Geingob held a year-end press conference on 13 December, surrounded by Cabinet ministers and in the presence of the diplomatic corps. The event lasted 3 hours, with a presentation on progress with the Harambee Prosperity Plan.

Two topics were heatedly discussed in the summer of 1946. On June 30th a nuclear bomb exploded in the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. It was the first in an American test series that continued for twelve year. Five days after the first explosion a Frenchman by the name of Louis Réard caused similar shock waves in a figurative manner of speaking. At the elegant Piscine Molitor complex, the most popular public pool in Paris, nude dancer Micheline Bernadini took to the catwalk flaunting his latest fashion creation – a bikini.  

16 December 1838. Geloftedag - Day of the Vow. It used to be the most significant commemoration day of the Afrikaners. It was the day when 470 Voortrekkers called on the help of God to defeat an overwhelming Zulu force at the Ncome River in what is KwaZulu-Natal today. After South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994 it became the Day of Reconciliation. December 16th is also the day when Umkontho we Sizwe, the military wing of the African National Congress (ANC), was founded in 1961.