Himba Tribe in Namibia

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Himba Tribe in Namibia

October 21 2010

Their painted bare-chested bodies with rich colours the Himba women celebrations in villages are still untouched by modernity since their ancestors settled on the Angola-Namibia border 200 years ago.

Travelers from an air-conditioned tour bus browse beaded jewelry for sale among the cone-shaped huts made of wood, mud and cattle dung.

The Himbas number fewer than 30 000, their communities straddling the remote border region where they have survived colonialism, wars and droughts with their ancient traditions intact.

Now they're earning bits of money by opening their communities for tourism, in the process changing the dynamics of the culture on display for visiting foreigners.

Tourists, who mostly come from Europe, want to see people on their own, see how they do their ochre colour and cook.


Children skip school when they see tour buses arrive to beg for sweets, he added.

Tourists are fascinated by the Himbas traditional way of life, and during winter months foreigners arrive daily in the village of Ohungumure to peak into their huts and marvel at their semi-nomadic lives.

The tourists want to get to know our culture," said 19-year-old Veuzuvamuani, as her baby suckled below the large shell on her necklace.

The Himba's say they brings us things to eat, buy necklaces and pay to take a photo.

Namibia has created a dozen "protected zones" in this region, and plans another for the nearby town of Opuwo. About 15 percent of Namibia's land falls under these zones first created in 1995 to grant local communities the right to exploit natural resources.

The money is then managed by the community and can be used to repair wells or build schools, according to the environment ministry.

But many local chiefs don't like to share the earnings with more distant communities.