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Aussenkehr is a man-made 'oasis' on the banks of the Orange River in southern Namibia. It owes it's existence to a number of grape farming projects which ensure employment for thousands.
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Most of the workers here are from the Kavango region of northern Namibia - they've imported their style of hut-building to the south. Reeds are gathered from the river bank.
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A view showing the desolation of the area. Across the river in South Africa, the Richtersveld, with the Orange River running a green lifeline through the desert.
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Huts in the desert.
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A room with a view.
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I guess you could call this environmental minimalism?
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A storage hut in the Aussenkehr community constructed with wood, grass and mud.
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I love the room with a view:-) I see the storage hut has mud on it but all the others look like plain reed. Is this not draughty in the winter or are they very thick? I have never seen reed huts before, interesting post. Diane
ReplyDeleteThe reeds are not very thick Diane but they're pretty tightly-packed - they can be chilly at night during winter I guess but, I think that they're probably more effective for the desert heat ...
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how these 'rooms' are not built next to each others (like slums). I wonder why - do they want to have more privacy or is it because of the wildlife...
ReplyDeleteAmazing shots, again.
Thanks BLOGitse - I don't know, but I imagine with so much open space people tend to spread out a bit compared to places where population is denser and space more limited ...
ReplyDeleteFascinating insight into another world... a boring question (s); what do they do for water, power, sanitation, internet etc (last is meant as a joke, but?)
ReplyDeleteThanks gg and thanks for a relevant question:
ReplyDeleteAs far as the internet is concerned, I believe that many are not even aware of it's existence ... I do have a few pics though, of reed huts with satellite TV dishes attached to their roofs.
Water must be fetched from communal water points which are often quite far ... as are communal toilets ...
Only a few of the structures have electricity but I guess that some have generators.
I love it when you show us parts of Namibia that we wouldn't expect to find - even though I've lived on this magnificent Continent for almost 40 years now, it's still full of surprises :) I love the simple design of these huts ... and the views .... amazing !
ReplyDeleteThanks Lynda - yeah, it's amazing that a few years ago there was nothing here except rocks and sand (and the river) - it can't be easy for people who are used to the lush greenery around the Kavango river in northern Nam to adjust to these conditions ...
ReplyDeleteI happened to see the post below, which I will read next. But what a contrast -- Manhattan and these huts. I love the huts and the desert mountains in the background. It looks like nothing grows on them. Very stark but a strange and beautiful landscape.--Inger
ReplyDeleteA contrast indeed Inger - the huts in the desert and those in New York.
ReplyDeleteSome amazing life-forms thrive in that landscape ...
Reed huts with sat TV aerial? Isn't that about five millenia of technology merging?
ReplyDeleteIndeed, I'll see if I can find a pic to post sometime ...
ReplyDeleteGreat photos as usual!Those mountains look very inhospitable and stark.The whole landscape is barren except for the river ribbon running through it.Are these temporary dwellings to be used passing through,surely no one could live or make a living here?
ReplyDeleteThanks Peggy - the settlement will be there as long as there is work on the grape farms and, is likely to grow in the future as more people flock there in order to try and make a living.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how I missed your 9/11 post, but I've now caught up. Both have left me with the feeling that there are events and landscapes that overwhelm us and leave us silent - different types of awe I suppose.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if that person who asked 'why do they hate us so much?' has the answer 9 years on. My own thoughts are that certain peoples see the US the way its government wishes to be seen - a combination of powerful and hawkish. I know that many Americans(the majority? I don't know) do not share this attitude, but I think we are generally perceived the way our governments dictate.
Sorry, I'm rambling on. Your pictures as always are beautiful and moving (wish I could show pics on my blog in this size, but I'm no tecchie!)
Caroline
Thanks Caroline - I think that you can't display larger images on your blog because of the template or 'theme' that you're using ...
ReplyDeleteAs far as my 9/11 post is concerned, I still don't have an answer to the lady's question - perhaps the question itself is not valid ... does the world really hate America? ... I've never been traveling so I can't speak for the rest of the world but, here in southern Africa there is no anti-American sentiment - perhaps the whole 'hate' thing is blown-up by the sensationalist press?
If America and, by extension, the West is so 'evil', it seems strange that so many people are desperate to emigrate to those countries ...
Oh, I thought I had left a comment here already, lol. Perhaps I only read the post quickly and meant to come back later.
ReplyDeleteI think it is pretty interesting seeing all the reed huts along the landscape. I wonder if it is windy at all besides being hot and dry and sometimes chilly?
Do you have any idea what these people would eat. It doesn't seem anything grows close by so I am gathering a garden of some kind wouldn't do the trick. Perhaps they still eat a traditional diet of things I cannot see. It would be interesting to know.
Hi Penny - yes, the huts are exposed to all kinds of weather, extremely hot during the day and chilly at night, and the wind often howls across the desert ...
ReplyDelete... the people mainly eat a traditional diet of maize meal and meat ...
Thank you for the update ;-) The diet sounds quite similar to what the villagers eat in Rift Valley, Kenya. The maize meal that is. They make ugali. Now and then they also have chicken and sometimes goat stew.
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