Global conversations
Royal British Navy Frigate HMS Argyll served as a fantastic platform to showcase the best of British commercial interests in Namibia this week in Walvis Bay. The 133m long vessel, complete with Lynx helicopter and 200-strong crew, spent 3 days berthed at the country’s port. I was delighted to join the Governor of Erongo Region, Deputy Mayor of Walvis and head of Rolls Royce Marine in Namibia at the Captain’s … Read more »HMS Argyll helps boost UK Prosperity Agenda in Namibia
The year 2013 signals a milestone for African journalists, and Namibian journalists in particular, because it is the 20th Anniversary of World Press Freedom Day. It is a special day for African journalists because, in 1993, the United Nations General Assembly declared 3 May as World Press Freedom Day. This came after African journalists adopted the Windhoek Declaration on Promoting Independent and Pluralistic Media at a UNESCO conference in Windhoek … Read more »Press Freedom Day – guest blog by Natasha Tibinyane, MISA Namibia
This week is Commonwealth Week – which kicked off with Commonwealth Day on Monday 11 March.To mark the event officially, I joined the other High Commissioners accredited to the Republic of Namibia to travel to State House to deliver Her Majesty the Queen’s annual Commonwealth Message to President Hifikepunye Pohamba. The theme of this year’s Commonwealth Day was ‘Opportunity through Enterprise’ and the message was a celebration of the … Read more »Celebrating the Commonwealth in Namibia
A front page story of a tragic case of “baby-dumping” – the abandonment of newborn babies often in isolated locations – marked a sad start to the new year in Namibia. Whilst reporting of such heart-breaking cases appears to be on the increase in local papers, no one can provide precise figures as neither infanticide or baby-dumping are categorised as separate crimes here and are usually recorded as charges of … Read more »British support to Namibian campaign to tackle ‘baby-dumping’
Happy New Year to everyone! I trust you all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas and New Year and are entering 2013 suitably refreshed and ready to seize its fresh opportunities. Windhoek is starting to fill up again after looking like a bit of a ghost town for the last six weeks – with most away on farms, down on the coast or visiting relatives at different ends of this vast country. … Read more »Looking back at a GREAT 2012 and ahead to 2013
My day started early yesterday with a breakfast appearance on national TV’s Good Morning Namibia to discuss violence against women and how to tackle it. I was joined by Rachel Coomer from Namibia’s Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), a local legal NGO, which is helping to spearhead the current ‘16 days of activism’ in Namibia running from 25 November – the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women – … Read more »Tackling sexual violence in Namibia
It is always a challenge to give official visitors from London a real taste of how a small embassy is delivering results both internally and externally during a lightning visit. This was the issue faced last week, when the High Commission in Windhoek welcomed the Foreign Office’s Human Resources Director Menna Rawlings, senior Human Resources Manager Jenny York and Stephanie Leggett, who was accompanying them on a short term attachment … Read more »British belles on the beat with the Namibian police
As you may remember, though I’m based at the Consulate-General in Cape Town, I’m also accredited as the Deputy High Commissioner in Namibia (to support our team there). The historic visit this week by Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba to South Africa presented me with a rare chance to mix the two roles. On Tuesday (6 November) I attended the President’s address to South Africa’s Parliament. It was received with thunderous … Read more »Guest blog by Simon Atkinson, Deputy High Commissioner to Namibia, (based in Cape Town)
Driving through the bush in Caprivi last week, heading for the magical Nkala Lupala conservancy, I passed a sign pointing down a rough track indicating the David Livingstone Museum. I was surprised. Neither the Regional Governor nor the Mayor of the nearby regional capital Katima Mulilo had mentioned the existence of a British-linked attraction despite our discussions of a number of British ties and ventures in this fascinating north eastern … Read more »Discovering memories of Livingstone alive in the depths of Caprivi
I am up in Caprivi this week – the thin finger of land in Namibia’s extreme north east that points into the heart of southern Africa and marks the coming together of Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Angola and Zimbabwe in a tight bunch of border posts. My visit has proven a fantastic learning experience and given me insight into this unique and beautiful corner of Namibia and the difficulties it faces … Read more »British support to vulnerable children in Caprivi