“There is no there there.” Gertrude Stein was writing about Oakland, Calif., but she might as well have been referring to Windhoek. On my first visit to Namibia, I arrived before daybreak. John Cronje, a local tour guide, met me at Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) and drove me along a thin ribbon of tarmac winding between hunkered hills. There wasn’t even the slightest morning glow on the horizon to guide our approach to the country’s largest city.

We encountered only one other vehicle on the journey. It was a bakkie (pickup truck) crawling at 30 mph. An elderly white farmer was driving. His dog, an Alsatian, sat drowsing in the passenger seat. In the open back, two black farm workers huddled under thick blankets.

“You know what I’d do, if I had magic?” John asked as we passed the pickup. “I’d pluck that guy in his bakkie — farm workers, dog and all — and drop them down at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris at rush hour. See what happens.”

Paris and Windhoek. It is a ludicrous juxtaposition. Geopolitics identifies them both as capital cities, but there the similarity ends.

At heart, Windhoek seems to be a dorp — the Afrikaner term for a country town. Outside business hours, the city center is practically deserted. Even at the height of a weekday it is hardly dynamic. The action of Namibia’s burgeoning economy appears to be focused elsewhere: the tourist camps of the Namib Desert and Etosha National Park; the diamond and uranium mines of the coastal strip; the deepwater port at Walvis Bay; the farms and ranches of the hinterland. Yet the key decisions are made here in the capital. Belying its appearance as a sleepy backwater, Windhoek is the hub of Namibian business.

The official history of Windhoek — which most historians believe got its name from the Afrikaner term for “windy corner” — starts in October 1890 when it was established as the administrative capital of German South West Africa. In fact, Windhoek’s history stretches back millennia. Archaeologists unearthed a 5,000- to 20,000-year-old snapshot of human activity in Zoo Park, a patch of greenery next to the city’s main thoroughfare, Independence Avenue, when they found the remains of three elephants that evidence showed had been killed and butchered for meat by early hunters.

Despite its long human history — and despite 75 years of South African rule and 18 years of independence — modern Windhoek still shows the influence of its brief German period. Bavarian-style buildings with steeply pitched roofs seemingly more suited for fending off Alpine snow than African sun line Independence Avenue (formerly Kaiser Strasse). Oktoberfest, complete with German sausages, oompah bands and the superb local lager, is an annual celebration.

Elsewhere in the city you’ll find quaint Lutheran churches and, on a hill overlooking the Central Business District, a trio of private Germanic castles built by colonial families in the early 20th century. The castles symbolize intent: German rule in this corner of Africa was intended to be permanent. In fact, it lasted just 29 years, ending in 1915, before giving way to the influence of South Africa.

Yet the German legacy has proved remarkably resilient. Even today, 20,000 to 30,000 Namibians of German descent proudly maintain their own newspaper (Allgemeine Zeitung), a radio station and a cultural council.

Apartheid, South Africa’s imprint, is more significant yet less obvious to the average visitor. In the 1950s the city’s black inhabitants were forcibly relocated to a high-density township northwest of the CBD. The area became known as Katutura — “the place where we do not want to settle.”

Today’s Katutura is a dusty, noisy, thriving contrast to downtown Windhoek. It is home to more than twothirds of the city ’s population of 240,000 and, in recent years, has acquired an affectionate nickname, Matutura — “the place where we want to stay.”

The latest cultural influence is just beginning to leave its mark. Chinese restaurants are springing up in Windhoek, and the University of Namibia offers courses in Mandarin, a response to the rapidly growing Chinese influence resulting from increasing bilateral trade — $240 million in 2006. In 2007 China’s President Hu, accompanied by a large delegation of business people, visited Namibia, where they found a land rich in opportunity. Already new Chinese-backed schemes are being initiated in and around Windhoek. The Namibian Tourism Board, which has been successful in attracting visitors from America and Europe, is now actively courting China.

Even so, Windhoek’s economy continues to fall short of its potential. The country is sparsely populated yet blessed with immense mineral wealth. The natural wonders make it one of the most attractive tourist destinations on the planet. At the downtown Eros Airport (ERS), business travelers and tourists come and go all day, but the capital largely functions as a hub to pass through en route to the mines or national parks.

Prime downtown real estate remains undeveloped. A parking lot on Independence Avenue is earmarked for a $100-million project that will include office buildings, shops and a 150-room hotel. Two years after the initial announcement, the developers are still struggling to raise capital.

It is 15 years since my first arrival. I have been back four times, and although there is now a little more traffic on the airport road and a few new additions to the skyline, the laid-back, unassuming essence of the place remains. That is its greatest charm.

Entry Requirements
Bearers of U.S. passports who plan to visit Namibia for tourism for less than 90 days can obtain visas at the port of entry and do not need visas prior to entering the country. Travelers coming for work or study, whether paid or voluntary, must obtain a work or study permit prior to entering Namibia.

All travelers traveling to or from Namibia via South Africa are strongly encouraged to have several unstamped visa pages left in their passports. South Africa requires two unstamped visa pages, and Namibia usually also requires an unstamped page to stamp a visa upon arrival. Visitors who do not have enough free visa pages in their passport risk being denied entry and returned to the U.S. at their own expense.

More Information

Embassy of Namibia
1605 New Hampshire Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009
tel 202 986 0540
http://www.namibianembassyusa.org

Permanent Mission of Namibia
135 E. 36th St.
New York, NY 10016
tel 212 685 2003