Germans from Namibia

This is how German Namibians are referred to here

To put it bluntly: We occasionally meet friendly Germans from Namibia who greet us in German in their homeland.

However, many Germans abroad seem to miss waves of societal modernization in their oh-so-beloved homeland because they want to preserve 'Germanness' abroad by conserving it and occasionally displaying it.

Thus, the German from Namibia is still allowed to live out his manhood undisturbed here.

I found a large poster

on the inside door of the men's restroom at the brewery in Swakopmund: 'Why is beer always in the lower fridge?', along with a woman getting her husband a beer, while you can see her from behind on her bare lower body, right between her long legs.

The text might have passed as a somewhat embarrassing old men's joke 30 years ago.

However, the accompanying image is decidedly vulgar, sexist, and contemptuous of women.

All men and boys (i.e., the future men) cannot help but look at this poster when leaving the men's room. How do they subsequently view the women present in the establishment?

Am I too optimistic if I claim that such a poster would not hang long in Germany?

In a second German establishment, bras hang from the ceiling, on which female first names are written. Yes, one might find this amusing, or one could interpret it as a patriarchal trophy collection in a country where hunting is still part of tradition.

Oh, and we also find Nazi memorabilia in the same establishment. On the wall hangs a huge map of Africa from the German Wehrmacht from 1941, the year this army began its war of annihilation to the east. We couldn't understand how others could maintain their appetite for pork knuckle despite this. When we brought this up in 'conversation' with a group of Germans from Namibia, a very well-mannered older couple with their approximately 45-year-old daughter, the elderly gentleman remarked, 'We are not as sensitive about National Socialism here as people are in Germany.'

Oh, I see.

Then enjoy your meal!

On the last two evenings, we went to a pizzeria just to be safe, where we encountered lively people in good spirits. Here - as well as at the beach and many cafes - many young people gather, and it seems that origin and skin color no longer play such a significant role.

Hopefully, this will also be the future for all population groups in Namibia, including the Germans from Namibia.