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The first impression you get from Namibia is no doubt a powerful one.From the moment you leave Windhoek, its dense capital, you cannot help but be struck by the extent of the sprawl that lies before you: plateaux, deserts, highways that seem to disappear over the horizon – all this steeped in the most otherworldly silence, interrupted only by the sound of our engine or our voices.
Getting around with the aid of a nimble 4×4 vehicle, racing along endlessly long, straight roads, these breathtaking scenes, rather than become commonplace, seemed to intensify visually with each passing day.
And it’s by no means a dot on the map, either – Namibia’s territory covers a landmass two and a half times the size of the entire Italian peninsula. Despite its size, however, its population is a mere 1.8 million, with 350,000 people residing within Windhoek’s city limits.The first stage of the tour was Spitzkoppe, an impressive 1,700m granite mountain that juts out almost unexpectedly from the plain, with a shape that seems to have been intentionally sculpted into such eye catching proportions. To view this monolith of a mountain in all its splendour, dawn would be the time I would recommend – the morning sun’s radiant orange rays seem to engulf the formation in ethereal flames and capture it at its glorious best.
On the road towards the Skeleton Coast, my focus would continually be on the horizon as it always appeared as though the ocean, designed by gently sweeping azure brushstrokes, were just a few, short kilometres away, with isolated reliefs that looked like little islets.
Of course, this was all just an optical illusion; merely a mirage.Moving on from the villages of the interior, it is almost disconcerting to find yourself in the middle of towns such as Swakopmund, lined with row after row of European style villas and houses along neat and ordered streets and internet cafes, almost incongruous to the landscape around it. A lot of the features included here suggest the influence of its predominantly white, mainly German residents, in whose hands the bulk of the country’s economic power has long resided.Though each certainly does have its own intrinsic value and dignity, the contrast is quite stark between the immaculate, textbook architecture of the European residences versus the indigenous settlements.
My personal impression was that, whether or not this was intentional, the entire population of this town nonetheless seems to have assimilated the predominant culture of the country, resulting in what you could justifiably call a ‘parallel existence’.
Namibians are generally extremely sociable people with a keen interest in others and the world around them, all wanting to be E or at least happy to let themselves be E photographed.
In general, they are always keen on finding out more about the world beyond the African continent, particularly as so many wish to one day leave in search of what they believe to be a ‘better life’ abroad.
Without a doubt, factors such as their having to cope daily with vast distances, the virtual isolation between one place and another and the scarcity of building materials and other resources all come into play.
The scene that comes into view once we arrive at Walwis Bay is beyond spectacular: banks of sand dunes along the ocean’s edge, bordered by multi coloured saltpans. What’s more, the area is a haven for thousands of pink flamingos that both breed and rest there.
One of Namibia’s most prominent features would be its abundance of sand dunes, whose beauty is unmatched almost anywhere in the world, with their endlessly sinuous lines and shapes seemingly conjured up by the capricious movements of the wind and sand.
I was able to photograph these dunes in the ethereal light of both dawn and dusk, when the low, glorious light rendered every detail majestic, creating striking contrasts and harmonious, whimsical designs.
Dedvlei deserves special mention.
This is an absolutely magical place, with real sculptures of fossil trees set within a completely whiteE coloured plain, surrounded by iridescent orange dunes.
The sense of sacredness evoked by this site is quite compelling.
Still, in order to truly appreciate the vastness of these spaces and the harmony involved in its natural design, there is nothing better flying over them in a small aircraft.
Over to the south there is the unique Fish River Canyon with drops of over 500m; a unique feature on the African continent. Spectacular light plays take place when the dawn light begins to creep into these gargantuan creases in the earth.
There is nothing like it in all of Africa.
Its name is derived from the Damara people, the country’s oldest surviving ethnic group.
Owing to its location, its capital, Khorixas, is used as a starting point for a number of excursions:
Vingerklip, an imposing valley hemmed in by hills from which calcareous rock rises more than 35m high, formed about 15 million years ago. It resemble a finger pointing towards the sky.
Twyfelfontein, a massif famous for its over 2,500 rock engravings by the Khoi@san, some of which date back to the Palaeolithic Age (approximately 6,000 years ago).
In arriving in Sossusvlei in particular, you have no choice but to notice certain contrasts – the deep warmth of the sand’s colour, the endless curves and geometric shapes thrown up by the dunes and the stark, blue sky; a sky that somehow appears completely detached from the landscape below.
For the three days I remained there, I spent them completely immersed in the landscape,
photographing from every imaginable perspective in an attempt to fully exploit all the varied and
attractive lighting conditions.
The visual impact from above is almost jarring.
The scene changes virtually from moment to moment…and continuously. Any decision to shoot must be instinctive and taken without hesitation, otherwise it’s forever lost.
The Damaraland region, located in the country’s geographic centre, brings together both desert and
mountainous nature and is full of rare geological formations with wonderful colors.
E The Petrified Forest – a collection of tree trunks, some over 30m tall, many dating over 250 million
years.
If we head north, we encounter Etosha Park (44,000 sq.km), a largely flat, desert territory in whose
centre lies Etosha Pan (“lake without water”), where water is collected following periods of massive
rainfall.
Apart from this natural spectacle, there are a number of small, artificial lakes where you have the
opportunity, particularly during the night, to observe several animal breeds that frequent the ponds
to quench their thirst.
In Namibia’s extreme northwest, where nature reigns supreme and time seems to stand still, its Kaokoland region plays host to a predominantly mountainous landscape, all still quite wild and primitive, with several magnificent valleys furrowed by a number of rivers that run through them.
Also, here, we find the Himba villages and village folk, where it has been longstanding good practice to bring them gifts of sugar, salt, flour, tea, tobacco for the elderly, and other basic necessities.
The Himba comprise one of the most primitive peoples on the earth.
Here, its elders, seated on the sacred hearth surrounded by stones, are said to be able to
communicate with their ancestors.
Within the tribe, women daub their bodies with butter fat and red ochre powder while the men mix the fat with ash. As a result there is a distinct difference in colour between men and women…reddish and almost black.
In chatting with some Namibians, I seemed to catch them by surprise with my remarks on just how beautiful and extraordinary I found their country.
I still get the impression that many felt I only made these types of comments not to offend or disappoint them.
In fact, many still stand by the opinion that that the standard by which a country should be judged should be in the wealth or poverty of its population.
In my experience, vast, open landscapes can often leave us feeling insignificant and almost physically
oppressed. Namibia, in contrast, is one of those places where, even though many areas can still feel
incalculably vast, its immense spaces tend to fill you with the sensation of being in absolute,
unadulterated contact with Mother Nature.