Christmas Shopping in Namibia
December 17, 2014Summer weather at a glance
December 19, 2014DESERT BOOGIE SKYDIVING
When: December 26, 2014 to January 5, 2015
Where: Air strip, Swakopmund
Cost: See below
Contact: +264 64 405671 or info@skydiveswakopmund.com
The Swakopmund Skydiving club has been hosting famous Swakopmund Desert Boogie since 1978. It all started with a DC – 3, but over the past years there have seen various aircraft at the Boogie. Last year a Cessna 406 twin turbine taking was used, taking skydivers up to 15000 feet each day. The club offers skydiving to everyone, from static line students to the professionals are welcome during the boogie.
Details:
N$400 and you will receive a free T-Shirt
Slot rates: N$280 to 12000 ft plus
Kit Hire: N$40
Packing sport rigs: N$40
Packing Tandem rigs: N$60
Tandem introductory skydive: N$2100
Static line courses will be available.
The Swakopmund Skydiving Club is located at hangar 13B, Swakopmund Airport.
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THE BIGGEST FOAM PARTY
When: January 2, 2014 @ 8pm
Where: Swakopmund Go Karts
Cost: N$100
Contact: Computicket
The biggest foam party to ever hit Namibia is about to go down and it’s time to get dirty! With a selection of the best Namibia electronic DJ’s, a crazy light show and a massive sound system, you are guaranteed a life changing experience never to be repeated.
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GUIDED WALK
When: January 10, 2015 @ 8am
Where: Windhoek Botanical Gardens
Cost: N$10 (Botsoc members and children free)
Contact: + 264 61 202 2111
Join the Botanic Society in Windhoek for a guided walk through the capital’s botanical gardens, from 8am to 10am.
Books and BotSoc T-shirts will be on sale and refreshments will be available.
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QUIZ NIGHT
When: Starting January 12, 2015 @ 7:30pm
Where: Warehouse Theatre, Windhoek
Cost: N$10
Contact: + 264 61 40 2253
Every Monday at 7:30pm is the “Quiz Night with Chops” at the Boiler Room of the Warehouse Theatre in Windhoek, with a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 6 people per team. The winner takes all!
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PRESENTATION
When: January 14, 2015 @ 6:30pm
Where: Scientific Society, Windhoek
Cost: TBA
Contact: +264 61 225 372
Tool or disaster – logics and trade-offs behind wildfires in the Okavango basin, presented by Dr. Manfred Finck.
The tropical dry forests, woodlands and savannahs in south-central Africa are among the most frequently burnt ecosystems in the world. The alarming losses of dry forests in central Angola during the past decade have just recently been highlighted in Science.
It is frequently stated that fire is important for the maintenance and conservation of African savannahs and that woodland ecosystems are adapted to it. However, for large parts of the forest-savannah transition zone the state of vegetation under a natural fire regime – and thus the naturalness of the current land cover types – is unknown. Most studies dealing with the impact of fire in the dry tropics focus on rangeland management, but very few apply a forest ecologist’s view. Furthermore, there is still a profound lack of analyses about the time and motives behind man-made ignition events and the subsequent fire dynamics.
The presentation aims at disentangling the spatio-temporal fire patterns in order to understand their impact on vegetation and the logics and trade-offs behind wildfires in different parts of the Okavango basin.
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EXHIBITION
When: Running until January 20, 2015
Where: Franco Namibian Cultural Centre, Windhoek
Cost: Free
Contact: +264 61 38 7330
In keeping with tradition, the Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre (FNCC) is once again hosting the University of Namibia’s (Unam) Annual Student Art Exhibition for 2014. The FNCC has extended the duration of the exhibition until January 20, 2015.
Visitors can expect to see a dynamic exhibition, which includes the best works by students studying Art for Advertising, Creative Expression, Fashion Studies and Textile Studies. An exhibition of further work can also be seen at the Standard Bank Gallery at Unam.
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CRICKET
When: January 17 – 24, 2015
Where: Wanderers, Windhoek
Cost: TBA
Contact: +264 61 242 069
The 2015 ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament that takes place in Windhoek from 17 to 24 January 2015, is organised by the International Cricket Council and it forms part of the ICC World Cricket League and a qualification pathway for the ICC World Cup 2019.
The following teams will take part in the tournament, due to the results of 2014 Cricket World Cup Qualifier and 2014 ICC World Cricket League Division Three.
Kenya (5th in 2014 Cricket World Cup Qualifier)
Namibia (6th in 2014 Cricket World Cup Qualifier)
Netherlands (7th in 2014 Cricket World Cup Qualifier)
Canada (8th in 2014 Cricket World Cup Qualifier)
Nepal (1st in 2014 ICC World Cricket League Division Three)
Uganda (2nd in 2014 ICC World Cricket League Division Three)
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IMPI CHALLENGE
When: January 24 & 25, 2015
Where: Heja Lodge, Windhoek
Cost: TBA
Contact: www.impichallenge.co.za
After being rescheduled late last year, the Windhoek Draught IMPI Challenge Namibia – Adventure Obstacle Racing has now been confirmed for 24 and 25 January 2015.
The Impi Challenge is adrenaline-pumping yet fun-filled trail adventure showdown, putting your body to the ultimate test. Impi is the biggest social, fun but challenging event on the calendar – it’s colourful, inclusive of all sizes and shapes, and gives families the opportunity to come out together for an amazing day.
The race categories cater for a variety of athletes, from elite sportspersons, competent and beginner runners and families looking for a fun experience.
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SCREENING
When: January 28, 2015 @ 6:30pm
Where: Franco Namibian Cultural Centre, Windhoek
Cost: N$30
Contact: +264 61 38 7330
The FNCC & AfricAvenir present Taste of Rain, a drama directed by Richard Pakleppa.
Rachel and Tomas fight for their survival on a farm on the edge of the Namib desert. Rachel’s life has been devastated by drought , an unspoken loss and the obliterating light of the desert. With an unshakeable belief that rain will come Tomas struggles to keep the farm going. But after the death of some of their sheep Rachel is fast losing her mind in the vast empty space that threatens to swallow her.
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SCIENTIFIC TALK / PRESENTATION
When: January 28, 2015 @ 7:30pm
Where: Scientific Society, Windhoek
Cost: TBA
Contact: +264 61 225 372
Did mammoths walk in the Etosha? presented by Helke Mocke
In August 2014 a team consisting of scientists from the Netherlands, Germany and France in collaboration with the Geological Survey of Namibia visited the Etosha National Park with the aim to excavate bones of a mammoth, which had been discovered in 2008.
The mammoth was identified as Mammuthus subplanifrons (OSBORN, 1928), which lived in Southern Africa during the Pliocene, about five million years ago. A partial skeleton of the mammoth was successfully excavated next to the Ekuma riverbank revealing a scapula, femur, tibia and fibula, thoracic, lumbar and sacral vertebrae, pelvis, several ribs and a polished tusk fragment. It is considered to be the most complete skeleton of this species ever excavated. It is a unique specimen and measurements of the partial skeleton indicate that this may have been a male individual.
The remains of a second adult individual and a baby, represented by a lower molar tooth were found as well. These skeletal remains of Mammuthus subplanifrons, also known as the “Urmammut” will provide scientists and the world at large with new information on the evolution of the earliest mammoths. Future plans include the production of an attractive display in the National Earth Science Museum in the Geological Survey of Namibia in Windhoek.
Helke Mocke was born in Windhoek, Namibia. She is a palaeontologist working at the National Earth Science Museum at the Geological Survey of Namibia in Windhoek. She is currently studying for her Masters at the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. Her research interests include the use of fossils as indicators of climate change, dinosaur footprints, earliest mammal ancestors, meteorites and minerals from Tsumeb.
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SCREENING
When: January 31, 2015 @ 7pm
Where: Goethe Centre, Windhoek
Cost: N$40
Contact: +264 61 22 5700 or info@nads.org.na
AfricAvenir begins the new year with the screening of Toussaint Louverture, directed by Philippe Niang, at the Goethe Centre in Windhoek.
Toussaint Louverture is a two-part action epic film of the life of Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture who led the first and only successful slave revolt in the history of the world. His army singlehandedly defeated the imperialist armies of France, England and Spain. Toussaint’s victory forced Napoleon Bonaparte to sell the North American land controlled by France to the US, known as the Louisiana Purchase. Known for his military genius and political acumen, Louverture established Haiti as the first free black modern nation in the world. The success of Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution shook the worldwide institution of slavery and dealt a major blow to the doctrine of white supremacy.
*This screening is in 2 parts. There will be a 10 minute intermission between the screenings and a special ticket price.
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BOEREMARK / FARMER’S MARKET
When: January 31, 2015 @ 8am
Where: Windhoek show grounds
Cost: N$5
Contact: Kiet @ 081 436 3049
The “Boeremark” takes place every last Saturday of the month at the Windhoek show grounds. A variety of bric a brac, homemade food and other goodies are on sale.
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EXHIBITION
When: Running until January 31, 2015
Where: National Art Gallery, Windhoek
Cost: TBA
Contact: +264 61 231160
A retrospective exhibition by artist Christine Marais is currently running at the National Art Gallery in Windhoek.
Christine Marais lived in Namibia from the age of 35 until her death at the age of 77 in 2012. During this time she contributed enormously through her art and illustrations to public appreciation and understanding of the natural history of Namibia. Her carefully painted, evocative works depicting the fauna and flora, as well as the geomorphology and fossil history of this fascinating country continue to educate and delight Namibians, and will do for years to come. The books she illustrated in collaboration with local scientists and other experts are works of art, as well as essential records of the diversity and beauty of Namibia.
The works included in the Christine Marais Retrospective Exhibition are drawn from personal collections of her work belonging to her family and friends, and are representative of many years of this artist’s prolific creative career. Works made by Christine Marais as a young artist will hang with mature pieces, presenting the Namibian public with a unique opportunity to observe the artistic development of an important Namibian artist. Water-colours, oil paintings, pen drawings as well as artworks translated into woven wool will be on display, as well as illustrations from her many books.
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EXHIBITION
When: Running until January 31, 2015
Where: National Art Gallery, Windhoek
Cost: TBA
Contact: +264 61 231160
Fragility and Vulnerability of the Human Being, an exhibition by Rika Nel is currently running at the upper gallery of National Art Gallery in Windhoek.
This exhibition presents artwork in a broad variety of techniques with the continuous thread of paper as medium. This cohesive body of work is presented as installations to form a visual portrayal of the fragility and vulnerability of the human being. It could be seen as an invitation to the viewer to re-examine ourselves, our history and our contribution to the social phenomenon of abuse. The intention of the artist is to create discomfiting installations to make the viewer aware of our social responsibility and to make society contemplate their responsibility towards vulnerable and fragile humans in society.
Although the artworks were created from a personal cultural perspective the figures extend beyond the cultural context of the Afrikaner and the years since 1652 to encompass universal psychic and physical pain to become the symbol of the suffering endured by all humans. Elements from books, art history, Afrikaner history, the artist’s personal history and the collective history of mankind were portrayed to utilize the exhibition space to create a narrative of abuse and fragility not only in Afrikaner history, but most importantly, in a universal history.
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2014 NONIDAS DESERT CHALLENGE
When: December 26, 2014 @ 9:30am
Where: Opposite Nonidas plots, Swakopmund
Cost: TBA
Contact: Tinus @ +264 81 124 3441
This is event takes the format of a rally sprint / mini off-road. There will be one stage of about 40 – 45km that will be run 3 or 4 times, with refuelling stops in between. For all the off-road vehicles, bakkies, bikes and quads will there be challenges along parts of respective stages, which the rally cars won’t have to cover
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NACHT DES DEUTSCHEN SCHLAGERS
When: January 31 & February 1, 2015
Where: SKW, Windhoek
Cost: N$250 – N$1000
Contact: Computicket
Party the night away with four hours of German hits in Windhoek! Featuring performances by Jürgen Drews, Roberto Blanco, Mary Roos, Michael Holm, Bata Illic, Graham Bonney, The Windows, Peter Petrel and Claudia Jung – an unforgettable evening!
