Youth camp yields appreciable results

FOR many years to come, three charming new campsites will be testimony to the first international youth work camp held in Okakarara.

Fifteen young people from Germany and Okakarara spent 11 days taking part in the first youth work camp at the Okakarara Community Cultural and Tourism Centre (OCCTC), which ended last week. After five hours of building in the morning, participants listened to lectures or went on excursions in the afternoons and evenings.One of the most appreciated expeditions was a visit to the farm Hamakari, 11 km outside Okakarara.Farmer Wilhelm Diekmann led the group to the famous waterhole Ongweru, where Herero Chief Samuel Maharero took the decision to escape to the Kalahari Desert after the decisive battle against German colonial forces in August 1904.They also met Herero Chief David Kambazembi, who shared some of his experiences during his many years of exile in Botswana.During a small commemoration of the Battle of Hamakari at the Cultural Centre, 22-year-old German participant Sven Feldmann said he had come to Okakarara because he wanted “to help Germans and Hereros understand each other better”.The programme included talks with the Mayor of Okakarara, discussions on Herero culture, environmental problems as well as on possibilities to foster reconciliation between Germans and Hereros.The organiser of the youth camp, the Okakarara-based German development worker Almut Hielscher, said the participants’ experience of very different cultures was not always easy but “it definitely created and enhanced mutual understanding and this alone is a success”.The building of the three campsites was supervised by Armand Brautigam, a stonemason and sculptor from Karibib.He said all participants of the youth camp benefited tremendously from this opportunity.* Henning Hintze is a freelance journalistAfter five hours of building in the morning, participants listened to lectures or went on excursions in the afternoons and evenings.One of the most appreciated expeditions was a visit to the farm Hamakari, 11 km outside Okakarara.Farmer Wilhelm Diekmann led the group to the famous waterhole Ongweru, where Herero Chief Samuel Maharero took the decision to escape to the Kalahari Desert after the decisive battle against German colonial forces in August 1904.They also met Herero Chief David Kambazembi, who shared some of his experiences during his many years of exile in Botswana.During a small commemoration of the Battle of Hamakari at the Cultural Centre, 22-year-old German participant Sven Feldmann said he had come to Okakarara because he wanted “to help Germans and Hereros understand each other better”.The programme included talks with the Mayor of Okakarara, discussions on Herero culture, environmental problems as well as on possibilities to foster reconciliation between Germans and Hereros. The organiser of the youth camp, the Okakarara-based German development worker Almut Hielscher, said the participants’ experience of very different cultures was not always easy but “it definitely created and enhanced mutual understanding and this alone is a success”.The building of the three campsites was supervised by Armand Brautigam, a stonemason and sculptor from Karibib.He said all participants of the youth camp benefited tremendously from this opportunity. * Henning Hintze is a freelance journalist