Post by Samantha Frisk
“Decolonizing the Mind.” When I received the program manual with this
phrase on the front I thought I had an idea of what this meant, but after my
rural homestay I have truly been pushed to do this.

My week on the Indhoek farm in Khorixas
abolished all my previous conceptions and reasoning for wanting to learn from
this rural community. From the first
moment I stepped out of the CGE van, I began to look at this community for
everything that they have, not for what they do not. Those things that I might have thought were
lacking before had now dissipated and I began to admire the things they had. I even wondered if the absence of physical
possessions that I saw was the reason for their strong sense of community,
lively nature, and conservation of resources.

The fluidity of the community was another
aspect I came to appreciate. Not only
did I find myself with neighbors for dinner, but at every time of the day I was
at a different house with different people.
At night we gathered together for conversation, games, singing and
dancing. It is amazing what fun you can
have when you don’t have a television to rely on. My favorite memory is
everyone singing a song in Damara entitled, “!Gâi tsedi Iguidi”
meaning “Good Days Only.” Everyone got
up and danced around, clapping and singing loud and I felt like everyone was
really connected in this moment.
When I stepped back and looked at their unity
and strength as a community and love for their way of life, I realized that the
industrialization that the Namibian government talks about or the international
aid that countries offer could be detrimental to this. Before people go in and begin giving what
they think these people need, one should consult with the community first and
think deeply about how it will change them.
More importantly, before pinpointing every “need,” take a step back and
take in all there is to gain from places different from our own. I truly believe a better service to society
would be appreciating communities like the one I stayed in and absorbing the
lessons they can teach us.
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