Product Description
"Heat, Dust and Dreams" is an exploration of people and environment in the Kunene region (formerly Kapkoland and Damaraland), territories in the north of Namibia. It reveals a remarkably diverse landscape heritage, and brings to light the surprisingly varied range of flora and fauna that have evolved to survive in severe conditions. The Etendaka lava field (a vast, Martian-like plain), the Welwitschia mirabilis (a remarkable, arid-adapted tree), large mammals that roam the desert, and a host of other features are all here, in photographs and text. These vst, arid and mostly desolate tracts of land are home to peoples from a range of backgrounds and cultures - the Himba, Herero and Damara, as well as assorted trekboers from the south. The history of the various peoples, their migrations, artistic legacy and current lifestyles are detailed and pictured here. Independence (achieved in 1990) has brought "progress" to the area, along with challenges to centuries-ld traditions and threats to the continued existence of flora and fauna, and even of the landscape itself. The authors discuss "the way forward", opening the forum to local opinion, and expressing confidence in the future.
From the Publisher
If there is a recurrent theme in this book it is undoubtedly change. The winds of change for this once remote backwater come courtesy of an independent Namibia, with new regional boundaries and a burgeoning tourism industry. The gradual assimilation of the Kunene Region into the national socio-political sphere has very real social and environmental implications. Fragile soils are trampled under the burden of a burgeoning livestock population whose numbers exceed the capacity of the land to sustain them, whilst the inhabitants, particularly the Himba, make subtle cultural adjustments as they digest the offerings of the 21st century.
