days of sunshine per year. It is
situated at the southern edge
of the tropics; the Tropic of
Capricorn cuts the country
–August) is generally dry, both
rainy seasons occur in sum-
mer, the small rainy season
between September and No-
February and April. Humidity
JUNE welcomes Winter
A close up image of Namib Desert during Winter
HEALTH FAIR WEEK WAS A SUCCESS Oshana Regional Library’s first
Health Fair, on 27 May, was a big
success. The nurses and counselors
from New Start Clinic were here to
provide free HIV testing. They test-
ed approx. 80 people that day. The
library staff would like to thank
everyone who participated. Know-
step in maintaining good
offer another Health Fair later
this year.
-Christina Mylonas
600 mm in the Zambezi Strip. Rain-
fall is however highly variable, and
droughts are common. This year is
reported to have had the worst
rainy season 2occurred in summer.
Due to the dry winters snowfall is a
very rare occurrence and prompts
media coverage whenever it hap-
pens. The last snow was reported at
Spreetshoogte Pass in the Namib-
Naukluft Park in June 2011.
Source: http:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
geography-of-Namibia
Images from the health Fair week at the Oshana Regional resources center
ED’s NOTE
freezing. I cant remember the
last time the northern part of
Namibia was this cold. Well, it
is winter so keep warm.
It seems like Namibia is the
place to be recently. I can
proudly announce that we will
be hosting the Kora Awards in
December. It will also be a
pleasure hosting the Prince of
England, Prince Harry this
congratulate the Brave Warri-
Cup. Enjoy.
New on Oshana’s Shelves
A book for the dog lover. A sweet story by Ann M. Martin, A Dog’s Life, The Autobiog- raphy of a Stray. The story is written from the point of view of the dog. A Stone in My Hand, by
Cathryn Clinton is a look at the
Israel occupation of the Gaza
strip from a child’s perspective.
Both books are perfect compan-
ions for that long ride to the
village.
HERO WANTED
The promise of turquoise blue waters, with ribbons of emeralds sparkling in the sunlight.
The promise of romance in her dark eyes. She said the ferry would only take five hours to cross the calm sea
to her island.
A Greek island filled with the stories of heroes, and history, and fate.
But weren’t all those stories tragedies? Does the Parthenon not crumple as did the civilization it repre-
sents? The waters have turned gray with the rage of Poseidon.
I have turned green with the vertigo of sea sickness.
There are no heroes here. Only want-to-be survivors bargaining
with the gods for a place in the lifeboats. How modern of them.
I lean over the railing and see her beneath the waves. Her dark eyes, her flowing hair, the lips which spoke of promises.
I close my ears to the siren’s song.
Odysseus, be my guide. For there are no heroes here.
-C. Evans Mylonas
improve the workshop in-
cluding lowering the number
allow for more one-on-one
attention. Typing and com-
part of the workshop. This is
a 10 week
complete the assigned
teachers and classmates.
long road to learning.
-Christina Mylonas
Did you know that the Republic of Namibia is the first country to
include protection of the environment in the Constitution of the
country??
Unscramble the words ABOVE. Put your answers in
the contest box in the Children’s Section of the Osha-
na Regional Library. At the end of the month we will
draw names from the ones who got all of the words
correct. First ten names drawn will win prizes.
Name:
Vol. 1 Issue 4 Page 3
Tell A story “Makuwa, Makuwa! Wiki!” A litter of two to four year old children run after me, excitedly down the dirt path. I have almost as much dust on the bottoms of my Dockers as they have dirt on their faces. I turn and walk towards them. They scatter behind acacia trees. The youngest of them starts to cry. It is OK for them to follow after me, but not OK for the Makuwa, big, scary white lady to approach them. “No, candy. Your teeth will rot in your mouth.” I know they do not un- derstand a word I’ve said. They know as much English as I do Thimbukushu. It’s late. I forgot my laptop in the school library. The library has already been broken into twice in the year I’ve been here. I don’t risk it. The village has one lamp post. If I didn’t already know these trails, I would have walked all the way out to the main road.
I look up at the sky, through the shadow of
trees. I have never seen so many stars, yet
the ground is pitch. The only light comes
from the glow of television sets inside
mud huts. It is such a juxtaposition that
took some getting used to. The houses in
the village are made of either mud with
thatched roofs or cinder block with zinc
sheets across the top held in place by large
rocks or miscellaneous junk. I lucked out
with a studio flat on the hospital grounds.
At my age, I have nothing to prove. Hot
running water is a good thing.
It’s June and cold. I have on a sweater and a light jacket. The jacket will come off be- fore I reach school. The villagers are bun- dled like they’re ready for a New York blizzard. Now I know what the Canadians thought of us Phoenix residents with our whining about the cold.
I feel particularly sorry for the babies,
bundled in so many layers, I can barely
see their faces. There are undershirts,
heavy sweaters and pants, nylon caps,
mittens, and booties with socks. A blan-
ket tightly wrapped around and the cot-
ton sheet used to strap them to mother’s
back. They can hardly breathe, much less
move. Of course, I’ll be remembering this
in the dead of summer while I am stand-
ing in the classroom drenched in sweat. It
is one thing to have sweat pouring down
your back, but a whole other experience
to have it dripping down your crotch.
Yet, with all this feeling of not belonging, never understanding the conversations around me, being the only white face in the crowd, after three years I cannot im- agine going home to the sameness.
-C Evans Mylonas
Come Write With Us By Christina Mylonas
Some quick writing tips for want-to-be writers:
Read everything. Good readers make good writers. Read both fiction and non-fiction. Don’t just read your favorite genre. If you love reading romance, pick up a murder mystery or fan- tasy. If you aren’t ready to write the next great novel, pick up a few books from the teen/junior section. J.R. Rowlings wrote Harry Potter for a teen audience and look what happened for her. Oshana Regional Library has many great books on its shelves. I’m happy to help with suggestions.
Write something every day, even if it is just a para-
graph or two. Writing takes discipline. Most prolific writers have a daily routine.
Know when your high energy level is. Some writers are early morning people who get up at five in the morning to write. Others prefer to write in the late evenings and well into the night. You have to figure out what time works for you. Some of you may have to work around work or school schedules. That may mean writing for an hour before the kids get up or later after the kids have gone to bed. Again, it is all about discipline.
Hope this helps. I welcome any feedback or com- ments.
REALIZE YOUR DREAM!!!
coming an actor/actress???
especially when all of your dreams
do come true. But the question is,
what are you doing to realize your
dreams?? What are the goals you
put forward to make your dreams
come true? Have you met all of
your new years resolutions?
don’t be afraid of taking risks. We
all learn from our mistakes. Work
towards realizing your dreams.
and actresses dreaming out there:
Be passionate about what you
are doing. If you like some-
thing, don't be afraid to do it
Don't be afraid to be yourself.
Remember that it doesn't mat-
ter what other people think.
You are who you are. Just try
your best and you will make it
to the top
Don't let haters get you down, but take con- structive criticism well.
Try imagining the script and emotions as real life. Relate it to your life or someone else's.
People may criticize you and try to bring you down when starting out, so don't be surprised if this tends to happen. But never give up, peo- ple can be harsh! Prove to them that you are talented and will get far using your talent .
Keep trying and don't
Oshakati East
access to information and a reading culture, to
provide relevant and up-to-date information
sources in all formats (Print and electronic), to
promote and facilitate the usage of Information
and Communication Technology (ICT) by com-
munity members. The libraries also ensure to
provide current news update and research infor-
mation to the community via the usage of inter-
net. It also provide leisure and recreational read-
ing materials
How well do you know your culture?
The Hereros/ Himbas The Hereros and Himbas originated from East Africa, entering Namibia via Zambia and southern Angola. They inhabited Kaokoland for an estimat- ed 200 years before the Hereros moved further south, while the Himbas remained. The Herero people are the second largest group, with an ap- proximate 100 000 people. The spoken language is Otjiherero.
Owambo The Owambo are the largest ethnic group in Na- mibia. They are originally from the area north of the Etosha Pan. The Owambo practice a mixed economy of agriculture and animal husbandry, supplemented by fishing in shallow pools, known as "oshanas". The Owambo women practice home industries such as pottery, basketry and dressmaking. The spoken language is Oshivambo.
Nama/Damara The Damaras are the oldest ethnic group in Na- mibia, numbering an estimated 90 000. They are generally small-stock farmers and small-scale miners. They are originally from Erongo Region in the north-west of Namibia. The Namas also number approximately 90 000 people. They are lighter in complexion and occupy most parts of the Karas Region and Hardap Region. The spoken language used by both groups is formally known as Khoekhoegowab.
Basters The Basters are mainly a combination of indige- nous Khoisan people and white European set- tlers. The Baster community consists of about 60 000 people who speak Afrikaans and who are registered as Rehoboth Basters, as they prefer to be called. Coloureds Coloured are people from a mixed racial and cul- tural background. They are mainly Afrikaans speaking. The Whites There are about 75 000 white Namibians. Many of them are descendants of Europeans who came to Africa at various points over the last 350 years. Most of the whites in Namibia speak Afrikaans, while others speak German and English, and to a lesser extent, Portuguese. Most whites live in the central and southern parts of Namibia. Source: http://www.windhoekcc.org.na/ tour_history_heritage.php
You can like us on Facebook and invite your
friends as well. We upload pictures of events
that happened in our libraries. We also up-
date and share what is going on in our center.
You can write to us about anything and all
kinds of suggestions are welcome.
Facebook profile: Oshana Regional Study & Resource Centre - RSRC) Education