Search citation statements
Paper Sections
Citation Types
Year Published
Publication Types
Relationship
Authors
Journals
This story is a wander-walking through conversation, histories, and the beach-side city of Swakopmund, Namibia-guided by Daniel, a young man I spent much time with while in Swakopmund conducting fieldwork. Written from memory but aided by one particularly evocative recording, photographs, and a field diary, the story points to different experiences and histories that lie beyond the surface of the everyday: ghosts hidden in buildings, people, and the spaces and gaps between them. Even if they are not exact representations of the events being told, all stories are grounded in truth. [ghosts, walking, memory, Swakopmund, Namibia] The place on the west coast of Namibia that the reader is asked to consider is Swakopmund. In some ways, its colonial-era architecture marks it as a relic of a different age, yet its ruins are also full of many modern things. A casino, supermarkets, and up-market hotels sit uneasily among and inside the trappings of the former colony: its lighthouse, jetty, barracks, and disused railway station. Parts fading away, almost. Vanishing, sometimes forgotten but not ignored and still resonating. It is metaphorically apt; unlike Kolmanskop, a ghost town of abandoned buildings some five hundred kilometers away, the colonial ruins of Swakopmund are constantly renovated, a continuous action of bringing the past into the present. New buildings camouflage themselves with old designs, and phones and cars succumb quickly to the rusty inevitability of the desert environment. Yet the buildings always remain.The beachfront is dotted with benches painted in vivid primary colors, which would sometimes be my meeting point with those I met in the field. This area is called the Mole and was originally part of German South West Africa's port project, now boasting a modern hotel, shops, and restaurants. It curls around the beach, hugging the water. This is the only part of Swakopmund's coast where it is safe to swim, avoiding the Atlantic ocean's harsh currents, which threaten to drag unwitting swimmers to potential death. The beach's many visitors-swimmers, sunbathers, volleyball players, children and adults clamoring for ice cream-show that people certainly do come to this place for
This story is a wander-walking through conversation, histories, and the beach-side city of Swakopmund, Namibia-guided by Daniel, a young man I spent much time with while in Swakopmund conducting fieldwork. Written from memory but aided by one particularly evocative recording, photographs, and a field diary, the story points to different experiences and histories that lie beyond the surface of the everyday: ghosts hidden in buildings, people, and the spaces and gaps between them. Even if they are not exact representations of the events being told, all stories are grounded in truth. [ghosts, walking, memory, Swakopmund, Namibia] The place on the west coast of Namibia that the reader is asked to consider is Swakopmund. In some ways, its colonial-era architecture marks it as a relic of a different age, yet its ruins are also full of many modern things. A casino, supermarkets, and up-market hotels sit uneasily among and inside the trappings of the former colony: its lighthouse, jetty, barracks, and disused railway station. Parts fading away, almost. Vanishing, sometimes forgotten but not ignored and still resonating. It is metaphorically apt; unlike Kolmanskop, a ghost town of abandoned buildings some five hundred kilometers away, the colonial ruins of Swakopmund are constantly renovated, a continuous action of bringing the past into the present. New buildings camouflage themselves with old designs, and phones and cars succumb quickly to the rusty inevitability of the desert environment. Yet the buildings always remain.The beachfront is dotted with benches painted in vivid primary colors, which would sometimes be my meeting point with those I met in the field. This area is called the Mole and was originally part of German South West Africa's port project, now boasting a modern hotel, shops, and restaurants. It curls around the beach, hugging the water. This is the only part of Swakopmund's coast where it is safe to swim, avoiding the Atlantic ocean's harsh currents, which threaten to drag unwitting swimmers to potential death. The beach's many visitors-swimmers, sunbathers, volleyball players, children and adults clamoring for ice cream-show that people certainly do come to this place for
Over the past few years, the term ‘toxic masculinity’ has entered public debate in Namibia as a way to describe apparently problematic forms of masculine behaviour, particularly in the light of high levels of gender-based violence. Originating in Western discourse, the term itself is difficult as it can stifle meaningful and transformative conversations concerning men. Describing ‘toxic masculinity’ as a trope, and indicating that tropes of violence have been used and politicised before, this article proposes a different way of reading men: via the mask. To do this, the ‘tropological place’ is introduced as a space of intimacy and trust, in which the kinds of masks that men wear become visible. Although the introduction of ‘toxic masculinity’ into debates around masculinities in Namibia should be acknowledged as an important starting point for conversations, this article urges researchers to think beyond it, encouraging more lateral relations with those that we research.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.