We have just arrived in the outskirts of Opuwo -- a
last taste of civilization before heading north through Kaokoland. Resting here
for the evening, the air is thick with dust. The setting sun has already
disappeared behind the dusty air, setting everything aglow with orange.
Entering a campsite, I am approached by a young woman
who tells me she was just robbed in her tent by someone working there. With
that thought on my mind, I fall asleep and ignore my itching my nose and lungs.
Opuwo has been without water for the past 8 months.
The town has not paid for its water bills and so the public water supply has
been shut off. Earlier, I met the man who apparently stole the money. Everyone
knows who, but there isn't enough evidence. Yet, under the layer of dust, the
town survives. A local Himba woman tells me that the school children are having
to use their own urine to wash their faces.
Calvin
(to be
continued)
