My Newest Neighbor

My flat is on the end of a row of three flats. The middle flat houses my neighbor, Jesse. She is a Dutch volunteer serving with an organization called Volunteer Services Overseas (VSO) and is here working as a physiotherapist. The flat on the opposite end is the home of Jorrit and Frouke who are also Dutch VSO volunteers. Jorrit is a pharmacist and Frouke a doctor. And on October 21st, Frouke gave birth to their first child, a beautiful little girl named Silke Alide Tjijandjewa Kabel.

Silke has been a most welcome addition to the volunteer community here in Opuwo but has caused some bewilderment with our local neighbors. Apparently Silke is the first white baby to grace the streets of Opuwo. When Frouke was pregnant, Himba women were startled to see her walking around town. A few of them pulled one of our Namibian colleagues aside and asked her if Frouke was just overweight or if she was really pregnant. Our colleague, Barbara, told them that Frouke was indeed expecting a child. The Himba women were absolutely amazed. They told Barbara that they didn’t know that white people had sex too! I don’t know how they thought we procreate – perhaps they thought of us as some sort of alien species or something…

Now that Silke has finally arrived, the Himbas love to peek at her when Frouke and Jorrit are ‘out and about’ with her. Frouke and Jorrit bought a sling for Silke to rest in while they are walking around. At first, people didn’t seem to realize that there was a baby inside the sling but people have caught on now. Now, Himbas swarm around whenever Silke makes a debut in her sling. They still have not adapted to the idea of a man carrying his baby around though. Jorrit is the recipient of some disapproving glares from many of the locals. I, personally, am ecstatic that his “unusual” behavior has caused some people to question gender norms; I think it’s wonderful that people are being exposed to the image of a caring father and I’ve (somewhat jokingly) suggested that he not allow Frouke to hold the baby in public. J