Our Latest Books

Katima

Katima
A Namibian childhood
von Sylvia Schlettwein

88 p. • numerous b/w photos • 2023 • ISBN 978-99945-76-92-0 • 120 x 190mm

Sylvia Schlettwein, Namibian author and daughter of Minister Carl-Hermann Calle Schlettwein, recalls her childhood in Katima-Mulilo, in what was then called the Caprivi Strip in north-eastern Namibia. In 16 enchanting stories she opens a window on everyday life in pre-independence Namibia from the perspective of a family that became involved with SWAPO at an early age. Told through the eyes of a child, we experience the magic and ruthlessness of Africa, the sober reality of everyday life between German tradition and commitment to Africa, and much more. Katima is a literary journey back in time to the Caprivi in the 1980s and a declaration of love for the beauty and diversity of Namibia’s land and people.

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Painted Stories

Painted Stories
A Guide to the Rock Art of AiAiba
von Peter Breunig

228 pages •  2023 • ISBN 978-99945-76-84-5 • 170 x 240 mm • Namibia Scientific Society/Kuiseb Publishers

People interested in rock art often ask the same three questions: How old is it? Who created it? What was its purpose? Archaeologist Peter Breunig investigated the rock art of AiAiba (Anibib farm) in the Erongo Mountains, one of the richest rock art areas of Namibia. In Painted Stories he closely examines those rock paintings, using them as an example of the prehistoric treasure trove which can tell us about the world view of Namibia’s ancient hunter-gatherers. While renowned archaeologist Henri Breuil counted 344 paintings in the mid-20th century, Breunig, using modern digital methods, makes the invisible visible and recorded 4,914 paintings in 208 sites, 14 times the number known in Breuil’s day. He addresses the above questions and gives valuable insight into the representational world of Namibia’s prehistoric peoples in a fascinating reader-friendly way. 
This book is extremely important and valuable because, as Breunig writes, “there is a simple reason for urgency in rock art research. Rock art is exposed to natural and human influences which are inexorably leading to its disappearance. In many cases on AiAiba, the paintings are already so faded that they can barely be perceived with the naked eye. For now, they can still be recovered using digital technology. But here, too, we will eventually reach a point beyond which they are lost forever.” The many photographs, digital drawings and descriptions in this book will preserve the rock paintings for generations to come.

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Der Bart des Elefanten

ǂoa-ka-gyani
Eine biografische Erzählung über das Leben des Berufsjägers Volker Grellmann
von Wolfgang Brune

364 Seiten • photos & maps • 2023 • ISBN 978-99945-76-83-8/978-99945-76-85-2 • 148 x 210 mm • Namibia Scientific Society/Kuiseb Publishers

Dieses Buch erzählt von den außergewöhnlichen Abenteuern und Erfahrungen eines Mannes, dessen Tatkraft und Zähigkeit dazu beigetragen haben, die Grundlagen für die professionelle Jagd und einen nachhaltigen Natur- und Wildschutz in Namibia zu legen.

Volker Grellmann war zehn Jahre alt, als er mit seiner Familie kurz nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg nach Namibia auswanderte. Dieses Land sollte seine Heimat werden. Er machte eine Kürschner-Ausbildung, um eines Tages das Geschäft seiner Mutter zu übernehmen, doch schon bald drängte es ihn in den Busch, zur Jagd und zum Naturschutz. Zahlreiche Jäger und Gäste aus fernen Ländern, unter anderem den berühmten deutschen Boxer Max Schmeling, führte er auf den Pfaden der Wildnis. Er wurde einer der ersten und besten professionellen Jagdanbieter Namibias, Schutzpatron der San-Buschleute in den ihm anvertrauten Jagdgebieten sowie engagierter Naturschützer im Damaraland, Busch­mannland und Kavango. Volker Grellmann war temperamentvoll, aber auch verletzlich und verletzbar. Autor Wolfgang Brune beschreibt seine Erfolge und auch seine Niederlagen und setzt ihm ein Denkmal als einem der »Großen« im aktiv gelebten Jagd- und Naturschutz.

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In Times of Pandemic

In Times of Pandemic
13 short stories from Namibia
by the Goethe Institut

148 p. • 2023 • ISBN 978-99945-76-82-1 • 148 x 210 mm

This collection of thirteen short stories distilled from a competition call-out from the Goethe Institute Windhoek to share experiences of lockdown and the pandemic through creative writing, is both wide-ranging and thought-provoking.
The issues dealt with include psychological trauma, identity, disruption to family life, sexual abuse, loss, fear, and grief but also endurance, hope and coming through stronger. Many of the stories are written from a young female perspective, and it is as though the reader is allowed to page through an intimate journal. Two genre fiction stories further enrich the experience of good and evil during the pandemic.
This anthology gives a deep insight into the loss and grief experienced by individuals and families during the pandemic in Namibia, and yet there is a sense of survival against the odds, renewed identity and resilience.—An enjoyable showcase of the raw talent of several new authors in Namibia alongside the sophisticated writing of experienced authors.

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Rocky Point

Rocky Point
Skeleton Coast—Namibia 
by Peter Bridgeford

140 pages •  2022 • ISBN 978-99945-76-80-7 • 148 x 210 mm • Namibia Scientific Society/Kuiseb Publishers

Rocky Point is a small, isolated rock outcrop on the sandy Skeleton Coast of Namibia and the most prominent landmark between Möwe Bay and the Kunene River 250 km further north. It is hard to reach from overland, via the sea or by plane—a fact that has added to its mystique over the years. And yet, explorers, hunters, traders, scientists, refugees, stranded ship passengers, soldiers and even politicians have passed or visited Rocky Point during the past centuries.
The events chronicled in this book, illustrated with numerous fascinating photos, start in 1486 with the early explorations of the Portuguese. They tell us about the many adventures of hunger, thirst, despair, death, heroism, sacrifice and also joy and excitement on this wind-swept desert until today—among them the stranding of the Dunedin Star in 1942 near Rocky Point and the almost impossible rescue operation of 63 people, including 29 women and three babies; the rescue of Angolan refugees in 1975, who had fled from the civil war and crossed the Kunene River in a large convoy; and while the inaccessibility of Rocky Point often led to disaster or frustration, it was ideal for consultations, away from the prying eyes of journalists, for example, when in March 1984, Prime Minister P.W. Botha of South Africa secretly met Dr Jonas Savimbi, President of UNITA there.

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