Towns and Locations

In Namibia, cities are divided into sections called Town, and Locations. In a city, Town refers to the area with established businesses, chain stores, hotels, and modern homes. If a person lives in Town, it's pretty much a guarantee that they're wealthy and connected. In a single city, there's only one Town area.

Locations are the areas outside of town where blacks were forced to live during apartheid (now there are also many blacks living in Towns). A Location is laid out similar to a suburb in the US, but the housing is mostly cement and corrugated tin, with some all-concrete buildings used for small businesses. Some people may also run small businesses out of their homes. In the Locations I've seen, the roads are mostly packed dirt, which is actually good because children are almost always playing soccer in the street and the dirt forces cars to drive slow. I hesitate to compare Locations to ghettos or tenements, because all Location houses have electricity, running water, and modern conveniences (I've yet to meet a Namibian who doesn't own a TV), but people in Locations are undoubtedly poorer than those in Town. However, Locations are complete communities with schools, parks, and churches. I can't speak for all cities, but in Omaruru, the Locations are safe at all times of day. The worst problem in Locations I've seen has been public drunkenness. In each city there can also be multiple Locations, always segregated by ethnic group (I'll talk about the ethnic groups in another post), although it doesn't seem to generate any great animosity if a member of an ethnic group settles in a different group's Location.

Towns are generally nice and comfortable. Stores have air conditioning; there are roads, sidewalks, and plants; buildings are very clean. As an American, Towns feel familiar to me. But Locations are way more interesting. In the Location in Omaruru, children are play together in the streets (when school's out), and people are go about their business or visit each other. In Location, it's ok to just talk to people and make friends, or drop by the houses of people I know for quick visits. Every house and business also has a lot of individual character. In Omaruru, one man built a white two story castle on his land in the Location. While that example is extreme, it gives a good sense of the diversity and fun one can find in Locations.