A Dispatch From Namibia Part 2
Once is the name of my taxi driver in Namibia (like once in a lifetime). People have strange names here: Darling, Given, Gift, or Mistake.
Africa
Telling a new story
Yukoners Rosemary Oslund (l), Paige Hopkins, Emily Turner-Davis and Geri-Lee Buyck are heading to the Kingdom of eSwatini for 18 days to tell stories of gender equality through photography and journalism Winter had not yet fully set in in Whitehorse, but you wouldn’t know that on the grey and blustery day I met with four …
Black forest cake in Namibia
In Swakopmund, Germany and Namibia come together like the Namib Desert and the ocean just outside the town. If you didn’t know that this is an African country, you would think that it’s a town somewhere in Germany.
One woman – 24 characters
Katherine McCallum performs The Syringa Tree, Nov 8 to 26 at the Courts Theatre
Experiencing creative writing in Namibia
I am sitting in the Lemon Tree Restaurant in Windhoek, Namibia, waiting for my fellow writers to show up. It is raining, and everybody is happy about that. We write in 10 minute sections to a prompt and then we share what we have written. We only give positive feedback to encourage each other; this …
Riding Motorcycles for a Good Cause
Along with Cause Canada’s founder Paul Carrick and a local guide, the men will visit the projects and activities they are helping to fund. In the meantime, they will also be breaking in the bikes that they will later donate to the local men and women who work for Cause Canada and visit the communities …
Learning About Ubuntu in Namibia
My African friends think that Yukoners are cannibals. When I told them the story about the Sourtoe Cocktail I expected the usual reaction: laughter and amusement. But instead I got wide-open eyes and mouths asking me: “You did this?” they asked me. “You drank this human-cocktail?” I did my best to explain the history behind …
Petting Cheetahs in Namibia
The cheetah appeared suddently, and instantly I was overcome with fear. I saw it walking slowly on the porch of the farm house. I froze and my heart was racing. “It must have come in from the wild,” I thought, “and now it will eat us.” There were three of us looking at the cheetah: …
Newspaper-Making in Namibia
Murder, betrayal or New Year celebrations – these are the topics on the list. It is December 30 and we have to decide which story will be on the cover of tomorrow’s newspaper. Unfortunately, there will be blood leaking from the newspaper on New Year’s Day. The murder of a German-Namibian farmer is breaking news. …
Working for Free: Gaining so Much
There was a time in my life when my father called me a professional volunteer. Working for a handsome wage was much less of a priority in my youth. It started with summer camps, and continued to take me all over the world to share pieces of myself with others; yet, I would argue I …
Cuisine for a cause
Off the southeast coast of Africa lies the beautiful island of Madagascar. While the children’s Madagascar movies paint a nice scenic picture of the island, there are serious issues taking place. Rachelle Czerwinski was born and raised in the northwestern region of Madagascar and now lives in Vancouver. She left the country in 1984 when …
Soccer Squad heads to Sweden
On July 12, a group of young Yukoners will step on the pitch in Sweden to represent the Yukon at an international soccer tournament. The Strikers, an under-16 men’s squad, will get their first taste of international competition at the Gothia Cup — the World Youth Cup. “The boys are heading to the Western Canadian …
The Encounter
The following story was my submission for the 1994 Yukon Young Authors’ Conference. There, I got to work with acclaimed Canadian playwright Guillermo Verdeccia, who first sparked my interest in dramatic writing. Happily, 21 years later, this important conference is still going strong. The 35th annual version is being held from April 23-24 at F.H. …
Just the sweet sounds of Africa
“There is no political message as we are not a political group,” says Thomeki Dube, a singer with Black Umfolosi. Then he adds, “That way we stay out of trouble and stress.” From Zimbabwe, an African country that is ravaged by 80 per cent unemployment and an inflation rate of 1,700 per cent, a Yukon …
Grace under fire
The hands move as they do in Spain, the hips move as they do in Africa and the shoulders sway as in Cuba. It is a style of dance pulled together by Liszt Alfonso to great success these past 17 years. On April 20 and 21, she brings this “sensual mix of fire and spice” …
She’s Multiplying Results By Dividing Her Time
Graduation is an extremely important time in one’s life. Often the new-found freedom and sudden expansion of available life choices can be overwhelming. However, for my younger sister, the choice was easy. Sitting across from my 19-year-old sister, Melissa Mark, with her deep and even tan, Masai tribal burn marks and ebony jewellery, it is …
A Happy Start To The Holidays in Dawson City
Christmas and New Year’s are fast approaching us here in the Yukon, and this weekend reminded me what a beautiful and magical place we live in. If Whitehorse was not beautiful enough, I just came home from driving 500 km through low-angle sun and fresh fallen snow to Dawson City. The Klondike Institute of Art …
Surviving the Culture Clash
Five months ago I left on an international exchange to Mozambique. Out of all the continents, Africa was the last one to strike off my checklist. I was the guy that felt like I had seen it all. Mr. Traveller: worldly, open-minded and easygoing. That was when I heard it: “Wake up call to Marc …
Their Own Thousand Words on Africa
Local photographer Lisa Marino believes in the power of her medium. According to her, photographs are a “universal language” in which people from a variety of backgrounds can experience commonality. “Eight different people from eight different cultures can all look at the same picture and understand it,” says Marino. As such, photographers can be, among …
Mambo Tanzania: Pt. 2
Mambo! Poa! Last week I explained Mambo. Poa is the proper response. Described to me as: Mambo = What’s Up? Poa = It’s cool. At the end of our visit to Tanzania, we had an opportunity to visit a local orphanage our Canadian trip organizers and our Moshi-based guiding company were involved in supporting only …
Mambo Tanzania: Pt. 1
Editor’s Note: What’s Up Yukon co-publisher Mark Beese recently embarked on the adventure of a lifetime—an assault on Tanzania’s fabled Mount Kilimanjaro. This is the first of three articles about his adventure. Mambo! That’s not true Swahili. “Jambo” is the informal Swahili greeting equivalent to “hello”. Mambo… well, that’s the colloquial greeting that most closely …
