Wedding Crashers

Those of you on Facebook may already have seen a few odd-looking pictures, but there's a tale too! Essentially, in what can only be described as being in the right place at the right time, Sachi, Jenita and I were asked along to a traditional Namibian wedding celebration. The brother of our friend Elden was getting married, and on a visit to his family's house, he mentioned that we should come along to the party. I went to the shops for a loaf of bread; I came back with a wedding invitation and now desperately in need of something a little smarter than standard volunteer attire. My own Nama dress is a work in progress, so I borrowed one from a friend. I’ve discovered that I am certainly not the right shape for these dresses, and the teeny tiny waists on them make getting in and out of the blessed things something of an aerobic challenge: nevertheless, the three of us donned our dresses and varying degrees of scarves and headed out.

The wedding itself had taken place the previous weekend in Windhoek. The couple had been living in a traditional domed house that the groom’s family have spent several weeks building out of reed mats and branches for the past week, and this was another ceremony to mark the beginning of their married life. Sachi and Jenita have been visiting every so often over the last few weeks to watch the house's progress- it's seriously impressive!

The house made by Ouma Katjito and the family

Most of the guests are kept outside the room, as close family gather to watch the newlyweds receive blessings and guidance from their family’s elders. Clearly, we were expecting to leave with everyone else, but much to our surprise, we were invited  - even encouraged – to stay. The couple receive blessings and encouragement from each of the family's elders, signifying their approval and their welcoming of a new couple in their family. One of the nicest moments of the evening was the groom’s address to the three of us; as part of his speech, he spoke in English to explain the importance of the proceedings. “We all know what is gold, what is a diamond,” he said, “but this here is my wife and this is more than that. When we are given something by our elders, it is like a torch for the future, because darkness is there when there is no light.” Afterwards, he said that he was honoured to have us there, wearing the dress of his people and witnessing his tradition. Although almost all of it was spoken in Khoekhoegowab and we barely understood a word of what was literally said, you wouldn’t have needed any language skills whatsoever to realise that we were watching something exceptionally special. In a tiny village in a foreign country, in a room full of relative strangers, dressed in other people’s clothes, we had been welcomed into the heart of centuries of tribal heritage. Privilege doesn’t even begin to cover it.

The couple receive blessings from one of the elders

The three of us and the groom

Sachi and some of her students

Elden, the groom's brother, and I

We sort of learned some of the Nama dances: apparently, for a white foreigner, I’m not too bad at this Namastap business, and I’m sure our skills will be put to good use at our constituency culture fair next weekend.  Either way, it was an honour to have been there and it was certainly a night I will never forget.