With the purchase of my car, I had offered the chief and his wife to drive them to Etosha, the great Namibian animal park. In our area, animals have disappeared and they have not yet seen any elephant. I asked them several times when they wanted to go so that I could organize the booking of camping sites and get the car ready. I never had any answer. One morning, I can see a heap of stuff in front of my hut. Everything was ready for us to leave that same morning! I was furious. I don’t regret this experience however. As the Himba are very poor, they are more usually seen asking tourists for money at the entrance of the parks. The park wardens come to me and ask me what I am doing with those Himba. I answer that I am visiting the park with my friends. They are surprised and go back.
Mémé’s reaction when she sees an elephant for the first time is extraordinary. Although we are more than a hundred meters far, she asks me to go away quickly. I tell her than we are here to see the animals and that it’s a pity not to stay a little longer. She is so frightened that she urges us to rush away. Fortunately with the giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, rhinos, blue wildebeests, she feels more relaxed and they fill her with wonder.
