Iroline’s life and home

As I am currently not travelling in Namibia, I am glad that I came up with a new idea for our blog. We will be doing a new series, with Iroline.

Very often, we live in our bubble without appreciating how other people live.

Around Walvis Bay, there are 2 shanty towns: Naraville and Kuisebmond.

Iroline, who used to work for us, lives in Kuisebmond.

Iroline kindly accepted the challenge to take me to her home, to her parents’ place and to introduce me to all her family.

So for today, we drive through Kuisebmond and visit Iroline’s home, her parents’ home and we meet Iroline’s family.

In the video Iroline talks about her father being a striked fisherman. To start with I did not understand what Iroline meant, but in December 2019, there was the Fishrot scandal in Namibia where 6 prominent politicians and businessmen (Fishrot Six) were arrested as they were accused of running schemes to get control of valuable fish quotas. The allegations are that the Six acquired about 8 million euros in bribes from an Icelandic fishing company. The Six politicians and businessmen are still in jail, awaiting trial.

After the scandal, Iroline’s father, was out of work as his fishing factory closed down. The fishermen got together and went on strike. Today, I understand that the Namibian government is addressing the situation of fishing quotas and the striked fishermen are now being allocated work in new and existing fisheries.

In Namibia, there is no unemployment benefit and her father Peter survived economically by the financial support of his family.

It happens very often in Namibia where a few working members of the family share their income with the family who cannot work.

The street where Iroline lives.

Iroline is giving us a tour of her shack and introduces us to her daughter Shirley.

Her main bedroom. Iroline explains that her boyfriend who stays with them was retrenched and is now doing the odd jobs in Kuisebmond, doing plumbing, welding, brick work for building houses. He was not at home during my visit.

Iroline has 3 daughters. In the master bed , Iroline and her boyfriend sleep with their 2 years old baby daughter Toska. The other 2 daughters (Shirley and Claudia) sleep in the single bed, head to toe, and the toilets are outside.

Driving in the location. Generally there is the main house, and behind the owners’house they have a ghetto that they rent out.

Arriving at the family house where her Mom and Dad stay. I apologise about the rotating camera. The Chef is Cedric, Iroline’s brother, cooking a fish head, presumably to make soup. They dry the fish on newspaper first to absorb the moisture before putting flour and frying it in oil.

Iroline’s mother name is Flexida. Flexida was saying that she prefers to take a picture indoors as with the colour of her skin, with the sun, the picture would not come out nice, outside.

Flexida has 4 children. 2 daughters Iroline, Divine and 2 sons, 1 being the Chef on the video Cedric and another son working at sea. Ester is an adopted daughter from Flexida’s sister who passed away and she was raised and part of the family since she was little.

Ester with her new born baby boy, Yeshua, who is 2 months old and Iroline’s daughter Shirley.

Iroline’s father Peter, who is holding his grandchiledren, Toska and Zoe.

Picture of Iroline’s parents Peter and Felixa.

Iroline with her 3 children Claudia, Shirley and the 2 years’ old daughter Toska.

Family picture. Starting with Iroline and the front row… Iroline, Ester, Toska, Felixa, New Born son of Ester , Zoe, Vasco (son of Ester), Cedric, Claudia, Shirley, Alicia, Divine (Felixia’s daughter) with her boyfriend Revaldo.

Next time, with Iroline, we will be talking about African women’s hair.

Goeie nag (Bonne nuit/Good night in Afrikaans).
Murielle