lockdown – Windhoek Observer

05 Sep

Couch Cat: Liberate your hair on lockdown

ObserverUncategorisedCouch Cat, lockdown

Jackie Wilson Asheeke I have been wearing braid extensions since I was 21. Current articles on natural hair care say that I have done irreparable damage to my natural hair. They are right. The pulling, braiding, and twisting has weakened, thinned and broken off my hair. But, then again, I have had decades of loving my braided look. Life is all about trade-offs. That said, working remote at home in these pandemic days, there is no need to go out as much. So, I wear no braids most of the time. It was weird at first – I look so…

07 Aug

Online accessibility should be a priority for all

ObserverUncategorisedlockdown, Online

Observatory: Thandizo Kawerama People from all walks of life have had to make the switch to digital platforms to continue being productive during lockdown and beyond. This has dispelled the longstanding myth that technology and being internet savvy, was only for the youth and people in tech related fields. Being literate on digital platforms is in high demand. Gym sessions are being held via Zoom, concerts are being streamed on Instagram live, and court is back in session via Skype. Many have been able to adapt, but once again the less privileged have been left behind to struggle with lost…

21 Jul

Make minimalist habits the new normal

ObserverUncategorisedlockdown

...declutter and be minimalist to keep it that way Jackie Wilson Asheeke Last year, I wrote about my decision to de-clutter my life. After a year, I can report that I have reached most of my goals. I have taken up minimalism to keep from sliding back into the bad ‘ol days of consumerism and directionless living. I have saved lots of money; I feel free of ‘stuff’; and I feel that everything near me is what I choose to have in my life. You can achieve that too. My previously jam-packed storage rooms are neatly organized and nearly empty,…

30 Jun

Passing the buck on paying for COVID

ObserverNational NewsCOVID, lockdown

All sectors of society and the economy seem to selfishly nurse the expectation that someone else will foot their part of the pandemic bill. They don’t get it that ALL of us will feel the pain one way or another. Schools are forcing cash-strapped parents to pay full tuition and fees from March through June. And yet, there were no face-to-face courses offered during that time. Parents are demanding to not pay for classes not given. Private schools are using their usual punish-the-kids extortion tactic to force parents to comply. They don’t want to eat any of the losses involved…

19 Jun

Rising cases won’t determine lock down status – Shangula

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Erongo, Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula, lockdown

Andrew Kathindi With the two week lockdown in Erongo region set to end on 22 June and cases rising almost daily, Health minister Kalumbi Shangula says the extension or lifting of the stage 1 lockdown will not be determined by the rising cases. “We don’t take a decision based one or two cases. We take the totality of the factors into consideration, epidemiological, public health, economical, then we take the sum total and make a decision. There are many factors being taken into consideration, not just the number of cases. The public will know before the expiry of the deadline,”…

13 Jun

Couch Cat – baking your own bread

ObserverUncategorisedCouch Cat, lockdown

Jackie Wilson Asheeke In pandemic lockdown, I began to rediscover my old skills for baking bread. It was like dusting the cobwebs off my inner mind. But, I enjoyed it every step of the way. My momma taught me about using yeast and baking bread when I was a little girl. But, I was the youngest so my job was to set and clear the table after all meals. My older sisters did the cooking and baking with momma. So, I put those lessons aside for an entire lifetime and resurrected them when I lived in Ethiopia for four years…

04 Jun

Everything is connected

ObserverNational NewsCivil servants, lockdown

People are uncertain these days. The economy is in decline. Solutions to lift it up will be slow, painful and might not work. The pandemic might take turns that no one can predict (though we all hope not). In such distressing circumstances, selfishness easily emerges in people and in businesses. Far too many are ready to step on the bodies of others, just to get to the lifeboats first. To avoid the stampede of self-preservation, we all must understand that everything is connected. The money needed to be paid to others must come from others who don’t have money because…

19 May

Learning during lockdown

ObserverUncategorisedLearning, lockdown, TikTok

Albin Jacobs With Stage 2 of the phased State of Emergency set to run for another few weeks, life really has transformed in Namibia. Life as we know it across the globe has changed forever. We have all been trying to keep busy, some still just trying to work from home, others baking, learning to paint, catching up on sleep or rehearsing the ever-important TikTok dances. We all cope in different ways. Some are picking up studies that fell by the wayside, or finally finding the time to sit and think how to develop themselves academically. This is where distance…

16 May

Couch kitten: Don’t dump your friends

ObserverUncategorisedCovid-19, lockdown

Wetumwene Shikage During this time when the world is greatly affected by the global pandemic COVID-19, restrictive measures have been put in place. These measures are not to cage us, they are to keep us safe. It is important to remember the people who keep you going and keep you happy or entertained. Our friends are people we have bonds of mutual affection outside work and home. A global pandemic should not weaken the bonds we have with the different friends we have. All of my friends are different from one another. Recognizing the friends you have is important so…

09 May

Time to analyse issues ideologically, give them an ideological perspective

ObserverUncategorisedlockdown

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro Certainly the emergency and lockdown could not but compel all of us to shift gears in one way or another given the time of reflection it may have afforded us. If only if to maintain some sanity from the solitary confinement, for some, and from depression visited by confinement with those some may all the time been trying avoid. For me criticisms which have been floated as analyses in our media, against the administration of Dr Hage Geingob, since the advent of his first term in 2015, compelled me to shift in an ideological gear. A gear that…