The beautiful people of Namibia's slums

 

Photos and text by Jacob Holdt

Click on photos for enlargements and stories

       

Women in the slums

I have never been to a country where I got so close to the women as in Namibia. In nearly every slum district I would be invited to stay with them. With their individual beauty they therefore make up a disproportionate amount of my photos. But there are some sad facts behind this. Namely their absent men and all too often their absent children. I explain about the historical and social reasons for this under my individual stories about the women, I photographed. The sad historical division of men and women has in recent years also been exacerbated by their fear of Aids.
 
       
Natural beauty in African slums Ovambo woman in the sunset My hostess reading Bible for her mother In the glow of the kerosene lamp
Natural beauty in
African slums		 Ovambo woman
in the sunset 		My hostess reading
the Bible for her mother		 In the glow of
the kerosene lamp
Woman in her shop Ruby's sick grandmother in Hakahana Washing up in the dessert Woman in blue bed
Woman in
her shop		 Ruby's sick granny
in Hakahana		 Washing up
in the dessert		 Woman in
blue bed
Depressed woman with no food No slums without the blues Woman in front of blue screen Namibia-056
Depressed woman
with no food		 No slums without
the blues		 Woman in front
of blue screen		 Depressed woman
in blue bed
Namibia-006 Namibia-011 Namibia-025 Namibia-010
Mother with
young baby		 Oil lamp in
Windhoek		 Safe sex
saves lives		 Motherly love in the
glow of the oil lamp
Namibia-002 Namibia-032 Namibia-057 Namibia-067
Early morning
bathroom visit		 Urban woman
with sheaves 		Woman sewing
her own clothes		 Ruby in her
tin shack
Namibia-003 Namibia-041 Namibia-042 Namibia-039
Student putting her
night cream on		 Woman with
hanging tub		 Breastfeeding woman
in the North		 "Better red than dead"
Namibia-060 Namibia-020 Namibia-049 Namibia-051
Salmi's sister
laying sick		 Pink lady in Oshakati Woman against
corrugated iron		 Woman with photos
of absentee husband
Namibia-052 Namibia-054 Namibia-045 Namibia-009
Young mother
in doorway 		Mother breastfeeding Woman in a
dark place		 Salmi's suspicious
sister
Namibia-061 Namibia-001 Namibia-017 Namibia-064
Woman in
her kitchen		 White colonial
bagage		 Woman behind
blue door		 Salmi's big sister
Namibia-069 Namibia-071 Namibia-065 Namibia-063
Woman in
a red dress		 Single woman
with two children		 Young girl
after school		 Old woman in
her kitchen
Namibia-093 Namibia-112 Namibia-113 Namibia-105
Woman in
blue barrels		 Caretaker of aids orphans
in Katutura 		Old woman in Katutura Arguing women
in Katutura
Namibia-0976 Namibia-104 Namibia-123 Namibia-124
My hostess outside her
shack in Big Ben 		Woman breast feeding
child in Katutura 		Bartender in Katutura Woman in Katutura
Namibia-102 Namibia-103 Namibia-116  
Woman cutting meat
in the Katutura slum 		Woman cutting meat
in Katutura 		With woman in
the Katutura slum 		 

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