Happy Birthday Mr. President!

It sounds like Marilyn Monroe serenading President Kennedy in the early 1960s but far from that, it is actually Prime Minister Nahas Angula singing happy birthday out loud on the airport runway as Namibian President, Hifikepunye Pohamba, was disembarking his plane. What a sight! I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised to see these two prominent leaders smile and have fun for a change. Politicians in Africa tend to take themselves a bit too seriously if you ask me; rarely smiling and always keeping a stern facial expression. The two had a warm embrace and exchanged a few pleasantries in front of the television cameras. Angula teased him about his longevity saying that he was “only 73 years young.” I joined the Prime Minister in wishing the President a happy birthday through a text message I sent to The Namibian message board. Regardless of whether he reads them or not, I thought it was pretty cool that they would put it in the newspaper. I immediately wondered if a major newspaper would do that for George Bush (definitely not The New York Times) or Stephen Harper.

It was the very first report on the ever popular 8 o’clock news on NBC. Yes, I know exactly what you are thinking right now but let me tell you, I fell for it as well when I first arrived in the country. I was so thrilled when told that I could get NBC without paying for cable but only with the help of a regular TV antenna. Awesome! I am thinking live coverage from the Beijing Olympics, my favorite show Law & Order SVU and the Nightly News with the charismatic Brian Williams. I quickly found out it was not the NBC with the multicolored peacock fan logo but rather the Namibian Broadcasting Company. Although I get the highlights from the Olympics 2 days after they actually occurred and the news report is not quite on par with Brian Williams, NBC is doing just fine by me. The daily 8 o’clock news in English, which captivates the whole nation and stops everything else, provides me with an in-depth look into Namibian society, politics and economy. Now this is one example of the many embarrassing moments one can face when introduced to new surroundings, moments that are better kept private. I am sharing just this one hoping that it will remain between us and spare you from experiencing your own.