Friends of Namibia-Scotland is a sister organisation of the Friends of Namibia Society. We are a small voluntary group made up of people living in Scotland who all have long-standing connections with Namibia. Some of our members were involved in the Edinburgh Namibia Support Group which campaigned for Namibia's independence and sent essential goods to Namibians living in exile in Angolan settlements during the apartheid years. Others were involved in training Namibian teachers and in helping both in the teaching programmes in the settlements and in the establishment of the new educational structures at independence.
Formed in 1997, the group has organised several events. We participated in the activities around the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting which was held in Edinburgh in 1997, holding an exhibition stall and providing information to both conference delegates and to the general public and organising a workshop on the adult literacy programme in Namibia. The following year we organised a lecture at Edinburgh University on the Namibian fishing industry's impact on the economy. Then we went on to raise money for child-care projects in Namibia, contributing small amounts to help disabled and disadvantaged children.
To mark the tenth anniversary of Namibia's independence we organised an exhibition of the work of John Muafangejo in March 2000. The exhibition was a great success, with people travelling from all over Scotland to view the distinctive and world-renowned linocuts.
Together with the Balmore Trust we raised funds to assist Kayec, a project based in Katutura which helps young unemployed people to gain skills with which they can make a living. The money we raised went towards sending Black Umfulosi, a professional cultural group from Zimbabwe, to Namibia to run workshops for Kayec, thus building the skills and confidence of the young people there.
In the autumn of 2002 we were involved with the UNAM choir's visit to Scotland, joining with other locally based groups to organise a song and dance workshop and a very successful Namibian-Scottish ceilidh!
In the future we hope to build further links with organisations both in Britain and Namibia and to continue to raise the profile of Namibia within Britain.