Baster Party – March 11, 2006

Went to the 21^st birthday party of a young Namibian woman last Saturday.  The ceremony was much like that of a wedding.  We were all required to dress formally and our clothes had to be within the range of red or black.  The birthday girl was led in by her father as Boys 2 Men crooned on about how hard it was to say goodbye to yesterday.

It was quite a dramatic scene.  All of the pertinent family members had to give a speech as the young woman was made to sit up on a pedestal at the front of the room. Unfortunately for me most of the speeches were in Afrikaans, but ‘buya buya buya danke’ anyhow. 

We had a really nice dinner and afterwards some party games for the best dressed man and woman.    

I did not take pictures at this event as it was more of a private family affair.  The family is of Baster origin.  You can find out more about the Rehoboth Basters here.  The Basters are a very proud group.  The tradition in this culture is to celebrate the 21^st birthday for a boy or girl with a huge party.  The child is awarded with a gold key if they have been good and not gotten themselves into too much trouble in the first 21 years of their life.

I had to get up early and prepare for my trip to Botswana so I was gone before the dancing started.