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The Himba are not just their culture. They're not just a fashion symbol. They're survivors of genocide who've managed to regain and maintain control of their ancestral lands, and keep a very old culture intact. Thus, to admire the culture and beauty of the Himba is one thing; it's also understandable. To actually respect the Himba, however, is another. It means to travel to their land, (speaking at least a little of their language) to learn about their history, their customs, and have enough humility to not presume that they have to do anything for you. It means understanding that they don't have to learn from you. They have a religion, thank you; they don't need or want yours. They have a language, thank you; they don't need to learn yours. Respecting them also means accepting that they don't have to teach you anything about themselves if they don't want to. And if you feel the need to impose your curiosity on them anyway, then understand that when you inevitably come out looking like a fool, they have the right to laugh at you. When POC write about the Himba, I've noticed there's no talk of changing them in any way. But if you read the comments under the Himba vids on YouTube, you can tell the bulk were written by white people. They talk about changing the Himba's religion (which they automatically assume is Islam, btw), and doing away with all the "wrong" aspects of their culture.

The Himba woman is the 'Bantu Venus of the Kalahari' who clothes her slender body with soft animal skins and anoints her soft body with a mixture of butter, ochre, and fragrant desert myrrh. Like any other gorgeous modern super model, such as Naomi Campbell or Paris Hilton, she spends a lot of time to nurture her beauty. She, like her Bantu ancestors, loves to show her stunning breasts. What is more, they have a great passion for the ornaments made out of hides, shells, pearls, beads and metal. Let us now focus on the traditional sexual practices of the Himba. The concept of prostitution or transactional sex does not exist among them and a Himba man would feel very embarrassed and humiliated to pay for sexual pleasure. If a Himba woman's husband dies, she marries one of her late husband's brothers. In an AIDS-free society, this practice protects the inheritance and sons will have access to the father's property such as cattle. In addition, it provides security to the women. According to the ancient Bantu cultural norms, the sex was not only a biological need, but also a socio-religious practice that ensures the health and prosperity to the entire clan. The children are exposed to sex education through games such as Ouruwo where they imitate the sexual acts of goats and cattle with their playmates. The Himba treat sexual intercourse as a natural act. To sustain the semi-nomadic pastoral economy, it is vital to have a sufficient workforce and the Bantu-speaking man was forced to marry more wives to fill that human resource gap. According to an ancient practice called Okujepisa, the husband lends the wife to a good friend for sex and it is regarded as a mark of friendliness and honour. On the same note, the wife invites the husband to have sex with her friend (woman) who stayed at the house as a visitor. These days the aforesaid practices are gradually fading away. A woman who cannot bear children is regarded as a worthless member in the Bantu community. Therefore, the need to have children, particularly sons, is a key objective of the sexual intercourse. The children are the precious gifts given by the ancestors, who are linked to the holy fire (Okuruou) and almighty god Mukuru or Ndja-mbi Karunga. Like the Sinhalese ethnic group in Sri Lanka, a Himba woman is very proud to introduce her children, especially sons, to their visitors or relatives. As of now, 22% of the Na-mibian population is infected with HIV. And the ancient Ban-tu sexual practices of the Himba are only suitable for an HIV-free society. Therefore, the Him-bas should educate to re-engineer their cultural practices. In order to achieve this objective, the National HIV/AIDS policy, MPT-3, and a well thought-out Plan of Action should be introduced to the Himba community. The active involvement of the Himba women and youth are crucial in this regard. I was informed by my students that some wealthy people usually visit Opuwo and Ruacana to hunt Himba girls believing that they are unpolluted and HIV-free. We should not allow them to bring HIV into a vulnerable ethnic group. Namibia should keep an eye on the 'Himba- centered tourist industry' that may promote sex-tourism and other harmful practices. During the past 2000 years, the Buddhist cultural traditions have helped Thailand sustain a healthy and self-sufficient nation. In 1980, the tourist industry became a sex-industry that bought US dollars, harmful injecting-drugs and AIDS. Now, the Thai government spends all their fortunes to manage AIDS. The modern development has threatened the semi-nomadic economy and social structure of the Himba. Hence, our development planners should employ NDP2/Vision 2030 development formulas to uphold them economically and socially. Moreover, assist them to make choices that could retain their cultural identity as highlighted in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. The Himba are powered with the great Bantu spirit and environmental acumen and know-how to deal with the Kalahari thirst-land. However, if we cannot control it efficient-ly, AIDS is a genocidal weapon that would wipe out the vulnerable ethnic groups like the San, the Khoikhoi and the Himba who are already threatened by our greediness.