Nakawa - "The cow whose milk never ends"
Announcing the launch of our crowd-funding campaign.
(~6 minute read)
"We, not I", corrected Silumba. I nodded while our discussion brought me to compensate for Western biases in my thinking. I felt included in the project. A sense of ownership came over me, helping me understand how empowering this feeling can be among individuals in a community…
Zooming recently from Zambia to Namibia, I was preparing to cross the Kazangula border into Botswana; a shortcut that would take me to the Namibian border the same day. Just before crossing into Botswana, a homely sign caught my attention by the road side, "Nakawa Community Campsite".
I had been to enough organised and wild-camping areas to recognise that this wasn't an ordinary camping spot. It was rare to find a campsite organised by a local community. In fact, this is the only one I have come across since starting in Africa more than a year ago. Organised campsites tend to be an annex of a lodge that provides employment, but aren’t exactly empowering for locals.
I pulled in and was soon greeted by Cynthia and Silumba: a wife and husband duo taking initiative to create a better future for their community, “Nakawa”.
Nakawa consists of multiple villages in an area known as "Kazangula" in South-western Zambia. Cynthia and Silumba refer to themselves as "game-changers" given their will to push back against cyclical African issues.
Upon moving from town to their rural land in Nakawa, Cynthia and Silumba’s journey started when they noticed insufficient educational opportunities for Nakawa’s children. Taking action, they gathered their community to build a school near their home, employing individuals from Nakawa as first-time teachers. Despite limited income, Cynthia and Silumba have managed to bootstrap their initiative; often from the support of inspired friends and allies.
I have become one such ally. Upon meeting Cynthia and Silumba, I quickly realised they are the real deal. After plenty of kilometres through Africa, it was intuitive to recognise the integrity in their grassroots effort. I camped at their site, and soon followed multiple thought-provoking stories and insights into African challenges and how we can work together to impact the future of Nakawa.
We started brainstorming ideas to leverage one of Nakawa’s key strengths: the traditional knowledge of their elders. It was a fascinating discussion revealing just how rich the land and people of Nakawa and Africa are, but how brainwashed and sabotaged the people have become due to the greed and influences of foreign interests and the domestically corrupt.
The Mongongo Nut
Our plan of action was soon clear: the Mongongo Nut grows abundantly in the area, the trees of which have proven resilient to persistent droughts. This nut has multiple uses, including dietary health benefits and agricultural uses (cooking oil, animal feed, food). By optimising the processing method, we can employ locals to supply the nut while we produce value-added Mongongo products. What Nakawa needs is a nut processing machine.
I quickly volunteered to provide funding for the machine. The decision was seamless. I already knew how I would do it; via a crowd-funding campaign. I knew which platform I would use and the community I would reach out to.
Launching today, “Bitcoin Nakawa”
It is my pleasure to announce the official launch of our community crowd source fund,"Bitcoin Nakawa", starting today.
Bitcoin Nakawa Geyser Fund
Funding the purchase of the Mongongo Nut processing machine is the first project for this fund. Upon its completion, Bitcoin Nakawa aims to fund further projects to support the long-term sustainability of Nakawa.
For many of you reading this newsletter, this project may prove tricky to support because the platform of our crowd-sourcing campaign, Geyser Fund, only accepts donations in Bitcoin.
I suppose alternative donations are welcome (send me a message). It's just that the ethos of Bitcoin as money, and the community surrounding it, aligns to counteract the type of systemic issues Nakawa is up against. This is also why Bitcoin payments are much preferred to support this publication.
Why would I go through the effort of jumping through the hoops of rent-seeking banks and private payment-processing middle men to accept fiat currencies (USD, CAD, EURO, etc.) that serve as instruments of monetary imperialism? Bitcoin is apolitical, and promotes the freedom of individuals as an instrument of humanitarianism.
I highly suggest exploring readings on fiat currency as extensions of imperial power. The CFA Franc (a pair of fiat currencies used in West and Central Africa) is an especially pernicious example of monetary colonialism in the modern age.
Suggested reading:
https://mises.org/mises-wire/africas-way-out-monetary-colonialism
I also suggest reading and listening to Alex Gladstein, CSO for the Human Rights Foundation, for more on how Bitcoin serves as a humanitarian technology.
Some Alex Gladstein articles:
https://bitcoinmagazine.com/authors/alexgladstein
Bitcoiners are a very supportive and tight-knit community. From my past-involvement and understanding, I'm confident they'll quickly understand the essence of this project.
Getting started
The idea may seem simple, but adapting with nature, instead of harvesting the trees for charcoal (a common local source of income), protects the environment, encourages traditional ecological knowledge preservation, and is a more sustainable and value-dense source of income for Nakawa. It’s a subtle, but empowering shift in their incentives to foster growth.
The Mongongo Nut is just one amongst a wealth of priceless pieces of wisdom I have learned from my time with Nakawa's elders. It has become evident that now it's just a matter of getting started.
Nakawa translates to "The cow whose milk never ends" - a fitting name for the potential of this community.
I would like to thank everyone for their enthusiasm in supporting this project. Even for those who don’t contribute, your readership is a blessing.
I will be documenting and posting updates and developments in Nakawa through this publication, and through my X (Twitter) account.
G
Nakawa Links:
Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/6Ai797NSoBe2emNj8
iOverlander: https://ioverlander.com/places/221610-nakawa-community-campsite
Website: http://nakawacommunityschool.org/ (pending...)
Goeie artikel en mooi projek Gerrit !