Bush of Ghosts - Life and War in Namibia 1986-1990
Bush of Ghosts - Life and War in Namibia 1986-1990 - Standby duty at Ondangwa Air Force Base. 1988 Why I was at Ondangwa Air Force Base I cannot remember, but it must have been to drop off film. The civilian side of the airport was separated from the military side by a big sign which said only movements'. After handing in the film for dispatch to Jo burg, one could hang around the place and become part of the furniture. Sooner or later nature would call, and this led to the outside of the building and the toilets. Beyond the toilets sat these men waiting in the sun on standby duty. The officers were easy to convince; coming out of the building usually meant you had clearance. And so this photograph of slave labour happened, as if nothing had changed in a hundred years. Men chained to each other, fighting for a small salary and cheap alcohol at night
