Art

Namibia has many locally produced crafts and many of the craft markets & curios shops are stocked with local as well as African objects from further afield.

The wood carving markets at Okahandja should provide a few useful souvenirs, the carved giraffes are particularly popular. Other notable crafts include the woven grass baskets, wooden salad bowls, and wire ornaments.

Other places to look for crafts include the Post Street Mall in central Windhoek (opposite the central post office) here casual traders sell a variety of objects - these are generally not of great quality but a bit of searching can show up some nice items. Also worth a visit in Windhoek is the exclusive Bushman Art (on Independence Avenue) which has a wide range of quality antique African art.

In Swakopmund, Peter's Antiques stock a wide range of African Art as well as having a section of bizarre second hand tat. There are also numerous street vendors selling wood carvings and the like.

The best place to buy baskets and clay urns is in the Caprivi & Kavango areas of northern Namibia - here you will often see roadside salesmen peddling their wares.

Also very popular is jewelry made by Namibia's Himba People, these can be purchased from source in Kaokoland or found in most curio shops.

Namibia is well known for its diamonds and semi precious stones, and these can provide a particularly good souvenir (and excellent investment). House of Gems on Werner List Street in Windhoek is a good place to start looking. DO NOT buy illegal diamonds, chances are you will either be ripped off or arrested. Police entrapment is not illegal and is fairly common.

Namibian artists of note include Tuli Mekondjo (artist), Tony Figuera (photographer), Paul Van Schalkwyk (photographer),  Rain Van Schalkwyk (photographer), Pompies Burger (photographer), Susan Mitchinson (block prints) and a host of lino printers the most popular of whom is the late John Muafangejo.

"Art is making something out of nothing and selling it.", Frank Zappa