Oranjemund has been a mystery for many years, everyone knows about it but very few have seen it. This was mainly due to the town be a restricted area, an accessory works built in 1936 to service the diamond mining industry. As such, only people working for the mine could live there, and visits from friends and family were strictly controlled. Today, after 84 years, Oranjemund is a much-changed town. No longer is it run by a mine, no longer is it closed and taboo, no longer is it inaccessible. During the last 10 years the town was proclaimed, a local authority was established, and a journey called Town Transformation was started. This process entails weaning the town’s dependency off of diamond mining and creating a sustainable future beyond mining. But the world does not know this, and it is our job to make it know that Oranjemund is open as a destination, as a place of economic growth, as a place to belong. The ChangeMaker media campaign is aimed at telling the story of Oranjemund, of diamond mining, of its people, and of its future. We have searched high and low for ex-Oranjemunders who went into the world and became leaders in their respective fields, and we asked them how Oranjemund shaped their lives. We selected those community leaders in Oranjemund who are driving the process of change, and we asked them what their hopes for a Oranjemund’s future are. And we talked to those working hard to create a future for the town how this change is being created.
During 11-17 October 2020 a Tribefire filming crew descended on Oranjemund to film the local stories. The interviews covered all aspects that makes Oranjemund interesting, like the story behind the discovery of the 16th century shipwreck, agriculture potential for Oranjemund and the roles community leaders play in developing and supporting Oranjemund. Although they were nervous, interviewees excelled at telling their stories. Through this process everyone involved looked at Oranjemund through a new lens, appreciating what a unique place and people we have here.
In addition, interviews were held with the leaders of Namdeb, OMD 2030, OMDis and OTC, as well as specialists from Salients and SMEs Compete. We even had the First Lady of Namibia, Her Excellency M regaling us with the story of her growing up in Oranjemund!
Here is a teaser of the #ChangeMaker series. Keep an eye out for this series on Africa One and other online platforms. Coming to you soon!
News & Announcements
Through our news and announcements, we hope to keep you engaged yet inspired as we share Oranjemunds transform journey with you.