A cluster of tin houses, a brightly-painted kindergarten and a water tank (which, we soon learned, was resented by locals for attracting elephants) greeted us upon our arrival to the small village of De Riet. We were initially worried that we’d taken a wrong turn; at first glance, the village looked abandoned. However, our fears were dispelled as our guide Geraldo led us to the home of Rebekka, local elder and original resident of De Riet. She immediately offered us a tour.
Rebekka shed light on the history of the small settlement, explaining her experience of being forced to move to Damaraland nearly half a century ago by the South African Apartheid government. She then showed us to the goat pens. Here, the kids – baby goats, not actual children, although the sounds they made were strikingly similar to those of toddlers – were crying out for their mothers. We were immediately smitten, and left reluctantly fifteen minutes later with our phones full of videos of kids climbing over one another, nibbling our fingers and being generally adorable.
As Rebekka led us deeper into De Riet, we discovered that the tranquil, still atmosphere we had noticed was a result of many inhabitants travelling for the school holidays. Despite this, the village was far from empty. We came across a dynamic brother-sister duo playing on a makeshift playground, and they decided to join us. We loved interacting with the kids, having mini photo shoots with them wearing our hats and sunglasses as they eagerly posed and wiggled. Every shot was blurry and full of laughter. It was also a delight teaching them how to ‘bounce like a kangaroo’, ‘fly like a plane’ and making fools of ourselves for their amusement.
We later met another resident, Angelica, who introduced us to her beautiful baby and fell into step beside Rebekka, quietly offering personal accounts whenever conversation lulled. One of the things we found particularly special about De Riet was how warm and welcoming everyone we met was – eager to crack a joke or share their fascinating story with us.
It seems to us that visitors don’t frequent this charming town and listen to its important history as often as it deserves, so if you get the chance, plan an outing to De Riet. Its wonderful residents will treat you to an informative and heart-warming experience, and you can give back to the community by purchasing the lovingly-made local crafts and jewellery, embroidered fabrics and hand painted mugs.
