Mesa Community College

Program Description

A trek through the wilds of Africa will probably be the single most adventurous and exciting thing that you will ever do!

In true safari style, we'll spend 5 weeks traveling Namibia in 4x4 vehicles equipped with rooftop tents; learning, exploring, and photographing Africa's amazing wildlife, tribal cultures, and breathtaking landscapes.

Estimated Program Costs

• Program Fee: $2,616 (includes cultural excursions, ground transportation, instructional support, lodging, travel insurance, etc.)
• Tuition: 6 credits - some course fees apply
• Registration Fee:  $15
• Airfare is NOT included (estimated at $2,350).
• Meals are NOT included (estimated at $300-$450).

Download the Program brochure coming soon.

Namibia Program Excursions

We'll visit Etosha Park with Africa's big 5 (lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino, leopard), the Himba and Bushman people, the dunes at Sossusvlei, track desert elephants and rhinos, see the worlds largest cape fur seal colony along the skeleton coast, and get up close with cheetahs at the Cheetah Conservation Fund.

Namibia Program Details

Our focus is to learn about and photograph the wildlife, flora, people, and landscapes of this amazing place. With a mix of wilderness bush camping, deluxe restcamps, relaxing starlight campfires and bbq's, and unique wildlife everywhere, this will be more than the adventure of a lifetime!

Program Courses (6 credit hours):

• ART142 19394: Digital Photography (3 cr); requires $35 course fee
• BIO298AC 19504: Natural History of Namibia (3 cr)

Program website coming soon.

Program Director

Dr. Dennis Wilson
Life Science Department
Phone: 480-654-7731
Office Location: Red Mountain - S/264
Email: dwilson@mesacc.edu

Dates to Remember

Information Sessions Location: Kirk Center - Maricopa Room

Tuesdays - 6:00pm - 6:45pm:
Sept. 13 & Sept. 27, 2011
Oct. 11 & Oct. 25, 2011
November 8, 2011
Jan. 31 & Feb. 14, 2012

Wednesdays - 1:00pm - 1:45pm
Sept. 14 & Sept. 28, 2011
Oct. 12 & Oct. 26, 2011
November 9, 2011
Feb. 1 & Feb. 15, 2012
Financial Aid Specialist Available!

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Program Application Deadline: Friday, March 23, 2012

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Apply early to reserve your place!  Late applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Complete the 2012 Application - this pdf file can be completed on your computer and then saved and printed.

Submit directly to the Program Director or to the Study Abroad Coordinator.

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Scholarship Deadline:

March 1, 2012

Get information on scholarships, grants, and financial aid for study abroad here.

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Payment Deadline:
March 23, 2012

Download the helpful guide: How to Pay for Study Abroad   updated 11/1/11.

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Mandatory Orientation:

April 14, 2012 from 9 am - 1 pm in LB145 in the Elsner Library at the Southern & Dobson campus.

You must attend the mandatory general study abroad orientation. There may be additional required meetings for your specific program. Contact the Program Director for details.

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Passports

A valid passport book or card is required to enter or re-enter the United States.
  > > Passport Info Here

Photo Gallery

Program Location

Namibia is a country located on the western coast of Africa. Sharing borders with South Africa and Botswana to the east and Angola to the north, Namibia's landscape includes open grasslands, pans, dry riverbeds and dense woodlands. The oldest desert in the world, the Namib, along with the Kalahari, the largest desert; comprise two of the arid and semi-arid zones in the country's central region.

Indigenous Namibians belong to a variety of cultural groups. Click each heading below to read more in each section.

The most numerous people, the Ovambo,

are traditional farmers and historically were found in the northwestern sandy plains. Adaptable people, they have spread across most of Namibia following fertile, tillable soil. The Kavango people are closely related to the Ovambo and historically resided in northeastern Namibia. They are skilled wood carvers and make their living farming and raising cattle.

The Herero people are known to be

traditionally pastoral and value cattle as a symbol of status within the community. This status is evident in the Victoria-style dresses of the Herero women complete with a large pointed hat to symbolize a cow's horns. Many modern-day Herero work on large farms or are have found a new life in the cities as tradesmen and merchants.

Historically nomads, the Nama (or Damara) people

speak with click sounds. The Nama practice a policy of communal land ownership and are known for their skilled crafts including leatherwork, skin karosses and mats, musical instruments (such as reed flutes), jewellery, clay pots, and tortoiseshell powder containers. Music, poetry and story telling are very important in Nama culture.

The nomadic and pastoral Himba of the north coastal region

are a people who value cattle and goats. The women perform most of the clan's physical labor including caring for children. While both men and women traditional wear only a loincloth with exposed upper bodies, the woman are resplendent with their intricate hair-styles and skin coated in a mixture of butter fat and ochre giving them a reddish tint. This mixture is also applied to their hair and along with the ornamental copper necklaces and intricate anklets they are quite striking and easily identifiable.

The last of the indigenous people are the Bushmen or San,

and they represent the last representatives of the hunter-gatherer tradition. Also known for the click language the San are usually small in stature with lighter colored skin. The San have traditionally lived in small mobile foraging bands but many have turned to farming at government insistence. The San's culture is more leisurely than others as large amounts of time are spent in conversation, joking, music, and sacred dances. Women have a high status in the San society, are greatly respected, and may be leaders of their own family groups.