• World Harmony Run

    World's Largest Torch Relay
    World Harmony Run

  • 1,000,000 Participants

    Across 6 Continents
    1,000,000 Participants

  • Dreaming of a more harmonious world

    100 countries
    Dreaming of Harmony

  • Schools And Kids

    Make a Wish for Peace
    Schools And Kids

  • Sri Chinmoy: World Harmony Run Founder

    World Harmony Run Founder
    Sri Chinmoy

  • Carl Lewis: World Harmony Run Spokesman

    World Harmony Run Spokesman
    Carl Lewis

  • New York, USA

    New York
    USA

  • London, Great Britain

    London
    Great Britain

  • Shakhovskaya, Russia

    Shakhovskaya
    Russia

  • Around Australia

    15,000 kms, 100 days
    Around Australia

  • Around Ireland

    14 Days, 1500km
    Around Ireland

  • Wanaka, New Zealand

    Wanaka
    New Zealand

  • Arjang, Norway

    Arjang
    Norway

  • Rekjavik, Iceland

    Rekjavik
    Iceland

  • Beijing, China

    Beijing
    China

  • Prague, Czech Republic

    Prague
    Czech Republic

  • Belgrade, Serbia

    Belgrade
    Serbia

  • Lake Biwa, Japan

    Lake Biwa
    Japan

  • Kapsait, Ethiopia

    Kapsait
    Kenya

  • Pangkor Island, Malaysia

    Pangkor Island
    Malaysia

  • Bali, Indonesia

    Bali
    Indonesia

  • The All Blacks, New Zealand

    The All Blacks
    New Zealand

Namibia 29 October: Katima Mulilo

The World Harmony Run has never visited Namibia before so when we had the opportunity to visit its most remote outpost at the end of the Caprivi strip we jumped at it. Katima Mulilo is nearly 2000 km from Johannesburg, our base for most of the organising for the World Harmony Run, so we had not been able to arrange too much prior to our visit. Balarka had however been able to contact the Regional Director for education who had been very supportive of the visit.

Because of some mechanical problems with our van we had stayed the night before in Kasane rather than Katima Mulilo and so we crossed over the border into Namibia at Ngoma Bridge in the early morning. It is a wild place on the Chobe River about 60 km before the point where it joins the Zambezi. Baobab trees abound along with all sorts of wildlife.

They always seem to me to be some kind of prehistoric tree that somehow woke up and found itself in our modern world. Some of them live for over a thousand years.

The Botswana Customs and Immigration staff loved the idea of the run and let us run between Botswana and Nambia with the torch over Ngoma bridge.

Our visit happened to conicide with one of the first rainfalls in the region this season and everybody and everything was loving it especially this little guy.

 

Katima Mulilo

 

At the Regional Council in Katima Mulilo the Deputy Director for Education, Mr Austin Samupwa very kindly met us and confirmed that they would be most happy to host the World Harmony Run team.

He referred us to his School Inspector, Joy who assisted with a schedule of schools to visit on the day. She very quickly lined up four schools for us to visit over the course of the day including two rural schools on the trans Caprivi Highway.

 

Ngweze Primary School

The first school that we visited was Ngweze Primary School in the heart of Katima Mulilo.

The Principal at the first school was so inspired by the run. She gave us a rousing welcome - it was a great moment for us knowing that this was the first time that the run had ever visited Namibia.

The students soaked everything up and ended with a beautiful rendition of the national anthem of Namibia.

All the teachers had the opportunity to hold the World Harmony Torch and make a wish for peace.

The Principal with the Torch and our humble certificate of appreciation.

 

Brendan Simbwaye Primary School

From Ngweze Primary we headed on to Brendan Simbwaye Primary on the outskirts of town.

One of the things that I loved about Katima Mulilo is the trees. Because it is so close to the Zambezi River the trees are huge. With the mercury hitting 38 degrees Celcius everybody here makes great use of them. At Brendan Simbwaye all the students assembled under a single huge tree.

Standing on a manhole we gave a talk to a very receptive and disciplined audience in pindrop silence.

Dhiraja found that when he mentioned the All Blacks rugby team even children in Namibia had heard of them and guessed that he was from New Zealand.

When Steve got up it took a while for them to guess that he is originally from Greece - there were all sorts of guesses including India!

After we had sung the World Harmony Run Song we asked if the school wanted to sing to us. We were not surprised to find out that they were excellent singers. This girl led the school in a beautiful song, "We are so proud of our school!", about the school, its students, teachers and headmaster.

Afterwards there was time for a run with the torch for a few students hand selected by the Principal.

Here all the teachers hold the torch.

 

Lusilo Primary School

We headed out on the Trans Caprivi Highway, the road that joins Katima Mulilo with the rest of Namibia and found Lusilo Primary School.

Again all the students were assembled on their school chairs under a huge tree.

Even though this was a rural school the children loved the run and enthusiastically helped waved the WHR flags and the Namibia flag.

I have such admiration for the teachers. They struggle day in and day out to guide the students to become good citizens of the world.

 

Kusheshe Combined Primary School

The final school that we visited was Kusheshe Combined Primary School. This was a small school that was further from town.

Technically the children had finished school for the day but they stayed to host the runners under yet another beautiful tree.

There was a mad rush to hold the torch after the ceremony and much fun was had by all!

At the very end of the day the school principal and School Inspector Joy who was instrumental in arranging access to all the schools for the WHR team finally had the opportunity to hold the torch at Kusheshe Combined Primary School.

She then arranged for the WHR team to be interviewed by the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC))

Later that day we visited Kalimbeza Village about 50 km from Katima Mulilo in the rural areas near to the Zambezi River. One of the girls in the photo above held the torch and wished "that she could go to heaven for just one day to visit God".

Our trip back to Botswana was absolutely spectacular - we again had the oportunity to run across the Ngoma bridge as the sun was setting.

What a beautiful part of the world this is. It occured to me that the little girl who had wished to go to heaven could be seen to be already living in a little heaven by many people in the world.

One of the region's ubiquitous hornbills surveys the scene as the sun sets on a wonderful day in Nambia for the World Harmony Run Team.

Thank you Namibia for such a spontaneous and heartfelt reception to the World Harmony Run on its first visit - we hope and pray that this is the beginning of a new era of the World Harmony run visiting the whole of Namibia, not just Katima Mulilo!

 

Southern Africa Region -  Harmony Run 2010 initial reports and photos:

 

 

 

– Abhijatri & Dhiraja

Distance: 8 km

Team Members:
Balarka Robinson (Zimbabwe), Dhiraja McBryde (New Zealand), Steve Polykarpou (RSA/Cyprus), Shree Chirkoot (RSA), Adhiratha Keefe (USA), Abhijatri Robinson (Zimbabwe)

Gallery: See more images!