The Daureb Mountain or Brandberg rises out of the desert in north-western Namibia. This extinct volcano is formed of red, weathered granite and deserves both its names: Brandberg is German, and means “burning mountain”; Daureb is its original Damara name, and means “pile of ash”.
But to those that live in her shadow there is more to her stark beauty than meets the eye. Karel !Naibab, who was born under the Daureb Mountain and now works for the Brandberg Conservancy, acts as guide and teacher in this charming film about a single man’s attempts to re-establish the communities traditional links with their mountain.
It follows Naibab as he uncovers the secrets of his community’s holy mountain, which he calls “my temple and my church”. From 5,000 year old rock paintings to tadpoles and black eagles, Naibab explains the spiritual meaning of the natural world around him.
Many Daureb-Dama are not so enthusiastic. The rusting ruins of an abandoned mine nearby speak of the devastating loss of income this community suffered when the mine closed. alcohol” and “modern worshipping belief structures”
followed in the mine’s closure ad helped to undermine his people’s faith in their ancestral cultures and oral history.
But Naibab’s enthusiasm for his ancestors and the Daureb-Dama way of life is committed. And his delight at flying for the first time, as he looks down over the Daureb Mountain from a microlight, shows us all that we should treasure the simple things in life.