Empower: Matheus

Talking about Matheus and his family after our op-ed on Spiral Dynamics comes naturally. It was in fact how we ended! A cliffhanger, Namibian style.

It is still early days and I do not want to come across as naive or biased, yet writing about the personal development of Matheus is inspiring. With his background as a shepherd on the farm for 17 years operating under a traditional authority/style, we decided to trust and empower him - in sometimes uncomfortable ways. 

In our Western societies, we value empowerment and initiatives, at least in theory. Most of the time, the risk is relatively limited: even if the person does not excel or lacks initiative, the job result remains roughly satisfactory (and we have a number of guardrails). We operate on a performance scale of 60-120%. Top performers achieve 2x more than the bottom ones. Performance driven organizations publicize that their bottom 10% need to move up or out.  

For a property of 13’000ha in a remote part of Namibia, empowerment gets close to ‘handing over the keys’. It is a leap of faith. Culture does also weigh in. So far, it has been hugely rewarding.

What has changed?

Qualitatively, Matheus looks much happier and with more energy. Boasting a renewed spark in his eyes and a large smile. It feels like he likes his new life and is proud of his achievements.

As a shepherd looking after livestock, wildlife competes with sheep and goat or cattle in terms of food. Zebras mostly graze, kudus browse. Against industrial agriculture that produces c. 1’000 kilocalories per square meter (barley, oats, potatoes), veld in Namibia or other dry areas is a harsh environment. Game is not welcome and threats like jackals, hyena, cheetah are shot on sight. 

Matheus who lives in the veld is an amazing spotter and nature lover. How else can you spend days in the outback and levitate (Legolas style) over the escarpments and rocks that the landscape offers. Gone are the sheep and goats. Any sightings of kudus, zebras, oryx, springboks, jackals and birds are encouraged and shared.

Equally, Matheus was never expected to be interested in technology. We now communicate through WhatsApp and it turns out that Matheus has a keen eye for photography. It has become a game between us: he brings the digital camera on hikes and takes a few shots at his own initiative. 

Closer to our conservation objectives, fence removals started off in a - let’s say - artistic way, fences were down though not neatly and could not be reused. 

Finally, Matheus used to walk around the property to go from the farmhouse to the different sites he tends to: outer perimeters, enclosures, water points, boreholes and pumps. In any weather. From a cold winter morning (around freezing) to the heat of the summer (>40deg C.). That would mean hours of walk per day and a limit to his ‘range’. As he can not drive a car, we resorted to buying an ATV/quad instead. After a short learning curve (10 min. driving Pierre around, learning how to start, engage Drive, reverse), Matheus is now zipping around. 

Beyond the fact that he can now travel through rough terrain much faster, we also hacked up a hitch to the trailer. So now, metallic poles, wires, plates and other parts of the old fences can be brought back to the farmhouse for neat storage until re(f)use. 

Is everything rosy? Of course, no. The logistics that a large and remote property demands take planning and good communication (more on the logistics in our next blog). One of them is to supply enough rations to avoid costly 200km return drives to Keetmanshoop. And 5 or 6 people eat more than 2… because the Löwen River Rewilding community grew.

Mushinga (7 years old) and Centias (15) with her 3-month old son, Miracle, came to stay with their parents. Until they can go back to school early 2025. That’s the plan.