Traditionally the //ohru Plant, also known as Aloe Vera, is a very useful and important plant, and regarded as medicine world-wide. As for the San Community in Namibia in the Tsumkwe Constituency (Tsumkwe East), we use it as medicine for certain illnesses. For example: If you have abdominal pains, you can cut Aloe Vera into pieces and boil it in water for a minute and then drink that solution. You can also boil and drink Aloe Vera for menstrual pains, for women or young girls. When animals such as chickens and dogs are sick, you can cut pieces of Aloe Vera and put them in a container with some water and then let your animals drink it.
You can eat the flesh of this little sour fruit. You also use it as hair “fertilizer” to grow your hair, or you can use it as sunscreen by roasting the seed over coals and using the oil.
My name is Nǂaisa Ghauz from Namibia. I live in a small village called Tsumkwe in the North-Eastern parts of Namibia, Iam a San lady, iam from a San group called Ju,/’hoansi. I work as a Administrative officer and as an Assistant Librarian at the Tsumkwe Community Library. I am 26 years of age, I have five siblings of which I am the first born and being the first born have taught me one thing which is to be responsible and to be a role model to my siblings and not only to my siblings, but to the society within my community at large because I am one those few people that has completed school in my community. In the future iam welling to be more productive educational and economic wise in order to motivate my fellow San people especially the youth because we can not be marginalized forever. I am one of the satellite pioneers representing Tsumkwe once again thank you ǃkwattu for that opportunity.
