66 photos.
Joanitha with Invictus statueLoveland, Colorado, 2008
Nelson Mandela gave Eddie Daniels a copy of this poem shortly before Eddie was released. Eddie often used it when teaching his students. I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul. Just days after meeting Eddie, we happened upon this statue in Loveland.
Eddie Daniels with Greg and JoanithaFort Collins, Colorado, 2008
Eddie Daniels was a prisoner for fighting apartheid in South Africa, along with Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and other future ANC leaders. It was inspiring to meet him and read his book There and Back: Robben Island, 1964-1979.
old taxi parkKampala, Uganda, 2004
Matatus (minivan commuter taxis) are an important mode of transport within Kampala and elsewhere in Uganda for many people. The legal limit is 14 passengers, plus the conductor and the driver; usually the five rows of benches can seat three people each. In Nairobi the matatus can seat 20; each row has four seats. Getting to your matatu in the maze of vehicles in Old Park can be challenging, and traffic jams can cause long delays.
Joanitha buying fishBukoba, Tanzania, 2004
Fishermen use hand-made wooden boats and hand-woven nets. They sell their catch from the shores of Bukoba. Many catch fish at night by attracting them with kerosene lamps.
Greg and Joanitha in a jeepBukoba, Tanzania, 2003
After our wedding, we paraded around town in this limousine, sounding triple beeps, cheered on and even followed by many curious townspeople.
Tim, Greg, Joanitha and DonaldBukoba, Tanzania, 2003
Donald passed away suddenly, just a few months after we left East Africa. He was in charge of rebuilding many of the important highways connecting Bukoba to other towns, including Mutukula, the border with Uganda. He was a jovial, witty and intelligent Brit whose wife was originally from Lesotho.
Greg and Joanitha's weddingBukoba, Tanzania, 2003
The wedding took place at Bukoba Roman Catholic Cathedral Parish in central Bukoba on September 13.
traditional dancer, sendoff partyBukoba, Tanzania, 2003
This dancing troupe from Mwanza featured a man acting as a crazed monkey.
bridge across the Kanoni riverBukoba, Tanzania, 2003
I crossed this bridge many times going to and from Joanitha's house in Buyekera. It can be difficult to see at night unless the moon is out because much of the path is unlit.
Joanitha in a tree, national arboretumNairobi, Kenya, 2003
The arboretum in Kenya is a large park full of many varieties of trees, both indigenous and imported.
Rubaga CathedralKampala, Uganda, 2003
I saw this Roman Catholic cathedral every week on my way to and from Uganda Martyrs University because they have a Rubaga campus where the bus departs for Nkozi. It has a large interior and nice pipe organ.
Joanitha photographing monkeys, national arboretumEntebbe, Uganda, 2003
The arboretum in Entebbe has a nice setting by Lake Victoria near the Wildlife Education Centre and is home to two types of monkeys and many types of birds.
shoebill storkEntebbe, Uganda, 2003
The shoebill stork is a rare bird of East Africa, one of the many animals found in natural settings at the Entebbe Wildlife Education Centre.
Miss Kagera beauty pageantBukoba, Tanzania, 2002
This beauty pageant was quite a show, with music, dancing, food and drink, talent performances and beautiful costumes.
Lake VictoriaBukoba, Tanzania, 2002
Bukoba has a nice sandy beach and scenic views of Lake Victoria. The concrete structure in the foreground is the 100-year-old remnant of a German communication tower. Musira island can be seen in the distance.
Lake HotelBukoba, Tanzania, 2002
Like many of Bukoba's historic landmarks, the Lake Hotel is in a state of decay.
information technology students, University of BukobaBukoba, Tanzania, 2001
Dawooda, Amin, Jollystar, Alex, Rumanyika, Thomas, Justin, Salum, Joanitha, Aneth, Leserian, Rosemary, Rahely, Edina, Martha, Janat
the Vogl family at ChristmasSouth Bend, Indiana, 1999
Front row: Tom, Mary, Connor, Colette, Emmanuel, Greg. Back row: Mohammed, Joe, Don, Becky, Paul
Greg, Mary and Emmanuel inner-tubingSouth Bend, Indiana, 1999
Emmanuel had his first experience with snow in Indiana. He seemed not to mind the cold.
Greg and Emmanuel EdomwandeSouth Bend, Indiana, 1999
Emmanuel and I taught at Ponhofi Senior Secondary School in Namibia for three years and shared a teacher hostel for a year. Emmanuel came to the US in 1999 and visited me and my family for Christmas. He recently completed his PhD in entomology and is living in Texas.
Joanitha and friends carrying bucketsBukoba, Tanzania, 1998
Only a small minority of African families get their water from a faucet in their homes. Many African women and girls must carry buckets of water on their heads for long distances so that their families can drink water, cook and wash clothes.
Joanitha near a tree planted by President MoiKisumu, Kenya, 1997
Joanitha's school went on a sporting trip to Kenya and stopped by this monument to Kenya's long-time president. Many things were named after Moi, who held onto power for more than 20 years.
Joanitha acting as a ghostMwanza, Tanzania, 1997
Joanitha enjoyed drama and acting. Some students were afraid of her for some time after this performance.
staff, Ponhofi Senior Secondary SchoolOhangwena, Namibia, 1997
Greg Vogl (me), physics and computer teacher, USA, Monika Katanga, secretary, Namibia, Tuyeni Ndaikile, Kwanyama teacher, Namibia, Martha (Katiti) Nhinda, Kwanyama teacher, Namibia, Irene Carolissen, English teacher, Namibia, Saima Amunyela, Kwanyama teacher, Namibia, Lydia (Ivawa) Munghadi, biology teacher, Namibia, Liam Garvey, mathematics teacher, Australia, Julie Murphy, accounting teacher, Scotland, Philip Shimhanda, natural economy teacher, Namibia, Emmanuel Edomwande (seated), biology teacher, Nigeria, Eric Kemanya, English teacher, Namibia, Mark Fleming, mathematics teacher, Scotland, Mary (Maria) Nashandi, business studies teacher, Namibia, Peter Maswahu, agriculture teacher, Namibia, Lucky (Nhlanhla) Lupahla, mathematics teacher, Zimbabwe, Michael Kavungo, Vice-Principal and English teacher, Namibia, Håkon Hermanstrand, English teacher, Norway
Red, white and blue tin houseOhangwena, Namibia, 1997
I passed this abandoned shack in the middle of an empty lot whenever going into town. I took this photo the morning I left Ohangwena. Elago Elago writes: As it's painted in DTA colours, I suspect it's an abandoned DTA cardboard type pre-fabricated office. The DTA had quite many of those (and mobile ones) in the 4 northern regions and after losing quite a lot of support, they simply abandoned what they couldn't take along.
upside down trees, Etosha National ParkOkaukuejo, Namibia, 1997
San legends say that when God threw these trees in anger, they landed upside down, with the roots in the air. These trees have been damaged by elephants, and many are now protected by a fence.
aloe and quiver tree, KokerboomwoudKeetmanshoop, Namibia, 1997
Aloes are very common, especially in the South. There are hundreds of varieties.
quiver tree, KokerboomwoudKeetmanshoop, Namibia, 1997
The Quiver Tree is so named because San (so-called Bushmen) hunters hollow out the branches to make quivers for storing their arrows. The trees do not quiver much in the wind.
Christus KircheWindhoek, Namibia, 1997
This German Lutheran church is a landmark overlooking Windhoek.
storage areaBobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, 1996
Houses in Burkina Faso are built of mud, stone or straw. This mud village was relatively traditional, and there were many locations for sacrificing animals. To get to this village, I rode on the back of a small motorcycle. I also toured a stone village on a hill and a pond with giant sacred catfish.
Pont de Lianes (vine bridge)Man, Cote D'Ivoire, 1996
Near the border between Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea, the Dan people still construct bridges out of vines. The bridges appear overnight, so that nobody knows exactly who constructed or hung them.
tree trunkMan, Cote D'Ivoire, 1996
Varieties of these trees grow to enormous heights. The roots of this tree do not go very deep because the soil of tropical forests is relatively thin. Ribs in the trunk support the tree like the buttresses of a cathedral. The tropical forests in Cote d'Ivoire have mostly been cleared, and I saw truckloads of huge logs, but Gabon is one country that still has large reserves of tropical forest.
twisted treeMan, Cote D'Ivoire, 1996
Many trees take on a monstrous, grotesque appearance, twisted by some unknown combination of wind, weather, animals, people and spirits.
child outside a tin houseOniipa, Namibia, 1995
Because of the recent population boom, deforestation has limited the amount of available wood (mostly from omusati/mopane trees) for fencing and housing. As a result, a more Western style of housing has been adopted: rectangular houses made of metal or concrete, with wire mesh for fencing. These houses are hotter and costlier, but they are more permanent, they save wood, and their modernity makes them a status symbol. A volunteer teacher I knew lived in a traditional compound in a hut with walls made of cement interspersed with hundreds of empty dumpies (beer bottles) to act as tiny windows of light. Another volunteer helped to stock a dumpie library with books. Tin buildings are very commonly seen on roadsides, often serving as bottle stores (bars).
Class 11C, Ponhofi SchoolOhangwena, Namibia, 1995
Most of the girls were in the required uniform most of the time, but the boys preferred to pretend to be rebels. In many schools, students cannot afford to buy a uniform, but at Ponhofi this was mostly a false excuse. The students were generally friendly, polite and well-behaved. They tried incredibly hard, despite their limited exposure to English, so although the teachers did not enforce discipline well, they usually did not have to. Most students came from rural farms, yet they hoped to get a job in a town or city, where the competition for white-collar jobs is stiff.
mine fieldOhangwena, Namibia, 1995
I passed this mine field every time I walked from the dining hall to the post office. Large armored trucks would drive through the mine fields and set off mines around lunch time. The border between Namibia and Angola remains fairly heavily mined, and many people, especially children, continue to be killed or injured by mines long after the end of the war. Children think the mines are toys and pick them up. An education and de-mining campaign has helped somewhat, but it is much more expensive to de-mine than to mine. The US continues to be one of the few countries that refuses to sign the international treaty banning land mines.
souvenirs on Post Street MallWindhoek, Namibia, 1995
Souvenirs for sale include baskets, wood bowls and animal carvings, necklaces, and drums, most of which are made in the North. Downtown in the capital city is very similar to a European city: modern, clean, and many rich people. When you go to the suburbs you see the poor people in small houses crammed into dusty lots. During the Apartheid era, non-whites were driven into the suburbs, and though the law has changed, the inequalities are slow to go away.
National Museum, Zanzibar TownZanzibar, Tanzania, 1995
The Zanzibar National Museum includes many fascinating items from the Swahili and colonial eras.
cow and hutZanzibar, Tanzania, 1995
The island's main industries are tourism and agriculture. Many kinds of spices are grown on the island for exporting.
baobab treeVictoria Falls, Zimbabwe, 1995
Baobab trees are common throughout Africa and can be found in the northern part of Namibia, where they are known as omukwa. They can live for hundreds of years. This one is very old and has a trunk of about 10 metres across. The San use many parts of these trees.
The Reinke family, Wisconsin, 1930
Martha, Louis Lieberfinger, Don, Michael, Emelie, Lena? Clara?, Frank, ?, ?. seated: Amanda, Jerry, Charles Eggert, Anne, Norbert, Dorothy, Junior, ?, Robert, ?, Charlotte Eggert?
The Reinke family, Wisconsin, 1923
Anne, Amanda, George, Rose, Edward, Emelie, Mary, Frank. seated: Martha, Clara
Frank Reinke, Wisconsin, 1918
Frank Reinke was my great grandfather. Frank Frederick was the fourth child of Franz Reinke and Caroline Holke. He married Emilie Stischke. They had ten children: Martha, Maria, Amalia, Amanda, Alma, Rosa, George, Anna, Clara Ann and Edward. This photo was taken from his alien registration card in 1918.
Emelie Stischke, Wisconsin, 1886
Emilie Stische was my great great grandmother. She was the daughter of Louis Stischke and Rosa Lucht. She was born in Germany and came to the USA with her mother and other family members.