Social Anthropologist

Romie Nghitevelekwa

Romie Nghitevelekwa is a lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Namibia.

“I teach Sociology of the Environment, Rural Sociology, Classical Sociological Theory at undergraduate level, and Research Methodologies in Development Studies at Master’s level.

After she did her undergraduate degree, she did an internship at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Energy and Environment Programme for six months, and went on to pursue her Master’s degree at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa.

“This time it was also in a different but related discipline – Social Anthropology. After my MA, I worked again at the UNDP for four years, and then left for Freiburg, Germany to pursue my PhD in Social Anthropology. Through my PhD, I undertook extensive research on communal land reform in Namibia and its implications for social equity. Having an MA had therefore qualified me to teach at a University level and having a PhD even much better,” she adds.

In addition to teaching I do a lot of academic and commissioned research in the field of land and land reform particularly focusing on communal land,” she said.

An average day for her largely involves extensive preparations for her lectures. “If you are going to stand in front of students and impart knowledge, you ought to be knowledgeable yourself, you have to be prepared,” she further added.

To work in this industry you need to have determination, integrity and understanding and must be willing to learn from others.