Namibia has placed a moratorium on the trade of all worked
ivory from September 1, including the traditional carved trinkets worn by
northern tribes for centuries known as ekipa or omakipa.
The move, which the government had threatened for months, aims to prevent the
smuggling of ivory harvested from elephants killed by poachers.
"While recognizing omakipas (ekipa) as cultural objects and the provisions
by CITES (the international Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species) for Namibia to produce omakipas and to sell these within Namibia as
personal effects, the government has also has to deal with the newly-carved
omakipa from ivory of unknown origin," the ministry's permanent secretary
Kalumbi Shangula explained.
The ban will remain in place until new laws governing the sale of ivory
products are put in place, he said.
Omakipa are beautiful trinkets worn by the women, headmen and chiefs of the
tribes of northern Namibia and southern Angola as armbands, on necklaces and on
belts at festive occasions. The tradition dates back to the 19th century, with
many of the original items now found in museums and private collections.
The moratorium goes further than CITES in banning the sale of omakipa, even
within Namibia.
All curio shops and street vendors selling ivory products are also now required
to register with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism at a fee of 500
Namibia dollars (65 US dollars).
Namibia, like most southern African countries, has a booming elephant
population - thanks mainly to careful monitoring and the 1989 CITES ban on
ivory trade, which acted as a disincentive to poaching.
The government of the desert state estimates its elephant population at over
16,000. Because of its good monitoring practices, Namibia was granted CITES
permission for a once-off sale of stockpiled ivory to Japan in 1999 to earn
money for further wildlife protection and research.
But poaching is still widespread in other parts of Africa that have lax
wildlife programmes or are experiencing conflict, such as Democratic Republic
of Congo. Namibia fears some of that ivory may be making its way into the hands
of omakipa carvers.
In an effort to ensure everyone is working with legal material Namibia has
announced plans to hand over some of the national stockpile - ivory from
elephants that died in national parks - to the artisans.
"Certain communities that traditionally carve omakipa will be given ivory
from our stockpiles," says Luisa Mupetami, deputy director for Wildlife
Utilisation in the Ministry. "Each of these omakipa will then carry a
certificate that will accompany them from production right through to sale and
export, so that the importing countries can see this is a registered and legal
item."
Horst Knop, owner of a jewellery shop in the capital Windhoek, welcomes the
tougher stance, but fears carvers and street traders in the impoverished desert
state will find it hard to fork out the registration fee.
"I see what they sell, because they frequently come to do business at my
shop," Knop says, "and they don't really make loads of money."
Knop has some beautiful specimens of original omakipa in his store. He says
regulating the trade in worked ivory will also help ensure that Namibia's
heritage is not squandered.
"You don't really find old ekipa anymore. One day our children won't know
what it is, because all of the pieces have gone to Europe or elsewhere, where
people have money," he says. "Therefore I think it's good to regulate
the trade and make sure every item is registered and certified."
Street vendors are wary of the new ruling, saying they are worried about losing
income.
"If I don't get chosen to carve these ekipa, I will never be able to make
a living from them. That is not right," Pandu Shiwedha, a young man who
sells omakipa on a street market but is tightlipped about the origins of the
ivory, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
"For how many months do we have to carry our goods without being able to
sell them? The government must hurry to introduce the new law, otherwise we
will go hungry.", according to dpa.