The Big Issue Namibia celebrates its second birthday this July. The magazine, a member of the International Network of Street Papers, is sold on the streets of Windhoek, Swakopmund and, most recently, the southern town of Keetmanshoop, by the homeless, vulnerably housed and long-term unemployed.

Since the May 2004 edition, the magazine has been selling out its 2000 issues and the readership itself is estimated at about five times that. The population in Namibia is only 1,8 million people.

To date more than 300 vendors have registered with The Big Issue Namibia, while about 40 only have remained as active vendors. The others apparently preferring to return to their familiar lives of begging, washing or guarding cars, commercial sex work, crime or selling returnable cool-drink bottles instead of starting their own business selling the magazine.

Vendors initially get five magazines for free. After having sold those to the public at N$7.85 each (one Euro = N$7.93), they are expected to return to the depot and begin to buy magazines on a self-employment basis at N$4.00 each and continue to sell them to the public at the higher price, keeping the difference, and any tips, as their profit.

Vendors Oscar Locke and Stanley Snyders

Our top vendors are earning in the region of N$800 to N$1400, which compares favourably to some of the lower-income jobs in Namibia, such as security work. As another comparison, an old age pension is a mere N$250 a month.

From humble beginnings in 2002 when the total vendor income averaged N$2250 a month, The Big Issue Namibia now generates a total monthly income for the vendors of some N$10000.

What does The Big Issue mean to you? "Congratulation on your second birthday! I like the fact The Big Issue Namibia gives disadvantaged people a chance to make some money, keep their dignity and keep themselves busy. I find most of the sellers I meet very patient and polite and always willing to have a chat. I enjoyed particularly the February issue article: ‘Crossing borders and joining hearts’." "It’s a very positive magazine that is about enriching our people socially and as individuals. It accommodates all types of personalities without discrimination. Its cause is my motivating factor. It is true – nobody likes to beg." "As a tour guide I travel around the country and I always bring my copies to distribute to people who do not have access to The Big Issue, and people really like the content. Opinions expressed in the mag are also interesting and contribute to another point of view of Namibian society that is not always expressed in the daily papers."

Necessity

When the project began in June 2002, gearing up for the first issue in July 2002, the staff comprised the Project Director Jo Rogge, Editor Sarah Taylor and Office Assistant Ndemupa Kaupatwa. To date a further six full-time and one part-time position have been created out of necessity. This includes a Vendor Support Co-ordinator, who assist with the vendors’ counselling, art and literacy classes, and other skills training to help them move on to better, more full-time and permanent employment.

Articles in the magazine cover a range of subjects, with a focus on social issues and issues affecting Namibians, as well as entertainment. As it is the only general interest Namibian magazine, we aim to appeal to as wide an audience as possible and judging by the letters, e-mails and faxes we receive from a variety of Namibians and expatriats and visitors (across ethnic, gender and age lines), we are achieving just that (see comments below).

Changing attitudes

Most people regularly buy South African magazines here and changing people’s buying attitudes has not been easy, but each month our sales increase so we feel confident that in a few years’ time we will be making a real impact on the media sector.

Changing destitute people’s attitudes from a hand-out mode to that of a hand-up and self-employment is also not easy as many just expect charity, and don’t want to put in any effort themselves. This is probably largely as a result of the demoralizing apartheid system during the time South West Africa fell under South African control. We do feel that we are making progress in this regard in a small way with our regular vendors and we are continuing to increase our vendor base each week.


Read further:

Media for the people, by the people, thanks to Big Issue

Sarah Taylor is editor of The Big Issue Namibia

The Big Issue Namibia is published by the Magazine Trust, which is a partner organization of NiZA’s Media Programme.