What’s in a name? Hou-Moed

Hou-Moed is another one of those wonderful Afrikaans terms, for which translation doesn’t do justice. ‘Keep faith’, ‘Have courage’ or ‘Hang in there’ are some of the English equivalents which come close.

When we were building Damara Mopane Lodge, 30km east of Khorixas, I went exploring the surroundings with my sister, artist Carola Kronsbein Goldbeck, to find scenes for paintings to decorate the lodge walls. In Fransfontein we came across Hou-Moed. The name fascinated me and when I was next at the archives, I did a bit of research.

I found that several farms bore that name and guessed that the farmers must have been through a challenging period and needed to have some faith to continue. I then came across the name Murorua, a familiar name as we had just bought the land for the lodge from Dudu Murorua. It is a small world, after all. I contacted Dudu for more information and found out that Samuel Ismael Murorua and his wife Adelheid had opened the store in the 70s. I later learnt the story. Back then the country was sieged by a series of droughts which ushered in a time of economic hardship. Adelheid had worked in a bottle store in Welwitschia (now Khorixas) and using her experience and discarded bricks left behind on vacated farms, they established Hou-Moed.

Initially, the couple slept in the storeroom at the back of the shop and as the shop’s business picked up they were able to build a house across the street. In the 80s, they once again experienced economic challenges and were forced to let go of the shop. They kept the house where Adelheid still lives. I gave her a call and she graciously shared their story and told me that her husband Samuel had passed on in 2018. Hou-Moed is still across the road.

The words ‘Hou Moed’ mean a lot to many people, who as part of the human condition experience the more turbulent times of life and have to keep their courage up and their faith strong until calmer more prosperous times arrive. To all those going through such times, we say ‘Keep strong’. After the storm, the blue sky reappears.

The colourful painting of Hou-Moed, painted by Carola, still graces the walls of Damara Mopane Lodge.

(Photo credit: Tinus Adriaan)