The Magic of Metal

Hakusembe River Lodge, Rundu, Namibia

I loved the metal sculptures in southern Africa. They adorn everything from walls to drives to shops. Here are some of my favorites.

Riverside Guest Lodge, Oudtshoorn, South Africa
Gate that opens for road to lodge in Divundu, Namibia

Here are a few more examples:

Thamalakane River Lodge, Maun, Botswana
Hermanus, South Africa
Hermanus, South Africa
Vingerklip Lodge, Vingerklip, Namibia
Vingerklip Lodge, Vingerklip, Namibia

https://www.contemporary-african-art.com/contemporary-sculpture.html

NOTES: © 2025 Jadi Campbell. When my dad was still alive, the wonderful metal sculptures of his neighbor Tino Ferro decorated the street: Wildly creative: the Ferros of Little York.

I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. My recent awards are Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story  Contest.

Click here for my author page to learn more about me and purchase my books.

 

Dumb as a Box of Rocks

The ostrich is as about as smart as a box of rocks.

RUN! Etosha National Park, Namibia
Hey! Where’d the lion go? Etosha National Park, Namibia

This bird is ridiculous! Oh, how the ostrich makes me laugh… just the sight of something so big, and awkward, and silly-looking cracks me up.

Maybe we’ll be safer here. Etosha National Park, Namibia

And stupid: the brain of an ostrich is roughly the size of a human eyeball.

The ostrich does make a pretty sculpture, though. Oudtshoorn, South Africa

And healthy, as well as tasty: ostrich meat has zero cholesterol. *

And striking, with all those feathers and angular limbs. When you see an ostrich running, their limbs go all akimbo.

Basket on the right: traditional Botswana basket pattern Running Ostrich

And lethal. Those spurs on the ostrich’s legs can be deadly. The spurs are found on males, who uses them in mating competitions or to defend territory. The ostrich needs them, because he can’t rely on superior brain power. Remember the comment about brains? An ostrich’s brain is the size of a human eyeball. And that’s a fact worth repeating, because it makes me start laughing all over again.

Garden Route, South Africa

God was in a great mood the day She invented this bird.

One dumb cluck. Sandwich Harbour, Namibia

NOTES: * Ostrich eggs, however, are cholesterol bombs. ©2024 Jadi Campbell. Photos ©2023 Uwe Hartmann. Uwe’s photography and his photos of our trips can be viewed at viewpics.de.

I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. My most recent book The Taste of Your Name was a finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award.

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