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Namibia Up: Being 18 in Africa Today

Africa is rich in creative, ambitious, and hopeful young people. In fact, over 70% of the African population is under age 30. This documentary offers an inspiring glimpse into their transition to adulthood. Fourteen 18-year-olds from different parts of Namibia describe their upbringing, current lives, and the dreams that propel them toward the future. Interviews with their elders highlight changing mindsets between the generations. Grounded in the Namibian context, the stories echo broader experiences across sub-Saharan Africa, where young people balance traditional values with globalised opportunities. Namibia Up plans to revisit the participants every 4 years to learn how their hopes and dreams unfold.

  • Marta Van Patten
    Director
    From Myanmar to the World series: Part 1-Overland to India; Part 2-Caves to Pagodas
  • Amber Gayle Thalmayer
    Director
  • Amber Gayle Thalmayer
    Producer
  • Jeffrey Jensen Arnett
    Producer
  • Elizabeth Ndeshinuninwa Shino
    Producer
  • Selma Ndatimpililwa Uugwanga
    Producer
  • Annelisa Murangi
    Producer
  • Sylvanus Job
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    42 minutes 32 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 16, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    50,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada, Namibia, Switzerland
  • Country of Filming:
    Namibia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    September 6, 2025
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Marta Van Patten, Amber Gayle Thalmayer

Amber Gayle Thalmayer (third from left; PhD in psychology from the University of Oregon) is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Zurich, researching personality, mental health, and culture. Since 2022 she leads a study in partnership with 5 African universities that is keeping up with 3,000 18-year olds in Namibia, Kenya, and South Africa as they grow into adulthood. Namibia Up came about through her friendship with Marta Van Patten.

Marta (holding camera in the picture) studied film at The Evergreen State College (Olympia, WA), culminating in a 16mm color cowgirl film, shown projected on the side of a water tower, complete with a live band. She was then drawn to India to study Vipassana meditation and to serve as a volunteer on silent meditation retreats. She spent a decade moving between India and her small cabin in Camp Sherman, Oregon, where she worked as a baker to earn money for the trips. Her production company, Jack Creek Productions, is named after the creek, home to river otters, that runs near her cabin.

In 2008 she decided to make films again, and studied at Northwest Film Center (Portland, OR). She began making commissioned videos for nonprofits, and developed a passion project, a series of feature length films about Vipassana Meditation: From Myanmar to the World, Part 1 Overland to India and Part 2: Caves to Pagodas. Now living in the mountains of BC, Canada, Marta continues to spend one to two months a year in silent retreat, and serves silent meditation retreats much of the remaining time.

Amber (a fellow meditator) drew Marta to Namibia, where they developed this special film with her colleagues there, including Khoesan linguist Dr. Sylvanus Job (first from left), the film participants themselves, including Bianca Bock and Taikeisha Resandt (on either side of Amber), Joel Visions Productions (Windhoek, Namibia) driver and fixer Consula ‘Speedy’ Hangula (last from left), and psychologists (not pictured) Dr. Elizabeth Shino, Dr. Annelisa Murangi, and Selma Uugwanga.

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Director Statement

Namibia Up started with the psychology research of fellow meditator, Amber Gayle Thalmayer. Working in Namibia, she wanted to convey the beauty of the land and people and to bring cultural psychology alive for a broader audience. We brainstormed how to bring the emotional presence and connection of Marta’s filmmaking together with Amber’s research. When Amber obtained funding to start a long term study of mental health and personality development in three African countries , the longitudinal BBC Up series became an obvious inspiration. By bringing African youth, on the cusp of old and new ways, to the screen, we could draw on the timeless fascination of a coming of age story, refreshing it with an underrepresented reality. Through the eyes of 14 compelling film participants, similar in life experience to the 3,000 participants of the longitudinal study, we can watch a generation grow up.

Namibian psychologists Dr. Elizabeth Shino, Dr. Annelisa Murgangi, and Selma Uugwanga, and linguist Dr. Sylvanus Job brought their professional expertise, social networks, and identities as members of the Ovambo, Herero, and Damara groups. Another crucial early supporter was Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, the psychologist who founded the study of emerging adulthood, who chipped in to help us start filming. We also relied on the expertise of the award-winning Joe Vision Film company of Windhoek. With this team, we integrated the strengths and perspectives of both cultural insiders and outsiders.