Alexander Bay – gone but not forgotten
Alexander Bay lies on the west coast of South Africa, on the border between South Africa and Namibia. The multiple rows of deserted garages used to offer protection against sandblasting; some remained locked with rusty padlocks, others have been stripped of their doors – be it man or nature – where others are inhabited by evil looking wanderers. Clusters of dormitories stand empty, bare, exposed, unprotected, deprived of all life it once bosomed.
The village is north from Kleinzee and driving through the bare landscape, desolation comes to mind. Upon entering the village, it changes to despair; the stark remains of former splendour.
Once it harboured strong, robust men, men who worked hard, played hard, and withstood the elements in search of diamonds. Then suddenly one day they moved away, leaving behind a life lived and spent.
Nature took back again and started invading all that was left behind, a slow, yet gentle process. Also, the scoundrels moved in, less gentle in their approach.
Alexander Bay embodies life in general – once thriving and prospering to suddenly desolate. The reward is knowing a legacy is what remains – Alexander Bay.
The village overlooks the treacherous, unpredictable, and sometimes cruel cobalt blue ocean, merciless, fearless in the attack, generous and kind in the giving. Many a ship have succumbed; many lives have been lost.
What the Atlantic has given, it has taken back – diamonds. Man’s need to accumulate wealth, has boomeranged so to speak. Diamonds are no longer found close to the shore; the village has become redundant, leaving only a memory, a symbolism.