The Salt Salesmen of Erongo
(Along the E34, Western Namibia)
Roughly 120km north from the coastal town of Swakopmund, along a remote stretch of the desolate gravel and salt highway E34, one can find a
few small turn-off roads, each leading west past the White Lady Salt Pan and towards a government-run national wildlife preserve, designed
specifically for the protection of a massive native population of Cape fur seals.
In the vicinity of the turn-off roads it is a common sight to see a selection of makeshift tables lining the sides of the E34 highway. The
tables are casually constructed with a combination of mostly found materials: milk & beer crates, or even old discarded tin drums act as bases,
while a variety of metal sheeting and wooden boards are deployed as the standard table top display surface. Amongst a selection of sculptural
salt configurations displayed on the usually unmanned tables in evenly spaced rows, one also notices the companion of an old coffee
(or small-sized paint) canister, or perhaps instead a glass jar, each of which acts as a self-service cash register. Prices for the variety
of sizes are listed in either chalk or paint, and are marked directly onto the surface of the table tops.
Although the majority of the time these tables are unmanned—with the proprietors setting out their merchandise in the early morning and
then returning around sunset to collect any earnings from the cans & jars—one stand is oftentimes serviced continuously by a part-time fisherman
from the region. The presence of his clearly more vibrant stand could be attributed to his unique practice of a quite intense short session of
flag waving, a ritual performed during the passing of each traveling vehicle. After a brief recent discussion with this local salt vendor it was
learned that as a child during the 1960s he had immigrated with his parents and 2 siblings, to Atlanta, Georgia, in order to avoid political
conflicts in the region. As part of an early family business he and his brothers—upon arrival in the new land—had trained under their uncle
and cousins as parking lot attendants for the city’s main sporting venue, the Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. The salt salesman explained how,
as an impromptu and non-sanctioned undertaking, located a good stretch further from the stadium than the official designated parking facilities,
the family business required a special trademark in order to attract potential customers before they would arrive at the official parking
facilities. In this way, the dance and parade of flag waving tactics was a great sales & marketing tool for the small business.
Over the course of the following years, due to the successful effects of the family’s tactic, many other unofficial (and later even official)
parking lot attendants picked up on this theatrical trait of advertising, making it currently a staple of the pre-game rituals observed before
almost all U.S. sporting events. When asked, it was still unclear to the salt salesman how his uncle had devised this special ceremony of
flag waiving: whether it was a former ritual from the earlier tribal life in Namibia, brought to Atlanta upon immigration, or if it was
solely something picked up from the local 1960s culture of protest and demonstration seen throughout mediated images present at that time
in the USA. It is also unknown if this was the original and first instance of the tactic to be used anywhere in the entire professional
history of parking lot attendants.
In the early 1990s, upon return to Namibia, the part-time fisherman (once parking attendant), had decided that he should attempt the same
strategy for his new side-business, salt sales venture, found along the E34 highway. It was unfortunately not discussed in detail whether
or not this flag waiving tactic has actually worked in his favor, back in Namibia. The lack of travelers in the area, due to its extremely
remote location, makes the practice seem to be more of a ritual of love than an actual sales strategy. And down the road at the local pub,
the few motorbike tourists and journeymen that were questioned regarding their opinion, unfortunately believed the man to be possibly
mentally disturbed and would most likely, if necessary, purchase any needed salt trinkets from one of the other unmanned tables in the vicinity.