'Namibians have been good to me'
"I didn't have many challenges in Namibia, especially because Namibians are such good people. Even with my English, they always made the effort to try to understand me," says Francisco Macucule from Mozambique.He is the University of Namibia's (Unam) first foreign student to obtain his master's degree in astrophysics.
Francisco says his admiration for the sky began at a young age.
"Unfortunately, astronomy was not a field that was widely explored in my community and the explanations relied mainly on traditional beliefs," he explains.
It wasn't until Francisco started studying science that he discovered astrophysics.
"This field has provided me with a scientific lens to understand the universe and the very questions that have captivated me for years," he says.
When Francisco decided to pursue his master's degree in astrophysics, he got the chance to study through the South African Radio Astronomical Observatory (Sarao) under Unam's prof. Michael Backes and Prof. Thinus Stander from the University of Pretoria.
He says the fact that students spoke indigenous languages at the university caught him off guard, as this is not the case in Mozambique.
He also says that he could hear the similarities between the Namibian languages and his mother tongue, Changana.
"I also had colleagues who always told me about the different tribes and what life is like in Windhoek," he says.
However, Francisco will not leave Namibia completely behind now that he has his master's degree, as he will be doing research in connection with the Africa Millimetre Telescope, which is located near Gamsberg.
He also hopes to pursue his doctorate and strives to build a career as an astrophysicist. – [email protected]