The Himba are a semi-nomadic pastoral people in Namibia who in the majority still live their lives in their traditional way. However more Himba are leaving their rural homes and settling in the town of Opuwo. Anthropologists report an increasing drift towards modernity especially among young Himba men. Recent studies have started to look at the impact of urbanisation on the Himba. Psychological studies have identified that even limited exposure (three visits) to the urban environment of Opuwo is enough to have a profound effect on the rural Himba’s view of the world; changing their extreme focus on detail in a rural environment towards a wider perspective seen in populations living in cities in the developed world. A recent study has identified that the Himba living in a traditional way in a rural setting are significantly happier than the Himba who have moved into the urban environment. The photo essay documents the Himba living in a rural environment and those who have settled in Opuwo 20 images.

On Monday 2nd April 2012 I got a call from the BBC World Service to come to Bush House in central London to talk about the Himba tribe and the experience I had producing the photo essay "Otjiperi - Katjiperi" This was my first time doing a radio interview and found it all quite frantic but ultimately enjoyable. Originally this had been set to go on air later in the year but they pulled it forward and it aired the following morning in the UK and around the world what ever time it happened to be.

Charles Fox is a freelance photographer currently based in London, England. Previously Charles worked in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from 2006 till 2008 He returned to England in late 2008 to study photography at the London College of Communication