By:
Harry Summers & Freddy Lindekugel
Expectations were scattered amongst the
group as we began our drive to the north. We had heard the term before, but it
had no meaning without experience. The region seemed to clump together as one
homogenous area. I suppose some of us imagined a vast, green land with people
few and far between, acres of farmland and scattered settlements of people. I
hoped to explore the identity of the country, one that seemed lost in the city
of Windhoek. It felt as if whatever was authentic was drowned out by Western
influence and presence.
Our first contact in the north came at the
Nakambele Museum. It was amazing to see even the simplest tasks being performed
throughout the day. To see the dwellings, sample the food, see their craft, and
watch their games was exactly what we needed in order to better understand
Namibia’s identity. This was their home. This was their type of grain. This was
how they ground it to make porridge. This was how they wove baskets and other
crafts. This was how they passed their time. This lens into daily life for the
Owambo was instrumental in our enhanced understanding of Namibia’s identity.
Traditional Royal
Grainery Scene at Uukwaluudhi Museum
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The Outapi War Museum showed us the history
of Namibia and its most recent armed struggle, that for independence. The
struggle left a significantly different result than past-militarized conflicts.
The current ruling party, SWAPO, which stands for the South West Africa Peoples
Organization, started as the guerilla group fighting for independence from the
South African apartheid government. It was there that we realized some of the
lasting impacts of the struggle.
What was apparent once we entered the
northern sections of the country was that pride and support for the ruling
party was very much alive here far more than in the capital city of Windhoek,
apparent by the plethora of SWAPO flags and slogans all over Odangwa and some
of the other cities and towns we passed through. The reasons for this near
blind support stems from the liberation struggle and the impact this had on the
particular part of the country. Entire villages were massacred, people tortured
and the land scorched by over a decade of fighting. This legacy has allowed the
ruling party to continuously rely on the support of the local populations in
the north who still hold their role in the liberation as the defining factor in
their political decisions. However, I wonder after twenty years if it is not
time to start to look towards the new problems facing the nation. If SWAPO will
not provide solutions that show true results to the real problems in Namibia,
another party should be elected to office. For example, their proposed housing
initiative does not currently take into consideration continued population
growth, thus by the time it is finished there will still be even more Namibians
without proper housing than there are today. Unfortunately, this may be a pipe
dream as SWAPO has now integrated itself so deeply into the country’s very
infrastructure that separating the two or the individual members of the party
may be nearly impossible. Corruption and
zero accountability now make up the standard for Namibian politics at the
higher echelons, shown by the $880 million dollars currently missing from the
social security funds of mostly elderly Namibians. What will it take for true
change to happen? It appears that the only thing that can truly bring a new
future for Namibia is for the born free generation to take over the primary
roles in government, to be the primary voting base and to elect officials who
will be held accountable for their decisions.
The rich history and culture of Namibia was
forged by a combination of tribal traditions, colonization, and bloodshed. The
end result is a nation that appears to be divided on a regional basis. The north
represents the old traditions and liberation struggle, while Windhoek embodies
the westernization of Southern Africa. Going to the north was an experience
that better shaped our concept of Namibia. Looking back, Windhoek fails to
represent some of the major ethnic groups of Namibia. Windhoek represents
modern Namibia, perhaps. It serves as the center of both commercialization and
industrialization in the country. Windhoek provides economic promise for the
future.
This blog is the work of our students. To learn more about Center for Global Education programming, visit us at www.centerforglobaleducation.org.
This blog is the work of our students. To learn more about Center for Global Education programming, visit us at www.centerforglobaleducation.org.
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