KAE ON FRIDAY
Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro
IT’S Christmas time again. Not that some of us think much of this time of the year, presumably one of the important holidays on one national calendar.
Personally speaking, this day is meaningless other than an opportune occasion to go and refresh and start the New Year reinvigorated. Not to mention its usefulness as a necessary escape for many of the wretched of the corporate world for whom the working place has become hell on earth, courtesy of today’s chief executives and their misguided sense of directing, if not misdirecting.
Certainly for them Christmas or the festive season, has more than the bourgeois meaning of the capitalised class of tables laden with goodies and the poisoned water flowing like from a natural water fountain. Christmas in this vain is only for and enjoyed by a selected presumably privileged few.
That is why on this occasion, my heart goes out to those for whom the day means so much yet its real meaning is hollow because their tables are unladen with the goodies, let alone our daily bread.
Sadly, we find on this day some people without any bread on their tables. That is why it is gratifying to see in our communities people who do not only spare a thought for their neglected and exploited fellows that the society seem to care little about for the rest of the year save for this one day. As the saying goes Christmas is but once in a year.
Recently, one has been seeing Christmas parties for the aged, vulnerable children and whatever accolade that for a greater part of their existence are living on the edge of their society and their would-be well-to-do fellows. Yes, the genuineness of some of these efforts cannot go unnoticed, especially the private initiative in rural areas propelled by able-bodied young men and women from villages.
I witnessed in November in some villages in the Okakarara Constituency, one such Christmas-cum-old-age day. This is an initiative that has been running for three years. If only for a single day that weekend the elderly and fellow travellers could afford to put some smiles on their and it was obvious their hearts were filled with delight and their spirits uplifted.
Appreciation was written all over. Gratified that there was someone ready and able to assume responsibility for their welfare that for a greater part of the year seems abdicated by those entrusted and relegated to a stop-gap affair to the village migrants eking out an existence in urban areas.
How thoughtful and considerate of them to come up with such an initiative. Most pleasing is to see the corporate world chipping in with material and financial assistance.
The corporate world is not known for engaging in low profile projects such as Christmas gifts for the elderly and the down-graded in rural settings. Their usual favourites are high profile donations accompanied by media frenzies, pomp and ceremony and all that. During this season of plenty, we hardly spare a thought for our weak and infirm constituents. Thus hats off for especially such private initiative by the younger generation from the villages of Okaundja and surroundings.
And of course, for the financial and material assistance of the likes of Namibia Diamond Trading Company (NDTC), Old Mutual, Shell Namibia, First National Bank-Otjiwarongo, Namib Mills, Nedbank, Cenored, Rǟ