Onesmus Embula
WINDHOEK – Meet the 21-year-old adventurous Albertina Nande who was raised in an extended family by her paternal grandparents in the village of Okadidiya, some kilometres east of Eenhana in northern Namibia.
The first both to her mother and father, but her father’s only child, with three siblings from her maternal side, Nande says she vividly remembers her childhood as one of deprivation – spiritually, emotionally and socially. “I didn’t grow up with my mother and I was sexually violated during my primary school years and all that tormented me for quite a while,” she says. After completing high school at Gabriel Taapopi Secondary School in 2014, Nande is delighted to be a fourth year medical student pursuing a medical degree in Lusaka, Zambia. “Making it to medical school I believe is an achievement in itself but another one of my notable achievements would be the fact I became a published author at the age of 20,” says Nande.
Her very first and recent book, THE UNTOLD: Breaking Free From The Chains Of Sexual Abuse, is a testimony of healing. “In the book, I tell how I overcame my past and broke free from the shackles of sexual violation,” testifies Nande, adding that the book has been written for all those that have not yet crossed the bridge to the other side of healing or hope, as well as to the world to help raise awareness against sexual abuse of any sort. “It is also dedicated to people who are heavy burdened in life, battling with life’s endless throes of shame, guilt, hopelessness and emptiness, so I am letting them know that God is close to the crushed,” she notes.
Further to that she says the title was inspired by the silence surrounding sexual violation. “Sexual violation is basically considered to be a story nobody wants to tell, and a story nobody wants told. So this silence that I hate with such a passion inspired me to title the book THE UNTOLD,” she determines. Nande is currently working on her second book, stating: “I feel I should take my time on this one but it is coming and the details on it will be revealed in due time, so watch this space.” Above all, she enjoys working with children, adding “my heart beats for a psychologically healthy world.”
Particularly, she perceives life as a gift and endeavour to make the best of it, live it responsibly and have fun doing it. “I see that as I get my identity more rooted and I get to believe in who I am created to be, life becomes just what I make it,” she says. Moreover, “what motivates me really is the desire to be the best at whatever I set out to do. I am motivated by my passion for medicine and writing. I am motivated also by the current broken state that the world is in, the desire to help.” She wants to do her part in helping the world with both her writing and career choice revolving around love, hope, healing and salvation.
Nande believes her creative writing, self-management, critical thinking, and leadership skills make her stand out among her peers. She encourages youngsters to discover their passion, gifts and talents and chase them wholeheartedly. “You have a beautiful chance as a youth to start laying the foundation for your life – maturity is intentional so do whatever it takes and invest in personal development and growth,” she motivates.