Local authors Vitura Kavari and Rukee Tjingaete said it is time for Namibians to write and tell their own stories.
The two recently launched their book ‘Times and Life of Vekuii Rukoro’ which, as the title indicates, is about the late Ovaherero Paramount chief Vekuii Rukoro. He passed away on 18 June 2021 at the age of 64 due to Covid-19 complications, barely seven years after ascending to the Ovaherero paramountcy.
“We decided to write this book because we wanted to tell Namibian stories. We are tired of people writing our stories. It is time for Namibians to tell their history,” said Tjingaete at the book launch.
The book details the life of the late paramount chief, whom they knew from humble beginnings and went to school with at thevSt. Joseph’s Roman Catholic High School, Döbra, outside Windhoek.
“Rukoro was one of us. He was a Döbra alumnus. We went together to Döbra; he was a bit older than us, but he was one of us. So, we thought it would be interesting to tell a story about one of us, knowing where we grew up, and what challenges we faced in life,” Tjingaete elucidated.
He said Rukoro went through a lot of challenges, but he still managed to thrive and achieve success.
The book took three years to be scripted, and encapsulates various aspects of Rukoro’s formidable life from school days to his work as a lawyer, politician, Attorney General, corporate leader and his final duty as paramount chief.
In nine chapters, the authors take the reader on a journey of his life.
Chapter Two deals with his birth, early childhood and education, while Chapter Three deals with his political involvement, dating back to his early political exposure pre-independence until independence, and after his resignation from Swanu to join Swapo.
In Chapter Four, the reader gets to know Rukoro the family persona, while in Chapter Five, he migrates from public political life to venture into the world of business before retreating into the traditional realm. Chapter Six deals with the time he ascended to the OTA paramountcy, while Chapter Seven is specifically dedicated to his close involvement in the genocide movement, where he relatively had a short sojourn of about seven years before his death, leaving unfinished business in this regard.
The authors said Rukoro actively contributed to the book’s content from 2020 until his passing in 2021.
They added that at the time of Rukoro’s untimely death, the book only had eight chapters and after Rukoro’s death, they had to adjust the book’s narrative to include his death, funeral and the legacy he left behind.
Tjingaete is a professional writer and a media specialist with a doctoral degree from Michigan State University in the USA. Vitura-Kavizembua Kavari obtained an International Diploma in Journalism from the Darlington University of Technology, Durham (1984), and graduated with a BA (Hons) in Political Theory and Institutions from Sheffield University (1987).
– epicnakwezy@nepc.com.na