A dark cloud has covered Namibia and neighbouring countries if not the rest of Africa on 9 February, when President Nangolo Mbumba delivered the sad news of the passing of one of Namibia and Africa’s liberation struggle icons, Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma.
I woke up to the devastating news on social media and was shocked as I did not expect him to go this soon.
It was around 1992 when I was still a boy in primary school, deep in the village of Eunda, when our principal Beata Kapuka at Eenkalashe Combined School then called an urgent meeting to make a special announcement. The day turned out to be special to me and I believe many of my peers at that time, as it was announced that all the learners and teachers who were willing to walk about 20 kilometres to go see the first president of Namibia, Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma were free to do so, as there will be no classes on that day.
This would be my first face-to-face encounter with our liberation struggle icon, a man I used to only see on TV and hear stories about his magnificent work. We dashed out of the schoolyard like goats leaving the kraal and raced the 20km across the village to Eunda and then Elago project.
It is here where Nujoma came to officiate the opening of an accommodation and garden for his comrades and fellow liberation struggle heroes who at the time returned home from exile without a place to stay.
Here, I got to see Nujoma speaking live, sending out encouraging and inspiring messages of unity, hard work, prosperity, forgiveness, and economic emancipation, this is what he was known for. For me as a product of his era from the onset of the independence of the country until 34 years now Nujoma is a unifier, if there is anything I will never take away from him is that whenever he is around, there will be unity, peace, and tranquillity as he would always put it in his many speeches of his well lived and busy life.
Nujoma commands respect from all corners of the nation. Political and traditional leaders respected him and when he spoke, they listened. He was an influential leader, one they call a born leader, and even when he stepped down as a president, the streets would come to a standstill when his motorcade passed by. This was unique to him; the feeling was still that of the president wherever he travels across towns.
He and his Cabinet managed to unite our people who were divided by the colonial regimes into homelands and taught to hate each other.
With him, Namibia became home to everyone regardless of race, tribe, religion, or economic status. International communities would testify to this, that Namibia is home to everyone as they are welcome to live here without any fear.
It is because of Nujoma and other liberators who went out to fight the colonisers and returned home from a democratic society.
The days when he was in office will never be the same for Namibia because, during his tenure and that of former president Hifikepunye Pohamba, we did not know or used to be reminded that a Nama does not feel at home in Owamboland, or a Herero cannot live and share resources in //Kharas.
Why I say Nujoma is a unifier is because we were open and living anywhere, we went anywhere in this country without being told we do not belong there, or it was not where we came from.
This feeling has somehow been diluted after our unifiers left office and went into retirement.
It has now somehow turned out that some politicians and activists have started sowing seeds of division by spreading hatred and tribalism through their speeches.
Those forming political parties on tribal grounds but dismiss it when confronted about it even though it is evident.
Some of those have started dragging Nujoma’s name in the mud and making the youth believe that Nujoma’s contribution to this nation was worthless or “it cannot be eaten”.
Unlike Pohamba who took over from Nujoma and led a unified nation also, the late Hage Geingob came in at a tough time when the young politicians started campaigning for change. There is nothing wrong with change as long as it does not come with division and destruction.
We are now at a point in history where we might find our nation divided if the leaders are not careful about what they say to the youth who are vulnerable and angry as they have no jobs.
We need to go back and find a formula for unity for us to continue building our country, as this is a struggle for economic freedom which was in my view never the freedom fighters’ assignment.
For Nujoma and others, they liberated and unified us to be able to free ourselves from poverty.
Nujoma is a unifier, to the point where when he started ageing, most people in the country started feeling that one day he would depart, and the country will be left in a vulnerable position. I am saying this without taking away anything from the efforts of President Mbumba, late Geingob, Pohamba, and all the good leaders we have in this country.
For the past two weeks when Nujoma was hospitalised, questions have emerged on social media about whether Namibia is ready to live without him even if he was on retirement.
People asked if we as a nation are ready to let him go and rest when God takes him to eternal peace.
Some kept suggesting that he should return as a president regardless of his age. This shows the impact and the strong influence this charismatic leader had on his people.
Nujoma became involved in anti colonial politics during the 1950s. In December 1958, he was an organiser of the Old Location resistance and was arrested and deported to Ovamboland. 1959, he co-founded OPO, a nationalist organisation advocating an independent Namibia.
In 1960, he escaped and went into exile in Tanzania where he was welcomed by Julius Nyerere.
Nujoma was a founding member and the first president of Swapo in 1960. Swapo replaced OPO. He played an important role as leader of the national liberation movement in campaigning for Namibia’s political independence from South African rule. He established the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) in 1962 and launched a guerrilla war against the apartheid government of South Africa in August 1966 at Omugulugwombashe, beginning after the United Nations withdrew the mandate for South Africa to govern the territory. Nujoma led Swapo during the lengthy Namibian war for independence, which lasted from 1966 to 1989.
Namibi a final ly achieved independence from South Africa in 1990, holding its first democratic elections. Swapo won a majority and Nujoma was elected as the country’s first president on 21 March 1990. He was re-elected for two more terms in 1994 and 1999. He stepped down as president in 2005 and retired as SWAPO party president on 30 November 2007. As we continue to celebrate his life and honour his contribution to this nation, we borrow and learn from his words that say, “A PEOPLE UNITED, STRIVING TO ACHIEVE A COMMON GOOD FOR ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY, WILL ALWAYS EMERGE VICTORIOUS.”
“We must never forget that our freedom was not free; it was paid for with the blood of our heroes.”
“The struggle for independence is a struggle for the dignity of our people.”
“We are a nation of peace, and we must work together to build a better future for all.”
We salute you “Kapembe”.
*Paulus Kiiyala Shiku is a graduate of media, journalism and a Sub Editor. The views expressed here are his own and are not in anyway those of his employer.