On Wednesday this week, at Radical Books bookstore in Windhoek, we held a book discussion on the book ‘Ondjokonona yOvambandja Nomikalo Davo’ (The History of Aambadja and their Traditions) by Bishop Noa Ndeutapo.
Bishop Ndeutapo was a head of the Lutheran church in Angola. He is now an elderly man, in his mid-90s, so we decided to invite Dr Petrus Angula Mbenzi, an Oshiwambo cultural expert, to lead this discussion. Let’s return to this later.
The discussion reminded me of my youthful days when I was part of the Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL). We were always puzzled about the conspicuous absence of Aambadja in national executive leadership since independence. In our midst was Immanuel Nashinge, an Omumbandja native, whom we frequently mocked and repeatedly asked to account for why Aambadja never occupied significant position such as presidents, ministers, deputy minsters, permanent secretaries etc.
At the time, a story emerged of a discussion between former President Hifikepunye Pohamba and a former Omumbadja local councillor (whose name shall not be mentioned) on the manner of inclusion of Aambadja in the country’s executive leadership. Although I didn’t verify this independently, let’s consider it for illustrative purposes. We were informed that this discussion went like this; “Comrade (name withheld)”, President Pohamba keenly started asking, “eshi to tala olye naana haidulu oku apointinga euye mepangelo adja mOmbadja yeni omo (Comrade, who do you think I can appoint from Ombandja to join government)”?
This comrade apparently took long to respond and after a few seconds of swallowing saliva, responded; “Comrade President, mOkalongo onda kala mo efimb, ndee aakwashiwana avehe omwaame ashike va tala (Comrade President, I have been in Okalongo [seen as a capital of Aambandja] for a long and as far as I know, I am the only one the people there trust).”
In other words, this comrade suggested to President Pohamba that only he can be appointed for the Aambadja only have faith in him. While this story is often met with laughter, or it can be dismissed as many stories created, keen observer of our politics still grapple with the question of the Aambadja’s conspicuous absence in our mainstream politics.
One can almost state with certainty that even in the bickering and bamboozling for political power is a conspicuous absence and silence of the Aambadja. These are the aspects often missed by weak analysts whose analyses begin and end at the Aawambo macro level.
Let us return to the book discussion. Kuku Mbenzi not only fittingly discussed key arguments of the book, but also engaged in practical demonstration of the various cultural practices much to the amusement of the audience. For instance, he asked the audience to demonstrate understanding of events relating to livelihoods of the Aambadja and Aawambo, of which many in the audience dismally failed.
But importantly, he corrected those who failed – so they learnt. Beyond serving as a custodian of history, Bishop Ndeutapo’s book was then understood as a practical guide to the understanding of Aawambo culture and tradition in general and those of the Aambadja in particular. Three important aspects stood out for me relating to the positionality and role of the Aambadja in the Aawambo history.
These are (a) Aambadja as providers of political asylum, (b) Aambadja as dependable in the times of need and (c) Aambadja as the first Christians.
In the analysis of power dynamics in both pre- and colonial Namibia, one of the common occurrences was that to consolidate power, kings eliminated their own family members, particularly those seen as potential threats to their power or that of their preferred successors. Following the death of the Aandonga King Nangolo dhaAmutenya in 1857, a power struggle emerged between Shipanga shaAmukwiita and Shikongo shaKalulu. Shikongo was forced to flee Ondonga when it became clear that Shipanga wanted to kill him.
He obtained political asylum in Ombadja. It is from Ombadja where he would later emerge, together with his war commander Amoomo yaKatondoka, to dispose King Shipanga shaAmukwiita. It is said that during the reign of Oukwanyama King Haimbili yaHaufiku (Mululu waNamupolo) who ruled Oukwanyama between 1811 and 1860s, similar escapades were experienced. Mululu waNamupolo is said to have organised gatherings at which those who are seen as threats to his rule where eliminated.
Siblings and members of the royal clan Hapeni yaNanyeni and Mbabi yaNanyeni narrowly escaped the assassination and fled Oukwanyama. They found refuge and political asylum in Ombadja. Mbabi yaNanyeni bore children in Ombadja. Recent and former Oukwanyama King late Mwetupunga yaShelungu and current Oukwanyama leader Queen Martha Mwadinomho yaKristian yaNelumbu are the great-grandchildren of Mbabi yaNanyeni.
Kanime kaShipetama, the brother of Queen Ndapona yaShikende – the mother of King Mandume yaNdemufayo, also fled to Ombadja fearing power struggle-related assassinations. It, therefore, follows that Aambadja and Ombandja were distinguished in providing political asylum to leaders and members of various loyal families amongst other Aawambo groups.
It is said that there were years, between the 1800s and the 1900s, whereby drought affected several Aawambo communities with the exception of Ombadja – known for fertile cultivation land. Oral tradition records that during these trying times, various Aawambo groups went to Ombadja to obtain mahangu. History, therefore, records Aambadja as dependable during the difficult times in Owambo.
Although popular narratives in Aawambo historiography regards the Aandonga as the first Aawambo to become Christians, the writings of Bishop Ndeutapo – read together with those of Dr Shekutaamba Nambala, as discussed by Kuku Mbenzi, it becomes clearer that this may not be accurate. We are made aware of a story of Eva-Maria Nanguroshi yaHaikali, an OmuMbadja woman who was captured by the Aakwambi when they raided Ombadja.
In Uukwambi, Eva-Maria became a housemaid of Finnish Missionary Pietari Kurvinen at Elim. Kurvinen was one of the early Finnish missionaries to arrive in Owambo together with Martti Rautanen on the 9th July 1870. Kurvinen took Eva-Maria to Helsinki, Finland, in 1874 and oversaw her baptism in 1876 in Finland.
The view that the Aandonga were the first Aawambo to become Christians, as symbolised by the first baptism on 6 January 1883 at Omulonga in Ondonga needs readjustment. Factoring in Eva-Maria, perhaps it could be said the Omulonga baptism signalised the first Christianisation in Owambo and not of Aawambo.
Despite this rich history, much of the historical writings of Owambo and Aawambo marginalise Aambadja and treats them as appendixes of Owambo and Aawambo history. Worse, in post-independence Namibia, the Aambadja remain at the periphery of mainstream executive politics. The same discussions we held with Nashinge and others in 2013, when we were youths, remain true today. They simply never featured in executive national leadership the same way they are marginalised in the Aawambo historiography.
Whether greedy leaders like those invited to high offices in the land and identify themselves as the only dependable leaders is one of the root causes of this anomaly and a matter of speculation. What is to be done, when, how, why and where is the subject for further engagement? May young men and women – with talent and energy – raise to the pedestal to write the history of Aambadja and contribute to this discourse without fear of those who profit from the status quo of inequality and zombiyism. History – as taught, told and understood – records Aambadja as the caregivers amongst the Aawambo.
*Job Shipululo Amupanda is a decolonial scholar and activist from Omaalala village in Northern Namibia. He is one of the directors of Radical Books bookstore. info@radicalbooks.com.na