Obrein Simasiku
ALCOHOL isn’t cheap at all, it falls in the fast lane of expensive things in Namibia thus being far expensive than food, yet you find people that complain about 1.5 kg chicken braai packs costing N$50 but can easily splash N$1 000 on a bottle of extra mature whiskey.
That makes me wonder and I ask myself; are Namibians rich or what? But I get stuck and fail to understand when I come to think of the cost of one bottle. Sadly, the same guy who splashed N$1 000 on a single bottle would be found at a pub struggling to pay N$15 for a beer to ‘cure’ his babalas.
At that stage I get more jumbled, was this person trying to impress or – and I dare say it – was the money stolen and had to be spent like it was Xmas day.
Coming to think about it, does alcohol really make you famous and respected? Maybe yes, but I think this is simply being dumb – other people are famous through really prestigious things in the society, country and even worldwide, and here someone is seeking fame through alcohol.
Now let me say, what if you become known worldwide for being a drunkard, what title will you be given? Will they say that one has a lot of money to drink every day or that person is a ‘liquor slave’ with no vision and future but only drowning his misery in an effort to evade them.
Mind you when drowning sorrows in a liquor bottle, they keep rising while the bottle is emptying and they resurface, and by then it will no longer be ‘minus one problem’ but actually ‘plus one problem’, considering that you will be penniless after the show-off boozing spree.
And you’ll still find the ‘liquor nomads’ who have surrendered their hopes in life and only want to drown their sorrows day after day.
This takes us to the topic of whether alcohol is cheap or are Namibians simply affluent enough to afford those expensive bottles of ‘holy water’. Just remember – they were once in the beginning regarded as having fame and a lot of money and now they are probably the biggest mamparas in town.
However, I’m in no position to judge someone but those who can change their habits when there is still time to do so, drink responsibly and wise. Eewa!