Lahja Nashuuta

It is not every day that one gets to encounter a jack of all trades with enough intellectual fortitude to have mastered them all. 

And even when you do, the corridors of a government ministry are the last place that you will expect to run into such multi-talented individuals.

Not because the government does not offer enough leverage for such brainpower, but popular perception has it that the private sector tops all incentives that would capture any young person’s attention.

New Era stumbled upon Paul-Wright Simataa behind a desk at the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture. 

He is the administrative officer in the directorate of arts at this ministry, seconded to the National Arts Council of Namibia (NACN).

“Here, I deal with the creative development section. I am primarily responsible for ensuring the smooth flow of work in relation to the NACN grant cycle,” he said with a smile, which eventually becomes a trademark throughout our conversation.

“My current job requires me to have good interpersonal and communication skills, among other personal attributes, and I think I gained that from my previous jobs – all of which were human-centred,” he revealed.

Suffice it to mention that away from the government office park, he is a reputable corporate as well as social events’ organiser and master of ceremonies (MC).

Starting off

It is through MCing jobs that Simataa first offered his talents to the government through a gig organised by the Ministry of Finance-initiated Financial Literacy Programme, which, he said, saw him hosting over 3 000 people in one venue.

“Also, through the same programme, I was exposed to radio work, where I hosted two awareness-raising programmes on two different radio stations a day,” he said.

However, to get a clear perspective of his love for the civil service, it is imperative that we start at the beginning.

Born some decades ago in Katima Mulilo, Zambezi region, he moved to Otjiwarongo, where he started his schooling career at the Regato Primary School before shifting to Paresis Secondary School, where he completed the 10th grade in 2005. 

For senior secondary education, he relocated to Windhoek, and matriculated at the A. Shipena Secondary School.

While his aptitude already portrayed a young man with an innate talent for performing and visual arts during his formative years in Otjiwarongo, it was during his time at A. Shipena Secondary School that he truly flourished as an artist.

“I realised that nothing was happening at the school as far as the arts were concerned, and immediately started a dance club called Dazo Dazo, which battled against groups from other schools. We also hosted mini-competitions on the school grounds during break time every day,” Simataa revealed.

His glory days were, however, cut short when, after matriculation, he moved to Angola, where he landed a stint as a manager for two restaurants owned by his sister.

“I worked in one restaurant at Santa Clara during the weekdays – and on weekends, I did the same for another restaurant at Ondjiva. That is how my other love for the culinary arts was born. Today, I am the one who mainly cooks in my home,” the married father of five reveals.

Be that as it may, he later left Angola, and returned to Namibia to pursue his studies. 

Here, he joined Hoperise College to redo his grade 12 in the hope that he would score better results.

“It was during this time that I always passed by the ministry’s office in the city centre to check if there were any vacancies,” he said.

If luck happens when preparation meets opportunity, then one will say that by a stroke of luck, he secured an internship at the same ministry in August 2009. 

By December of the same year, he was employed as a human resources clerk on a full-time basis.

Still maintaining a positive trajectory, in 2013, he was moved to the salary office in the same ministry as an accountant before drifting to the directorate of art,s and the subsequent secondment to his current position.

“It is all about being proactive. attending your work with a smile, and joking or laughing when necessary. That is how I fortified my relationships with the clients and fellow staff,” he maintained.

Rewards

His good vibes have seemingly paid off. He was initially appointed as the secretary general for the ministerial social sports club before ascending to the position of chairperson recently. 

He said he has represented the ministry on various occasions during his recent trip as a representative of the director of arts at the Angola Biennale last year. He was also appointed by the executive director’s office as a peer educator.

“This is where I get to do different engagements with schools and varsity students on why they should not neglect their talents,” he said.

“Still, this year, I was appointed as a member of the Public Sector Innovative Committee for the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture for three years. This puts me at the centre of innovation in the country, and I am very grateful for the honour bestowed on me,” he added.

Queried on whether the government is doing enough to advance the arts sector in the country, the outspoken Simataa did not mince his words.

“It is not enough. The government’s investment in the arts is far from sufficient. Here, we are having an arts fund, but are merely scratching on the surface in terms of giving funds to brilliant ideas,” he noted.

 He added that “if the budget allocation towards the arts is increased, that ministry, through the NACN, will match the output, and be on par with the other countries in terms of growth in the sector”.

He said the NACN has done enough to become the “subject of envy among similar initiatives in the region, who are now leveraging their operations against ours”.

Simataa is not leaving any time soon, and his primary endeavour is to rise to the pinnacle of the arts directorate in good time.

“I came through in the footsteps of those before me, building on their successes, while aiming to improve on the shortcomings,” he said.-lnashuuta@gmail.com