2018-07-25Staff Report 2 There are a few things I have suspected and come to accept in life. No matter how much of a blind eye you turn to it or deny it, there are just some things that are just what they are, you simply have no or little control over them. In this case its inequality, its there and it exists. In a perfect world it wouldn’t matter where you are born, the colour of your skin, your gender, your last name or sexual preferences. We would all enjoy an even playing field where the hardest worker gets the best reward and comes out on top. But we do not live in a perfect world, we live here, in Namibia. Here if you were born and raised in a town like Oranjemund, life will be different. You’ll enjoy since the very beginning an exceptional quality of life, great excess to health care, incredible education, opportunities all around you, in a polite and efficient environment. On the flip side, if you were born a female in a village like Okapembambu and somehow managed to survive at birth, you’re likely to be illiterate, probably forced into marriage before you reach your teen years, and not know much about life outside your village. While if you are born in Oranjemund you have the freedom to marry whomever your heart desires and probably believe in the existence of God and heaven. We didn’t campaign to have the parents we have today, or choose to be born with the colour of our skin, we didn’t have a choice about where we were born. These things happened to us and have consequences that we deal with every now and then. The playing field is not equal by default. Some people will be born into money, some will discriminate based on the colour of your skin, because that’s what people have been doing for many years. We can’t fix this problem or better yet this disease that has been built, moulded and practised for hundreds of years in a single day. We the youth should play our part today and make the country a better place for our children and for those after them. Not everyone will like it or agree with you, but we should be aware of this and look around for alternatives, where people are not so closed-minded. In recent years the country has made a real push towards stopping discrimination and allowing for equal opportunities, but it is up to you to decide what kind of world you wish to live in and then do something about it. Say less, think loud! * Olavi Popyeinawa has a Diploma in Alternative Dispute Resolution and is currently studying law, LLB at the University of Namibia (Unam). He will weekly be contributing this column on youth matters. Instagram: niceguy_olavi Facebook: Olavi Longfellow Twitter: @OlaviPopyeinawa 2018-07-25Staff Report 2
