Engel Nawatiseb
I wish to convey a special and warm congratulations to the Founding President and Father of the Namibian Nation Dr Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma, who inspired me during the early 80s to join the liberation movement, Swapo Party of Namibia.
Today, 12 May 2022, my family and I have decided to celebrate this icon of the liberation struggle through chronicles, which will prominently feature on my Facebook page as I honour this prolific freedom fighter in my small way.
Dr Nujoma’s voice, which reverberated through the Voice of Namibia, a special revolutionary broadcast that conveyed revolutionary messages and songs through that audio channel way before independence, was my greatest source of inspiration.
Another local dynamic teacher-cum-politician of the time, son of the Tsumeb soil, Dr Hage Gottfriedt Geingob, absconded into exile from the Opawa Primary School in Tsumeb to fight for freedom and independence.
His bravery too ignited the flame of revolution in me.
Such great leaders were my conviction and inspiration to join efforts through the Namibian National Students Organisation (Nanso) in Tsumeb to subsequently register as bona fide member of the Swapo Party during the mid-80s, aim to be total liberation of motherland Namibia.
The Founding President groomed many Namibians in diaspora, assigned them to important missions abroad and continued to unite all and sundry behind the vanguard of the liberation movement.
I have followed those great leaders through loyalty and respect, hence the recognition that was bestowed upon me to serve the nation as former mayor of Tsumeb and deputy minister.
However, the ambitious journey is not supposed to be short lived but in politics, one never knows; the future is not propelled by own geopolitical factors but by the power of the electorate through systems, processes and institutional provisions.
Despite those realities, my special appeal is directed towards the levels beyond national political architecture in the leadership of tested characters at the helm and in the capacity of the chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), His Excellency Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of Malawi, to ensure young former members of parliament and ex-minsters who became unpopular within their domicile context are fully utilised on SADC missions to safeguard and deploy political intelligence and expertise on the continental level.
The same appeal is extended to the chairperson of the African Union Commission to engage and deploy such young vibrancy in conflict resolution efforts and work that needed to be supplemented on the continent.
These bodies should engage more youth envoys to intensify awareness campaigns, targeting the Agenda 2063, which envisions a ‘prosperous Africa, based on inclusive growth and sustainable development’, noting the critical significance of developing the human capital and building a healthy and well-nourished population.
The duty lies on all of us to ensure this is prioritised.
As young people, we must come to the table – and once we are at the table, we must use our voices, share our experiences, connect with our peers, learn from one another and be willing to learn from those who came before us.
Visionary leaders such as Dr Nujoma are on full record, having groomed the past generations to stand for themselves upon freeing the continent from the joke of colonialism.
The same can be said about Namibia’s current President, whose efforts to strike a balance by introducing the youth into the political realm do not go unnoticed.
It does not make any logical sense to groom young people, dispose them of and start all over again, without putting them to full use even if it goes without remuneration, considering the harsh economic climate facing the continent.
Dr Nujoma has made his contribution and should be honoured forever in recognition of the legacy he leaves behind.
I encourage young people, particularly women, to take the lead in lobbying, advocacy, innovation and participation in leadership contests to promote equal access to positions of power and authority in Africa.
Forward, Dr Sam Nujoma, Forward!
May his legacy continue!