Aletta Shikololo

WINDHOEK – A documentary entitled ‘Lüderitz: A City Born from Sea’, depicting the growth of the harbour town to a city, was launched in Windhoek last week. 
NovaNam fishing company, a subsidiary of the Spanish firm Pescanova, produced the documentary to show how the small town has grown from ‘zero to hero’. 
‘Lüderitz: A City Born from the Sea’ narrates how the small remote town of Lüderitz ensconced between the Namib Desert and the Atlantic Sea was reborn in the 1990s.
The documentary, which is based on actual people and their stories, shows how ordinary people with big dreams managed to transform the town upon the development and growth of the fishing industry, which was prompted by the arrival of Novanam at Lüderitz in March 1990. 
The main protagonist is Nelago Kwedhi, the first female captain in Namibia and her story starts in a small village in the north of Namibia, and it traverses south through the Namib Desert and ends up in Lüderitz where she found her calling to navigate the Namibian fishing grounds, thereby cementing her future. 
On the occasion of the film documentary launch at the National Theatre of Namibia, Kwedhi said working as a female captain in a male-dominated industry was never a walk in the park, but courage and determination made her achieve her dream.
“Working at the sea is a sacrifice and, as the only woman on board of the vessel and especially when you are in charge, is not easy. Some men tend to think that you are not capable of making it, some think you are not qualified enough to steer a boat and others think they cannot be led by a woman,” stressed Kwedhi, also encouraging women to always make sacrifices to achieve something worthy in life.
Mayor of Luderitz, Hilaria Mukapuli, said: “Women still have a long way to go in Namibia and especially in Lüderitz, but opportunities presented to women in men-dominated vocations should be pursued to afford them an opportunity to thrive.”
“In this documentary, we show how Lüderitz shook off her ghost town image through the development that took place after Independence. Lüderitz is now a town, a city of opportunities. It has created for itself a new philosophy of life, and it is now a legitimate platform where personal successes can be realised. This, of course, if you believe strongly in your dreams, and in your conviction to convert your dreams into real stories,” commented the CEO of Pescanova Namibia and South Africa, Miguel Tordesillas
“With the premiere of this documentary, we want to explain through real people our first responsibility which is the sustainability of our natural resources, by acting ethically and by securing the trust of those communities in which we are in,” said the Managing Director of NovaNam and Lalandii, Edwin Kamatoto.
He remarked that almost 30 years ago at Independence in 1990, NovaNam established itself in the abandoned town, caught in-between the desert and the sea. The bet that was taken to invest in this community allowed for the resuscitation of the area and to kickstart the local economy of the town of Lüderitz.
At the same occasion, the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Berhard Esau promised that his ministry, together with the government, will prioritise the development of remote towns such as Lüdertiz and thus subsequently empowering previously marginalised people in achieving their dreams, and being an integral part of the fishing industry.
‘Lüderitz: A City Born from the Sea’ is showcased as a story of resilience, bravery, and the realisation of dreams.