South African author Charles Bosman, renowned for his heartbreaking portrayals of life in the rural areas of South Africa, relates a tale of “Unto Dust”, in which an African and an Afrikaner man are killed in a skirmish during the peak of wars between the Afrikaners and Africans.
Six months after the incident, the Afrikaner wife insists that her husband be given a befitting Christian funeral. Since it was not easy to tell the difference between the bones, the black man’s remains ended up in a White cemetery, an abomination to the Afrikaner community.
This tale exposes the weakness of human nature in the face of mortality, that notwithstanding the fact humankind faces uncertainty and demise, it does still put economic and political boundaries in societies. Notwithstanding that people grapple with universal themes such as life and death, these phenomena do not pressurise the rich and politicians to care for the ordinary people, who are forced to face poverty on a daily basis.
Economic hardships are everywhere, towns and cities included, where people spend sleepless nights as a result of water and electricity bills, and the dispossession of houses looming, in a country of plenty.
In essence, the phrase “unto dust”, highlights the complexity of social life, where diversity and unity co-exist, and individuals negotiate their identities and interests within the broader context of shared societal structures and routes.
Despite this indifference, sociologically and ideologically differentiated amid one destiny encapsulates the idea that within a society, individuals or groups may have diverse social backgrounds, beliefs and values, yet they are interconnected and share a common fate or destiny.
In this case, society is seen as being in competition, as it is made up of individuals competing for limited resources, like money, leisure, sexual partners, housing and other commodities. This mindset of interconnectedness touches upon several key contradictory sociological and ideological themes, such as social differentiation, in which societies are composed of individuals or groups with varying social characteristics such as class, race, ethnicity, religion and gender. These differences can lead to stratification and inequality within society, which Karl Marx (1884) confirms that in every society, two groups emerge: the bourgeoisie (ruling class) and the proletariat (the subject class). The bourgeoisie derives its power from ownership and control of the forces of production, in which the ruling class exploits and oppresses the subject class, leading to a conflict of interest between the two classes, while the legal and political systems are the instruments of the ruling class. In addition, with ideological differentiation, people within a society may hold different ideologies, belief systems or worldviews, which can be instrumental in shaping individuals' perspectives on various social, political and cultural issues. Namibia being a multicultural nation is also a victim to such system, and should always take note of this cultural diversity when dealing with any community as a misconception of these issues could lead to misunderstanding, tension and conflict.
Of course, there is a policy on unity in diversity, but one wonders whether it is operational in any way. Still, interconnectedness plays a significant role in any community, because despite social and ideological differences, members of a society are bound together by shared experiences, institutions and collective goals. They are still interconnected through networks of relationships, dependencies and interactions. But what is really important is the realisation that every community or nation shares a common destiny. The notion of a common destiny suggests that despite individual or group differences, members of a society are ultimately affected by the same overarching forces and events. This could include economic trends, environmental challenges, political developments, cultural shifts and death that impact everyone within the society. Whatever happens in any community, cognisance should be taken that nothing is static, and changes can influence the way society behaves. As societies are dynamic and constantly evolving entities, people are expected to move with time and events which go along. But this should be done in a calculated way, as sudden changes of events might lead to conflicts in the society itself.
Traditional and conservative societies take time to understand and embrace change, although it is indispensable. Thus, the authorities should be accessible to the populace to educate and inform them of any new development affecting them in their society. Sociological and ideological differentiation amid a common destiny acknowledges the ongoing processes of change, adaptation and conflict within societies as they navigate through various challenges and opportunities. It is these challenges facing the Namibian nation in which leaders should be prepared to assist in all aspects which torment the population. But what is on the surface in Namibia is just the opposite, where the gap between the poor and the rich keeps on widening on a daily basis, leading to economic struggle. The leaders should equally realise that a nation where the gap between the rich and the poor is widening every day will one day be forced to be narrowed by any means possible. We are witnesses of the apartheid system, and we fought until it was brought down, because it was unfair and unjust. Pretending to forget what people went through at the hands of the unjust system will not help very much. After a socialist orientation during the liberation struggle, Namibia somersaulted immediately after Independence, and started flirting with the capitalist system, which is exploitative, founded on the alienation of workers and products, culminating into the syndrome of ‘the survival of the fittest.’
* Professor Makala Lilemba is an academician, author, diplomat, motivational leader, researcher and scholar.