A life worth living is a life lived well.
When an old Eroko tree falls, it deprives the whole village of its shade!
When a well dries out, the village goes thirsty!
In fact, once the fire dims, the children are frost-bitten by the unforgiving cold.
Equally, an old man’s demise deprives the young men of the wisdom in his calabash!
In West Africa, they say “An old man sitting, can see further than a young man standing”.
A life worth living!
An idiomatic expression “A candle in the wind” cannot do justice to reference a man of that status, age, and era!
A desert lion that protects its pride, even in darkest hours.
We vividly still hear your cautionary voice during Covid-19! “It’s prohibited!”
We cherish your sense of humour!
Yet gentle like an African baobab tree that is never shaken even in the worst of storms.
The nation is broken and shattered!
The uncertainty feels like walking on eggshells!
It’s the pain!
It’s the helplessness!
It’s the sorrow felt by the masses!
For a moment I now understand when Maya Angelou says, “I know why the caged bird sings”.
Though it’s a different circumstance!
It feels like we are trapped in this pain!
A life worth living!
Your dedication and service to your people is unmatched.
Oh! we shall forever hear your voice as it echoes from the Cape of Good Hope to the pyramids of Cairo.
From Cuvelai to the swamps of Cuba!
Screaming “Viva the revolution”
Who will ever forget the “Harambee” line, as it echoes across the motherland!
Just like how the Kikuyu people echoed it on the summits of Kilimanjaro!
It feels as if it was only yesterday!
A life worth living!
You really prepared your people for the road.
The epitome and crafter of the Namibian constitution!
A firm believer in institutional governance and processes!
A leader whose footprints remain intact even in the fragile Namib Desert dunes.
Your vision is still vivid like the Khoisan engravings in the Brandsberg mountains!
Give me a vuvuzela so that I echo this in the valleys of Kaokoland!
Even the lay man remembers your usual lesson!
“People and countries go to war, only when diplomacy fails them.”
Indeed, we shall always dialogue!
“Inclusivity spells harmony, yet exclusion spells conflict.”
Indeed, we shall unite!
And indeed, we shall conquer and prevail!
A life worth living!
From the mother continent to the diasporic overseas, flags fly half-mast!
The symbol of how many hearts you have won!
From the falls of Ruacana to Muhembo!
From Katwitwi to Aussenkehr!
From Kaokoland to Impalila!
From Wenale to Grunau!
It’s the same echo!
Though the fire dims, the spirit and the vision shall fly high with the smoke above the seas, and live forever!
Rest in power H.E Dr. Hage G. Geingob.
* Derrick Masangu is an independent blogger.