Sibuku Malumbano

The two main reasons why African nationalism gained strength after World War II were the involvement of African soldiers in World War II and the formation of the United Nations.
After having outlined the two reasons, I thought to add the Namibian history into the spotlight. State institutions seem to be shifting the goal posts for their apparent reasons. Corruption , tribalism, hegemony, regionalism, favouritism and partisanship - to mention but a few - have taken centre-stage in societies while there is no one who seems to take responsibilities and be accountable.
With the involvement of African soldiers in World War II, these soldiers later returned with feelings of equality and human rights. They had more skills and new ideas for the future. Skills allowed them to be treated equally by white soldiers. 
Therefore, the paradigm shift of authority seems not to be in accordance with what Namibians are expecting and experiencing. It’s indeed disturbing to witness as to how ethnicity, regionalism have been used to downgrade a number of promising academic gurus in Namibia while leaving their expertise and experience dwindling in vain. 
A number of them are squarely grounded because they were engineered to be the voice of their voiceless tribesmen/women.  The question then is; are skills really required in the struggle for independence and democracy? It is painful to note that some academic cream who mentored others to climb the ladder of education in their regions are less regarded and recognised because of implications the authority of the day used, to implicate them in less fortunate circumstances. 
How do we improve and motivate aspiring academics when most of the top academic/skilled achievers are not recognised and thus cannot be used as a yardstick?
Namibia seems to be protecting its human resources based on partisanship and harbours more of it cronies based on the conscience and principles of dancing to the tune of the game changer even if the music is mute.  
The formation of the United Nations has the following to offer to the people of the world. It gave fresh energy to nationalist movements in African countries. Its charter stated that it was the right of all people to control their destiny. 
The UN called Britain, France and colonial powers to give independence to their colonies as soon as possible. It also put pressure on South Africa to get rid of apartheid and to allow Namibia to become independent. 
Its goal was the maintenance of basic human rights and it became an international forum where colonialism could be discussed and condemned.
With the following observations, African leaders should not forget that the youth of today do not need liberation credentials to liberate themselves from the exclusion of national cake. 
They don’t need guns and training to argue and debate. They have all the required skills and capacity to unleash all the bad tribulations along their way of democracy. Hegemony should have taught our leaders a lesson.  Inclusion and proper participatory exercise should not border between the youth and those liberated African states using the barrel of the gun.   Our democracy seems to be exposed if not disturbed by the powers that be because we are reading and hearing as to how state coffers are being swindled and looted but yet we seem not to care. Looters and the corrupt are known but yet we seem to paint the looters with gold and give them more chance. 
When are we likely to wake up from our deepest slumber? When all is looted we will be left with nothing and we will be going for forty nights of prayers from the mountains of (Windhoek/Otjomuise/Winterhoek/ Windhuk) and yet time won’t be with us because it will be already late. With all the ill-administered resources being looted those with no political powers have resorted to save their regions with little resources such as land, rosewood, fauna and flora. When they safeguard the little regional natural resources from extinction, the engineers seem to be targeting them as tribalists, fathers and mothers of regionalism while that is not the case.
In as much as the gap seems to be widened by the authorities of the day it will be of apparent reason to allow people to contribute to what they view is better for them. When people are not happy and cry for dialogue, engage them. When the pain doesn’t get off them they won’t spare you an ear to listen. Time is now, listen to the crying beloved country. Let all those that seem to be implicated into SME, SSC, Avid and other exploited institutions dance the music of the full wrath of the law.
It’s time to allow also the Caprivi issue to take centre stage into the government programmes; it’s so touching and disheartening over decades and decades that some of the families have been robbed of their family members. Holding grudges and hatred is not an issue, let the dialogue commence and let the political solutions be found. We cannot afford and manage the burden of having our parents displaced all over while organs/ institutions are within reach and alive to have it once and for all disposed of.  In any case there’s a solution to it. Where there’s a will there’s a way. Justice delayed is justice denied.
* Sibuku Malumbano writes from Sibbinda village.