WINDHOEK – President Hifikepunye Pohamba yesterday commended New Era Publication Corporation (NEPC) for introducing the fully indigenous language newspaper Kundana.
NEPC Chief Executive Officer Dr Audrin Mathe yesterday paid a courtesy call on Pohamba at State House to brief him on the challenges and plans that NEPC has and also to seek support from the Head of State in the implementation of the projects that New Era will embark on over the next five years. Mathe also used the opportunity to introduce Kundana to the president. The newspaper was launched recently at Ongwediva. Kundana becomes Namibia’s first national newspaper with news content presented entirely in Oshikwanyama and Oshindonga. “The idea is to replicate this newspaper into other indigenous languages in the next five years,” elaborated Mathe.
Describing New Era as the “people’s newspaper”, the president said he is impressed by the idea of facilitating news in an indigenous language, which will mean a lot to those who cannot understand English. “Kundana is a welcome one, it will help the section of that population to read information in their own language,” the president remarked. He was also pleased that Kundana would be replicated in other indigenous languages over the next five years as part of NEPC’s efforts to promote indigenous Namibian languages that are often marginalised.
Kundana is a weekly newspaper with a 10 000 print run appearing every Friday and is sold for N$2.00 countrywide.
Meanwhile, the newspaper is said to be selling like hot cakes in some northern regions, especially in the Ohangwena Region, as indigenous language readers flock to the available outlets to get their copies of Kundana.
This was the first time that Mathe met the president as the chief executive officer of New Era, since his appointment in May this year.
Tonateni Shidhudhu