John Ekongo
Naturally, when corporate entities invite media personnel for some outing, they expect something in return, especially good reviews or well crafted articles.
Not that I am saying anything is wrong with it, but I believe this is tantamount to bribing in our profession.
It’s a code unchallenged and you don’t have to believe it, the choice is yours. But it has been the practice the world over.
Now usually I would not brag about this or that, I mean that has been long gone ever since I joined the world of administrative media, leaving behind the well-paid overstressed freebies-enticed print and television journalism. (I say well paid for some, I was not that lucky).
Maar nonetheless, as you might be aware, the grand old lady Etosha Pan invited me to come see her in all her glory after gaining a centenary, and wow; what a gift she gave to me and many others who experienced her splendour from sundown to clear-night sky moonlight and morning sunrise.
Remarkably, it was an occasion not to forget, surely one that will go in the remembrance annals of many of my journalistic peers we shared the joy with.
If it were not for the likes of Oom Jan Tsumib, and his “rangers”
I know I am wandering on much about nothing, so to get to the point. The pan is a salt lake as old as humanity (well maybe not that much but, for history’s sake, let’s just say it’s the same age as the San). And as far as history has proven, and records show, no one was allowed to walk on the pan itself.
Actually, some Owambo historians claim that some of our early forefathers might have walked on the pan south bound in search of work, but this cannot be verified though.
The Internet encyclopaedia site Wikipedia states that some adventurous travellers by the names of John Andersson and Francis Galton first explored it way back in 1851.
Well to hell, with that I say, Oom Jan Tsumib, and reverend Konjore said that we were the first civilians to walk on the pan and overnight on the pan – Me, Dina, Tangeni and even broertjie with his big photo lenses.
Now that was history in the making. To put it mildly, as Julia form Informant??????’??