It is well established that the majority of the Namibian population is made up of the youth, almost everything that happens in the country revolves around the youth, whether it’s positive or not. Youth in their very nature can be very difficult and passionate about issues involving them, like employment for example.
At every turn in the country, you are likely to hear a young person complain about a lack of employment and a bad economy. To top it off, they seem to always know who to blame or where to point for the cause. While the youth usually find themselves at a receiving end of these woes, they seem to forget that they too have a part to play in it.
They seem to forget their share of the troubles around them. One cannot sit at home or on the internet and magically expect things to fall in their laps, just as much as there are those in boardrooms trying to solve some of these problems, the youth should take responsibility and do their part. They are able and can take some responsibility and make things easier, something as simple as not littering and taking care of the environment.
Of course, this wouldn’t apply to everyone, as there are some young people that are doing exceptional work despite the current mishaps, people who understand that they are part of a team and taking care of things on their end. They are being responsible.
The crime rate in the country was getting unreasonably high, it got so bad that the NDF had to be called in to help out the Police Force. It isn’t shocking that it was mostly the youthful members of the public that were wrecking havoc on the streets, now that the NDF and police are out to curb the situation, they are being made out to be the bad guys, again this shows how the youth are refusing to take responsibility for their actions.
From a young age, we have always known that the blame game never worked, we are all Namibians and as a result, what happens within our borders in one way or another affects us all. It’s true that some other people contribute more to the negative than others, but regardless of whether it’s right or wrong, we are all affected as one.
It’s a blessing and a curse to be young in this day and age, but just as much as we are wronged, we too should take responsibility for our lack of input to correct it.
*Olavi Popyeinawa has a diploma in Alternative Dispute Resolution and is currently studying law, LLB at the University of Namibia. He writes on youth matters. Find him on Instagram: olavi_popyeinawa, Facebook: Olavi Popyeinawa and Twitter: @ OlaviPopyeinawa