The book starts with the following quote from my university days:
Many years ago I was asked, “Who are you?” This was before Independence and I understood my credentials were being questioned. My reply was, “First, I am a human being, and secondly I am a Namibian. Last, and least important, I am coloured”.
Now I am at the brink of turning 40 and take the time to sit back and look back at the mileposts during my life. It is also the time to look forward to the end of my days, and consider where I have gone wrong, and perhaps where I have made a meaningful difference. It is most definitely like sitting in an armchair and contemplating “in order to understand itself and mentally grasp its own activity, that of the mind.” After all, “to be able to look back upon ones life in satisfaction is to live twice.”29
So in this last chapter I must also address mistakes that I have made in my feeble attempts at contributing to the nationhood of our beloved land. I have thought it unimportant where my family comes from, what their cultures and beliefs were, and often thought these were to be considered and ultimately rejected as part of their living in a past dominated by the racial classification given by the system of Apartheid.
Who I am is not dictated by our external environment, but rather by the internal. As humans we tend to blame our culture, society, government, employers and even our own families for things that goes wrong, but rarely give them credit for “our” achievements.
As time has passed I have gone from reading science fiction to more biographies on the historical figures in our history. (Imagine my surprise when I found out that Benjamin Franklin had already added a thought for the month in his “Poor Richard’s Almanac, and written advice to a newly establishing tradesman.☺)
Reading through these biographies, and accessing their quotes has made a dramatic impact on my life. Throughout this book I have often put forward an argument to find that a similar proposal has been done by great men before me. I was not the first, and hopefully not the last, to have these great expectations form the human race. Therefore as a tribute to the wisdom of the past, add some of them as part of the annex for your enjoyment.
So to this, the last chapter, I address myself to the words of Albert Einstein, “He who cherishes the values of culture cannot fail to be a pacifist.”
My grandfather was a cattle thief
My family on my fathers’ side is part of the Plaatjies clan. The family, like that of my mothers’, originally came from the Cape. They have stayed in Windhoek for three generations and we have a number of relatives throughout Southern Africa, most of them staying in a coastal town. My grandmother was staying in Walvis Bay at the time of his birth and this has led to many interesting stories I tell of our family. My favourite must be the story of my “grandfather” in the time of the British colony in Walvis Bay. Please, this is not a true story.)
In the late 1800’s my grandfather was a fisherman in Walvis Bay. It was already a British enclave and the ships of various countries would often stop in the bay to replenish their supplies. As Walvis Bay is surrounded by desert, there was no farming of livestock. The visiting sailors were in need of fresh meat, so once a month my grandfather would report for the purpose of “collecting stray cattle”.
He and his mates were provided with horses and a rifle each and sent into the hinterland to find any cattle that were freely walking around. They succeeded most of the time and were this able to provide fresh meat for the sailors and their own families, while also able to supplement their income.
However, I am sure the rightful owners of the cattle considered my grandfather and his band as cattle thief. In the meantime, the sailors saw it differently, they considered him a privateer. In much the same way, Sir Francis Drake of the British Navy (also known as the Queen’s Pirate) was seen by other nations as a pirate rather than an English hero.
Thus, my Grandfather was a cattle thief!
We have thrown the baby out with the bathwater. This is the only explanation of the total lack of information based on cultural affiliations in our census in Namibia. Unfortunately, this attitude of “let’s pretend it is not there” does not make it so.
Even in South Africa, where the Apartheid system was the most formalised, they have recognised the need to keep the information and knowledge of all cultural groups as part of the “rainbow nation”. Discrimination because of race colour or culture is a thing of the past and is replaced by recognition and acceptance of our differences.
We have also outlawed discrimination on the basis of gender, yet still need this categorisation to measure the needed changes that must take place in our country for gender equality. In the same way it is important to note that when a previously marginalised group, such as the San people, have qualified teachers from within their own tribe and culture (Republikein – 14 April 2009).
The lack of recognition of certain groups can have detrimental effects on our country. Look at what has happened to some of our pre-Independence orphans who returned from East Germany. More recently we have seen the SWAPO veterans and orphans also wishing to be recognised as a distinct group with specific needs. In the near future we will see a new group forming of AIDS orphans who have grown up differently with specific disadvantages that need to be addressed to allow them to fully pluck the fruits of our freedom. What culture shall all these groups inherit?
There is a national culture Namibia. Thus we can refer to our language as Namlish with its peculiarities and pronunciations. We are known by our friends and foes on the sport fields as the Brave warriors and the Biltongboere.
In business we refer to the marketing process. It starts with an analysis of the present and then moves to develop a strategy. In marketing it is recognised that to provide the best product for the customer you need to segment the market. Tools such as the Living Standards Measurement are used to focus our marketing efforts. A typical LSM would include age, gender, race or cultural group and income. (Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) household surveys have become an important tool in measuring and understanding poverty in developing countries.)
The people of Namibia are the customer. To serve our people better we must recognise our difference not only in gender or language but also in race. The census in Namibia must measure the race and culture embraced by each resident in future.
The tertiary education institutes in Namibia must then participate in research focussing on cultural, racial, gender, urban-rural economic and livelihood inequalities in Namibia. This ongoing research must continue to ask what the relationship is between the growth and spatial distribution of the public and private economic sectors. It must also encompass the formal and informal economy, the nature of poverty, the characteristics of poor areas, and socio-economic empowerment.
On being Coloured30
I am a Coloured. I am a coloured because my parents raised me as such, and because of the environment around me. Most importantly, I can answer my young daughters, who were not born during Apartheid, when they ask me, “Daddy what am I?”
I can laugh loudest and longest when I see a caricature of a coloured woman gossiping with her neighbour over the fence – it happens in my family even though now it is over the Cellphone, and sometimes in the doctor’s waiting room.
The next observation by people is obviously the one about the typical coloured. It is either the “LBS, lieg, brag en steel” (lie cheat and steal) or the drinking, smoking drugs, swearing and loafing around – and most commonly having babies at a young age. I even had a white young lady tell me that I should not wear baggy clothes the way “the coloureds do”. DUH! And let’s not forget the one thing that carries over from one generation to another – our love of going to nightclubs and just hanging (“nee daddy, ons hang net”).
These attributes are found across all cultures. The fact that as a group we are more tolerant, and probably make more fun of it ourselves does not mean that all coloureds are like this. These are activities which are often brought about by the political, social, economical and technological environment (PEST factors).
I believe the perceptions of a drinking and marijuana smoking culture has its origins in the origins of our own “nationhood”. Most of our forefathers were the offspring of (male) European settlers who settled in the cape and their Bantu slaves (female). These bastards were rejected by their mothers’ family and not recognised by their fathers.
It is a historical fact that many workers were paid with wine rather than money. Now consider being rejected by both sides of your family and paid in alcohol. What is your worth as a person? Are you worth 5 litres of wine?
This cycle is obviously degrading and leads to a very low self esteem. This leads in turn to low confidence levels in your worth and that of your family. This is the big challenge facing the Coloureds with which we still struggle today.
So, those who do drink, do drugs, swear and loaf around (in all cultures) are really broken people who have not realised their own true worth in life. So let’s leave the stereotyping out.
So if we are not that, what are we as a tribe?
Most of us (me included) has lost touch with what we are as a coloured tribe in Namibia, and the broader Southern Africa. Most importantly we must accept our history and be proud of what our forefathers have to done to get us to where we are today. It is time to stop using the terminology of we are “so-called coloureds”.
We are Namibian Coloureds proud to be working to a better future for our family, tribe and country!
I quote from a paper by R van der Ross at the Symposium on Slavery 2008 –
“The question of identity is one which elicits wide, wordy and largely useless response.
In this country there is continuous debate about the matter, and mostly about and from the Coloured people. Who are we? Why? Where from? Where to? Some even ask: Are we? Are there Coloured people? The ridiculousness of these questions is compounded by the attempts at answers: “We are not; we are not Coloured; we are simply human; we are, but we refuse to be called Coloured,” and so into various degrees of assininity. If the matter of mixed descent is raised, it will most likely be met with the response that all the peoples of the earth are mixed.
Of course there is some truth in this, but it evades the other truth namely that which the philosophers call “immediate perception.” We are Coloured because people look at us and regard us as Coloured. Finish en klaar.”
Wikipedia states:
“The term women's rights refer to freedoms and entitlements of women and girls of all ages. These rights may or may not be institutionalised, ignored or suppressed by law, local custom, and behaviour in a particular society. These liberties are grouped together and differentiated from broader notions of human rights because they often differ from the freedoms inherently possessed by or recognized for men and boys, and because activists for this issue claim an inherent historical and traditional bias against the exercise of rights by women and girls.
Issues commonly associated with notions of women's rights include, though are not limited to, the right: to bodily integrity and autonomy; to vote (universal suffrage); to hold public office; to work; to fair wages or equal pay; to own property; to education; to serve in the military or be conscripted; to enter into legal contracts; and to have marital, parental and religious rights. Women and their supporters have campaigned and in some places continue to campaign for the same rights as modern men.
The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, better known as the Maputo Protocol, guarantees comprehensive rights to women including the right to take part in the political process, to social and political equality with men, to control of their reproductive health, and an end to female genital mutilation. As the name suggests, it was adopted by the African Union in the form of a protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.”
This section is one of the last I am writing for this book. After much thought on women's issues, I thought to ignore the issue, because after all, what would I have to say about women’s rights?
Exactly! If I encourage Namibians to uphold equality, I must evaluate my own perceptions in this regard.
A woman is as good as any man. The problem is rather with the marketing of woman in our environment. I sometimes despair when I read "a female politician said..." If it had been a man we don't mention their gender.
Lastly, I am probably biased as I have five daughters. But trust me, they grow up thinking they are better than men!
Abortion
Human Rights Watch considers abortion within the context of human rights, arguing:
"Abortion is a highly emotional subject and one that excites deeply held opinions. However, equitable access to safe abortion services is first and foremost a human right. Where abortion is safe and legal, no one is forced to have one. Where abortion is illegal and unsafe, women are forced to carry unwanted pregnancies to term or suffer serious health consequences and even death. Approximately 13% of maternal deaths worldwide are attributable to unsafe abortion—between 68,000 and 78,000 deaths annually”
I have often been asked what my opinion of abortion is. My Christian upbringing immediately jumps in and shouts “No”. I see no wrong in contraceptives as a form of birth control, but the abortion issue becomes too emotional, too quickly.
However, what are we doing as a community to support pregnant young girls? Is there a social safety net for unwed mothers who cannot, or do not, want this child? It is sad to hear of another case of infanticide, but I have never heard of the father also being held responsible.
We need to as a community, provide support structures through homes for unwed mothers, or even drop-off points for unwanted children.
“Children's rights are the human rights of children with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to the young, including their right to association with both biological parents, human identity as well as the basic needs for food, universal state-paid education, health care and criminal laws appropriate for the age and development of the child. Interpretations of children's rights range from allowing children the capacity for autonomous action to the enforcement of children being physically, mentally and emotionally free from abuse, though what constitutes "abuse" is a matter of debate. Other definitions include the rights to care and nurturing.
The field of children's rights spans the fields of law, politics, religion, and morality.”32
The United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 20 November 1989. The Convention defines a child as any human being under the age of 18, unless an earlier age of majority is attained (recognised) under the law applicable to the child. The Convention makes it very clear that children have rights, and that those rights are human rights. Children can no longer be considered as adult possessions or mere objects of their actions, but are internationally acknowledged as autonomous subjects of rights. Children’s rights are not just promises: they are inalienable rights that children can claim in courts of justice.
Four principles lie at the core of the Convention, namely (a) the right to equal treatment (children must not be discriminated against); (b) the priority of the well-being and best interest of the child (in family and in society); (c) the right to life and development (meaning access to medical treatment, education, protection from exploitation, etc.), and (d) respect of the child’s opinion. With these four principles, which became normative for the relevant legislation in many countries, the Convention has created the environment conducive to ensuring children’s rights across the planet.
Namibia ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 30 September 1990. However, a gap remains between ratification and practical implementation into national legislation. It took Namibia almost two decades to draft suitable legislation by way of the proposed Child Care and Protection Bill, which reflects the principles of the Convention in the Namibian context. It is hoped that this Bill will soon be fully enacted and operational.33
In Namibia, too many adults forget that they were arguing for rights for all Namibians, and that includes our children. During the 1980’s, Namibian students were at the forefront of the Independence struggle and many were willing to lay down their lives for the struggle. It is time we recognise this, and accord our children the respect they deserve.
Why a day for the African child?
Many year ago, we are told
The dark continent had Theocracy;
These days we are told
The dark continent needs Democracy.
Many years ago, so it seems
Colonialism was the order of the day
These years, so it seems
Everything is quite okay.
Many years ago, I can tell
The young were politically aware
These days I can tell
The young are economically "all there".
Many years ago, I can hope
Having children was being wealthy
These days I can hope
All our children will be healthy
Why thus hold a Day for African Child?
Is it to remind the youth of our past
To show how Apartheid had us riled
Even if they guns at us did blast?
Today we wait for another eruption
Because of continued corruption
Reminding us why we did defy:
The Young do not believe the lie.
(Windhoek, 16 June 2011)
“Older people are the custodians of our traditions, our heritage and our cultures. They reflect our past and are the mirrors of our future. They have the right to a healthy, productive life, to live in a caring environment and to be treated with respect.”34
Loss of respect for the elderly
We are all going to grow old!
As human beings we are the only conscious animal that is aware that one day our own existence will end. This is scary and many of us prefer to ignore this through denial and repression. However, we only know this because we have a memory of those who have passed before us.
Our memories are not only there to remind us of the bad things (such as death), but also plays an important role in our development and survival. In the wild, it is the old, wily Kudu who lives the longest because he has learnt from experience and retains the memories.
In all cultures, the history of a tribe, as well as the memories of past calamities was preserved only in the minds of the old people. Thus it was important before the written word, for all cultures to remember and pass on the knowledge of life saving information. The young thus stayed with in close proximity to their elders, and made effort to look after them in their old age. This is also one of the important foundations in worship of the forefathers.
Earlier than in other cultures, Europeans memories have been passed on to the next through the written word. This has been an important reason for their world dominance. The less reliance needed on the old, led in turn to smaller family units and inevitably accumulation of power and wealth in the hands of the few. It also led to younger family members being able to hold their elders to account for their past actions and decisions.
As the various cultures throughout the world have become civilised, they have gained the knowledge of the existing written word (mostly from the Bible) and often lost their own culture and memories before it is preserved in a written form.
However, since the advent of the World Wide Web in 1994, more and more of our memories, and thus our past, are available to all. And to add injury to insult, it is the young who are able to access the Web the easiest. With this vast library of information available at their fingertips, it is becoming easier for the young to judge their elders.
Our elders have lost the advantage of being the memory banks of our culture and history.
In a similar vein, earlier communication between the generations occurred at night after the evening meal. During the story telling (imparting of past wisdoms), the young were to be seen “not heard”. This was an important gesture of respect for the old, and a way of ensuring your own survival if you should get into an unfamiliar and deadly situation.
Our modern technology now means we all have cellular telephones. However, it is often the younger person doing the calling. The purpose is often still the same – to get something, whether information or to request money.
Now they cut the elder short during the normal greetings (a sign of respect) because “my credit is going to run out so listen quickly!”
We need a law to protect our elderly. Such a law must include:
•The right of older persons to live safely and without fear of abuse;
•the assumption that older persons are competent to make informed choices and decisions about their lives;
•the right of older persons to be treated fairly and be valued independently of their economic contribution; and
•the right of older persons to have access to employment, health, welfare, transportation, social assistance and other support systems without regard to economic status.
The law must also provide a mechanism punish abuse of the elderly.
Freedom Flight
An eagle soars the sky,
Floating high above the earth,
He looks down on tiny specks of life
He knows not what they think,
Cares not!
Cause he is free.
Yet in life all this is a lie
For even from our birth
We are living lives filled with strife
Caring only for ourselves
Never others
All wishing to be free.
But all of you I’ll defy
As I too am free
Soaring
Never captive
Yet, one – day I’ll be no more –
And who’ll remember?
While preparing this book, I often alluded to the change in my thinking that was occurring as I was putting pen to paper. Perhaps one of the most profound of these “new thoughts” was the issue of integration. What is integration? Why is it an issue for a book of this nature? Most importantly, why is it an issue for me?
Reconciliation and integration
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution that 2009 be declared the International Year of Reconciliation. In the words of this august body when it set its agenda to focus the world’s attention on Reconciliation in 2009, dialogue from opposing sides is “an essential element of peace and reconciliation.”
At the time of Independence, reconciliation was the strategy used to respond to the past violations of human rights. I see the process of reconciliation only being the beginning of nation building. Now it is the time for the bringing together of all the different strands of our cultures into a common fabric. Just as in a carpet one can still recognise the various individual colours, so we too need recognise our historical and cultural backgrounds to appreciate the entire design of our nationhood.
The dictionary states that: Integration (from the Latin integer, meaning whole or entire) generally means combining parts so that they work together or form a whole.
In my own mind I find it difficult to integrate who I am, what I am, where I am and what I wish to become. To this end, I have separated integration and its application (ah no not again:-) into the following levels:
•Personal Acceptance
•Marriage
•Local
•National
•Regional
•International
In psychology and motivational talks, we often refer to the three concentric circles that a person is made up of. In the innermost circle, we refer to our own psyche or personality. Here we have the ability to change what we desire without any thought to others. Things like giving up smoking, or a preference for the colour blue.
In the second circle, are the things in the immediate vicinity we can change or influence. These are often environmental factors such as air-conditioning, or dependent factors such as the behaviour of our children or pets that require our care.
In the outer circle, are those external factors that we cannot change or alter. These are the issues such as the price of fuel, inflation rates, or whether my ex-wife has a new boyfriend I detest.
I Know, I Know Not
There are four kinds of knowing.
• Knowing you know,
• knowing you know not,
• not knowing you know and
• not knowing you know not
Let's look at each one and what it means:
Knowing you know - this is what we consider our education and training
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