SWAPO history too important – SG
By Levi Upula

SWAPO Party’s history is being exhibited at the National Art Gallery, depicting its history and the people who played a key role in Namibia’s liberation struggle. There are exclusive pictures never seen before, but quite attractive and insightful.

SWAPO Party Secretary General, Cde Pendukekeni Iivula-Ithana, could not hide her excitement at the first ever historic exhibition of Namibia’s liberation struggle as waged by SWAPO Party. The exhibition is part of the 50 anniversary of the founding of SWAPO Party.

SWAPO Party was founded on 19 April 1960.

She said that the exhibition was a revelation of the foot prints the SWAPO Party had made in the sand of time and in the jungles of Zambia, Angola and elsewhere where the struggle was waged from.

“It depicts the road we had traveled as a liberation movement and the courage and determination the brave sons and daughters of this soil had portrayed amidst all adversities, the enemy fire, the hunger, thirst, rain or sunshine,” she said

The exhibition is rich, dealing with issues such as political, military and diplomatic fronts which characterized SWAPO’s liberation strategies which brought about Namibia’s independence and freedom in 1990.

“We are setting the tone of the new discourse and are asserting a Namibian identity and a sense of purpose, of place and history of the great deeds and personal sacrifices of our heroes and heroines of our country and its people.

“We are asserting our right to tell our own stories about our glorious history. For this to happen, we need to undertake, with a degree of urgency, a process of reclamation and assertion. We must contest the colonial denial of our history and initiate our own conversations and dialogues about our past.

“We need our own historians and our own scholars to interpret the history of our country. Our history is too important to be left for others from elsewhere to write it for us. There will be a lot written and debated about the history of SWAPO but this opportunity at least affords a chance to our historians, youth, scholars and the public at large to mirror the prevailing conditions of our struggle at the time.”

Hundreds of people have been visiting the National Art Gallery since the opening of the exhibition, mainly those who were in exile, only to find their pictures when they were young.

Founding President Sam Nujoma was among the most excited persons at the exhibition, reminding Namibians how important history was. He went through the exhibition halls, seeing photos he had not seen for ages.

“We must preserve our history,” he said. “History is very important for us. Through history, we know where we come from and where we are going. A nation without history is like a tree without roots.

“History is important. Our forefathers paved the way for us. We stepped in their shoes and waged the struggle to its logical conclusion. Here we are, free and independent, sovereign as a nation. We must pay tribute to our heroes and heroines.”

Many liberation heroes and heroines who visited the exhibition said it served as tribute and living testimony to the memories of Namibia’s fallen comrades who laid down their lives in the cause of Namibia’s independence struggle.

Cde Iivula-Ithana said the exhibition would rekindle memories of those who were involved in the liberation struggle to remember those difficult, but yet rewarding years of fighting for a noble cause of liberation.

“As we leave from this exhibition, let us spread the word and encourage other people to come and witness closely the telling story of our liberation as it is presented by the people who are the living memories themselves.”