"The dominant vs minority cultures"

By Cde Carpio Amakali
Dear Editor: Allow me the opportunity in your esteemed paper to express myself on racial classification & divisionsand how it affects our unity and development as a nation. Before venturing on this subject allow me to quote Art 19 of the Namibian Constitution which enables every citizen the right to belong to his/her ethnic group and or to practice and to promote tradition, his/her unique language &cultural beliefs of his/her choice. My concern however herewith is the manner in which it was originally incepted and bestowed upon us by the then apartheid government with its hidden agenda to divide and rule.

In fact, conditions were deliberately and intentionally invented on us, in order for blacks to remain secluded in their own camps and ought not to come along at all with each other. The unfortunate reality however is that our government surprisingly inherited this evil system and remains grappled with it for the past 22 years since independence. And unless tangible efforts come off the ground to address them we the next generation might be faced with a hot potato which might lead us to civil wars. Given this scenario, I can only concur with others that we have a very long way to go in bridging the cultural indifferences in our country.

Against this background allow me to emphasize on some realities which are eminent on the ground in our country pertaining to certain suburbs in Namibia that are calculatingly still ethically classified, as well as on certain cultures that are still regarded as the superior cultures as to how we arrogantly look down on others as the minority tribe/race. In most of the workplaces workers are still induced so to say to converse only in the language of the boss which is perceived to be the "most understandable language for all."

Amazingly it is even obligatory for old man Tate Johannes for that matter to try his most best to converse in the language of the boss even if it means being ridiculed for misspelling certain words or names. And if you dare to converse in another language in the workplace you are considered to be stubborn, or harboring whatever might be perceived as illegal. No wonder tribalism is rife amongst us because those issues are regarded as very sensitive and untouchable.

The father of the nation has repeatedly called on Namibians to unite and this has been echoed on a daily basis by our Namibian government, yet some prefer to live as if they are in their own island in Namibia. Why don't we as a nation try to learn a bit from each other's cultures?

Namibians please wake up&..!! We are already a free nation for the past 22 years, why should we live as if we are still remotely controlled by the old apartheid ghost who could manipulate and pulled the strings as they so wish.

In conclusion in as much as that the Constitution enables others their freedoms and rights, the very same Constitution also categorically states that those rights ought to be subjected to the terms and conditions of the Namibian Constitution which inter alia states that such rights do not impinge upon the rights of others, or national interest .

Surely the NBC has got a massive task head and should act NOW within its mandate to investigate and to address these issues, and come up with comprehensive educational programs aimed at alienating those undesirable behaviors and conditions in our societies