A tribute to Dr Herbert Ndango Diaz

On 14 January, Dr Herbert Ndango Diaz transited from this earthly world of death to the world of eternal life. All who knew him were taken aback by the sad news of his passing and wished that the news was rather fake. This is because Dr Diaz was a towering figure in the Namibian society for so long a time and his deeds touched the lives of so many people.

He was foremost a scholar of note - being one of those Namibians from the Kavango regions who could boast a PhD qualification. In 1993, he probably became the fourth Namibian from the two Kavango regions - after Dr Romanus Kampungu (1965), Dr Alpo Mauno Mbamba (1984) and Professor Joseph Diescho (1987) - to obtain a PhD. He was therefore a torchbearer in the area of education.

Not forgetting his patriotic contribution to the liberation struggle, advancement and the unification of the Namibian cultures and in other fields, this tribute focuses on his contribution to the development of the Rumanyo language curriculum and literature.

Bitter pill

At Namibia’s independence and shortly thereafter, the Rumanyo language was restricted to primary education only.

This has been a concern and issue of resistance since before Namibia’s independence. Based on the recommendations of the apartheid-instituted Odendaal Commission, in around 1968, the Bantu Administration in Kavango under the leadership of a Bantu Commissioner decided to exclude Rumanyo from further development for school purposes. Thus, when language committees were set up in order to develop the school curriculum for the various indigenous languages to be represented in Windhoek, Rumanyo was excluded.

This was a bitter pill to swallow for many who hailed from Rumanyo-speaking communities, because it was the first indigenous language to be written in the entire northeastern Namibia. Rumanyo became the first written language by the Roman Catholic Missionaries as early as 1910. Even after Namibia’s independence at a Language Policy Conference at Ongwediva in around 1991, citing costs and lack of materials, the question whether Rumanyo was to be excluded from the Namibian school curriculum still came up.

This was in spite of the fact that Rumanyo boasted many thousands of native speakers. Thus, the idea to exclude Rumanyo from the school curriculum met the same stiff resistance by teachers from Rumanyo-speaking communities.

Upon a presentation of a Rumanyo orthography, as was required, the then minister of education Nahas Angula finally approved the inclusion of Rumanyo in the Namibian school curriculum. This good news was, however, presented with the condition that original (not translated work) language materials for schools in Rumanyo needed to be developed -or else Rumanyo was to be excluded. This was a reasonable requirement because at the time there were insufficient teaching and learning materials for Rumanyo, specifically for secondary education.

Materials developed

It is against this background - and with the backing of his brother in-law, the retired inspector of schools Mr Karl Peter Shiyaka-Mberema, as well as the late Simon Shiyave and others - that Dr Diaz took it upon himself to see to it that the required books and other materials for teaching and learning in Rumanyo were developed as rapidly as possible. Mberema and the late Shiyave were among the most prominent committee members who established an orthography for Rumanyo language in 1988.

Subsequent to the approval of the Rumanyo language as a school subject from grade one to 12 in around 1991 and the adoption of the Schools Language Policy in 1992, a newly appointed Rumanyo Committee - led by late Dr Diaz’s spouse Felisitas Kunyima Haingura and late Servasius Kapirika - responded by inviting all teachers who were deemed experts in the language to put together an anthology of poems titled ‘Mbeli’ [Firstborn]. More than everyone else, Dr Diaz contributed 60 valuable poems to this book, which was published in 1993.

In 1994, for the first time, a novella titled ‘Mandavero’ appeared in Rumanyo. With this philosophical novella about an upright man who was subjected to bad intentions and plotting by close relatives all his life, Dr Diaz presented himself on the scene as an author of note. He further engraved his name in the hearts and minds of many learners in Namibia - including this author – with another publication titled ‘Kashuta’ (1994).

A combination of comic and tragic short stories, the book was legendary at the time. These two books left an indelible mark wherever they were read because they instantly became the toast of Rumanyo teachers and learners. Thus, with ‘Mandavero’ and ‘Kashuta’ as his magnum opus, Dr Diaz set the bar high for future Rumanyo authors. However, he was just beginning with his work to develop the Rumanyo language as two years later he published ‘Shatoka’, a drama about three albino girl children and the cruelty they were subjected to by their grandmother.

Fast-track development

As Rumanyo was being rolled out in secondary education, Dr Diaz had to fast-track the development of learning and teaching materials in order to meet the set criteria by the education ministry. Thus, rapidly he had to produce a series of books that were demanded to meet the curriculum requirements.

In 2003 alone, he published two books and contributed to another. These books were ‘Sharondo Mpadi’, a tragedy set in Kenya, and a sad drama, namely ‘Mumpadi Dakare’, set in the villages of the Shambyu area of jurisdiction.

In the same year, he spearheaded the publication of an anthology of Rumanyo poems titled ‘Shiyo’. Once again, more than anyone else, he contributed about 43 poems. ‘Lirurumbe’, a hilarious comedy about Tjangotjo, a male braggadocio character, was his latest publication in 2017. Dr Diaz only slowed down on writing when his health started to wane in 2012.

Apart from the books he single-handedly authored, he also contributed to many others such as ‘Rugciriku rwaMuduva’ (1994), ‘Tuvamanyo Kushakare’ (1995), ‘Tutarukenu’ (1999), ‘Penduka/Rambuka’ and other children’s books.

Apart from Mberema, Dr Samuel Kaveto Mbambo, Dr Marius Kudumo and Dr Paulinus Haingura, Dr Diaz remained the main contributor to the literary advancement of the Rumanyo language for the last 33 years. I therefore concur with Dr Paulinus Haingura when he argues that Dr Diaz was indeed a blessing to the Rumanyo-speaking community, because he single-handedly took the language to the next level - regardless of the many obstacles that stood in his way.

His literary work in Rumanyo has inspired many young writers, and his pioneering literary work is well epitomised in the Rumanyo saying: “Mayenganyambi! kombera ntjapo pamema, ngombe daVatwa difughafughe”, which means “may the leading elder throw the incense on the river, so that the hippos emerge out of water to float”. Indeed, Dr Diaz has completed his mission successfully. May the youth and future generations pick up his fallen pen and continue where he has stopped. May his soul rest in eternal peace!

**Shampapi Shiremo is a historian and social sciences lecturer at the University of Namibia. He writes in his personal capacity.