Census: Educate the public
The last time we had a census was more than 13 years ago. The census is supposed to be held every 10 years. It has been postponed several times, with serious consequences for development and what it means to lead a society that is anchored on evidence-based decision-making. It is better to be late than never, as those used to late deliveries would say, finding comfort in accepting incompetence.
Without international involvement, particularly through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), it is possible that the government would have proceeded unconcerned, lacking timely and current statistics.
Apart from lofty plans for a knowledge-based economy, as contained in Vision 2030, there is little evidence to suggest that our leaders are concerned about statistics. Recent comparisons by President Hage Geingob, who suggested that apartheid was worse than genocide, highlight that our leaders place little premium on statistics and evidence-based leadership.
Census reference night took place on 24 September. Methodologically, this meant that enumerators would count people based on the household in which they spent that night. Soon after, videos and photos began circulating on social media, clearly illustrating the challenges census enumerators faced while carrying out their national duties.
Three come to mind. The first relates to photos of enumerators integrating themselves with the subjects in ways suggestive of distractions and deviations. In one case, an enumerator is photographed looking at what looks like cooked meat being dried. Since it is in a rural context, chances are that he may have been assisted with the meat, so he continues with his work. The rural folks are usually kind. This imagery is not concerning. The census methodology is, in any case, designed to factor in the margin of error, and the data would anyway be cleaned.
There are, however, two concerning scenes. The first is the video of a white couple who are seemingly on a farm, refusing entry to the enumerators.
They hurl insults at enumerators in Afrikaans, and the couple can be heard talking about government. It is evident that, for this couple, the census is viewed as a government activity that is unrelated to them. To their feeble minds, how they respond depends on what they think and how it relates to the government. It is clear, in a final analysis, that enumerators were denied entry.
The other concerning scene took place when enumerators visited an informal settlement and a mob of residents descended on them, refusing to be counted. From what I could discern amidst the commotion, given my limited understanding of Oshiwambo, it appeared that the mob, much like the white couple, viewed the census as a government programme. Due to their dissatisfaction with government, they took the opportunity to resist cooperating with the enumerators.
Unfortunately, their behaviour suggests they thought they were hurting government or could somehow coerce government to take notice of their plight and improve their livelihoods. Reference can be made to the main headline in this newspaper's Monday edition, titled 'You can’t count us in shacks'.
How did we reach this level of embarrassment? While it's true that a significant number of Namibians don't trust the government or are disillusioned, the idea that refusing to participate in the census as a way to defy government reflects a concerning lack of awareness.
The fact that there are people who are not aware that a census is taking place, that a census is an important indicator that guides development, and that they have a duty to assist enumerators is a terrible failure on the part of those who lead our society.
We were not supposed to have screaming headlines. In fact, had there been sufficient awareness, informal settlement residents would’ve been the first to welcome census enumerators so that their issues could be captured, allowing government to obtain a comprehensive picture. Enumerators ask various questions, including about a household's state, employment status, level of education and household facilities, among other indicators.
Developed countries take national awareness seriously. Citizens are educated not only through the education system but through various programmes. In these countries, leaders do not just put scarves around their necks to repeat the same exile stories. They deal with real questions of the past, present and future. In our society, there is no orientation or programme aimed at collective awareness. This is exactly what these videos tell us. We have a problem.
*Muthoni waKongola is a native of Kongola in the Zambezi Region primarily concerned with analysing society and offering ideas for a better Namibia. She is reachable at [email protected] or @wakongola on Twitter.
Without international involvement, particularly through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), it is possible that the government would have proceeded unconcerned, lacking timely and current statistics.
Apart from lofty plans for a knowledge-based economy, as contained in Vision 2030, there is little evidence to suggest that our leaders are concerned about statistics. Recent comparisons by President Hage Geingob, who suggested that apartheid was worse than genocide, highlight that our leaders place little premium on statistics and evidence-based leadership.
Census reference night took place on 24 September. Methodologically, this meant that enumerators would count people based on the household in which they spent that night. Soon after, videos and photos began circulating on social media, clearly illustrating the challenges census enumerators faced while carrying out their national duties.
Three come to mind. The first relates to photos of enumerators integrating themselves with the subjects in ways suggestive of distractions and deviations. In one case, an enumerator is photographed looking at what looks like cooked meat being dried. Since it is in a rural context, chances are that he may have been assisted with the meat, so he continues with his work. The rural folks are usually kind. This imagery is not concerning. The census methodology is, in any case, designed to factor in the margin of error, and the data would anyway be cleaned.
There are, however, two concerning scenes. The first is the video of a white couple who are seemingly on a farm, refusing entry to the enumerators.
They hurl insults at enumerators in Afrikaans, and the couple can be heard talking about government. It is evident that, for this couple, the census is viewed as a government activity that is unrelated to them. To their feeble minds, how they respond depends on what they think and how it relates to the government. It is clear, in a final analysis, that enumerators were denied entry.
The other concerning scene took place when enumerators visited an informal settlement and a mob of residents descended on them, refusing to be counted. From what I could discern amidst the commotion, given my limited understanding of Oshiwambo, it appeared that the mob, much like the white couple, viewed the census as a government programme. Due to their dissatisfaction with government, they took the opportunity to resist cooperating with the enumerators.
Unfortunately, their behaviour suggests they thought they were hurting government or could somehow coerce government to take notice of their plight and improve their livelihoods. Reference can be made to the main headline in this newspaper's Monday edition, titled 'You can’t count us in shacks'.
How did we reach this level of embarrassment? While it's true that a significant number of Namibians don't trust the government or are disillusioned, the idea that refusing to participate in the census as a way to defy government reflects a concerning lack of awareness.
The fact that there are people who are not aware that a census is taking place, that a census is an important indicator that guides development, and that they have a duty to assist enumerators is a terrible failure on the part of those who lead our society.
We were not supposed to have screaming headlines. In fact, had there been sufficient awareness, informal settlement residents would’ve been the first to welcome census enumerators so that their issues could be captured, allowing government to obtain a comprehensive picture. Enumerators ask various questions, including about a household's state, employment status, level of education and household facilities, among other indicators.
Developed countries take national awareness seriously. Citizens are educated not only through the education system but through various programmes. In these countries, leaders do not just put scarves around their necks to repeat the same exile stories. They deal with real questions of the past, present and future. In our society, there is no orientation or programme aimed at collective awareness. This is exactly what these videos tell us. We have a problem.
*Muthoni waKongola is a native of Kongola in the Zambezi Region primarily concerned with analysing society and offering ideas for a better Namibia. She is reachable at [email protected] or @wakongola on Twitter.
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