From Ethindi to the Big Apple

Tunohole Mungoba

After enduring many rejections, Fillemon Shikomba is currently working for the United Nations (UN) economic and social council at its New York headquarters.

The 26-year-old legal professional arrived in New York with only US$40 in his pocket, after his mother exhausted all her savings to pay for his flight ticket.

“My work involves researching pertinent topics and issues to provide timely information and analysis for non-violent activists, international development practitioners and government officials,” Shikomba said.

He also works with human rights and religious organisations to help them promote non-violent actions.

“Some of the cases I am currently working on are the Nicaragua conflict, the Israel and Palestine conflict and the Syrian refugees.”

He was raised by his mother in the north of Namibia.

Shikomba was born in Ethindi village in Onayena and grew up in Onakalunga in Omuthiya.

“I attended primary school at Lano Private School in Onayena and high school at Uukule Senior Secondary School in the Oshikoto Region.

“After high school I went to the University of Namibia (Unam) for a semester, after I enrolled for business administration. I studied business administration after I could not get into the law school because they had limited space,” he explained. Shikomba later quit his course after being presented with an opportunity to study in Russia.

“I dropped out of Unam, because I was not happy pursuing a course that I never liked.”

After graduating with a bachelor of laws from Tambov State University in Russia in 2017, Shikomba was selected for the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders and was placed at Howard University in Washington, DC where he attained a certificate in public relations.

“Through the fellowship, I got a scholarship to further my studies at Hofstra University in New York.

“In May 2018, I graduated with a masters’ degree in law, cum laude. I also hold a certificate in politics from Yale University, which I received in 2017.”

Shikomba says he owes his constant exposure to rejection.

“The pressure and the constant rejection is what challenged me to continue studying. I believe that sometimes rejection is a redirection.

“I have always been passionate about the law; there is so many laws for those who can afford it, and too little for those who cannot. It is my dream to change this problem one day.

“After completing my studies in Russia, I came back home and I tried my hand at every little thing.

“This was the point where life truly tested my patience. I applied for so many jobs and I have been rejected for every little one, even for teaching posts.

“I have encountered so much rejection and I was even told that a Russian education is useless and that I will not go anywhere with it. I have written to so many law firms, just for internships, but to no avail,” Shikomba said.

He said New York is a very challenging place.

“It is expensive, huge and different. “I was able to settle in with the help of amazing Namibians in New York, and when you finally settle in, that is when you truly see the beauty of New York.

“It is just like in the movies and it is such a diverse city and almost every part of the world is represented here.

“New York can easily distract you, because it has so much to offer - the bad, the good and the ugly.

“It is a city with everything. There is a popular saying: ‘If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere’.

“I have a very special place for Namibia in my heart, but also as I travel, I began to understand that sometimes in order to bring something home, you have go away from home.

“There are so many incredible people in our country that supported me during my studies here and I have to return and put their investment to work,” he says.

In the next five years, he plans to have acquired more in-depth knowledge of the UN and politics.

“Those new skills will help me serve Namibia and I also have plans to establish my own law practice in the country of my birth.”

Shikomba advises young people to always be patient and never give up.

“I have been through so much before ascending to my current position. I have been challenged to a point where I felt completely hopeless and useless, but all this was preparing me for where I am today.

“It is only through constant exposure to failure that we can truly be successful. Without the possibility of being a failure you will never be extraordinary,” he added.