Henties, a disaster waiting to happen
31 December 2019 | Opinion
Our beautiful coastal town of Henties Bay is in the news again. It always does this time of the year, and sometimes during the long Easter weekend. Whether by default or design, it always does. Inevitably.
The town has seemingly become a breeding ground for racial confrontations between whites and blacks. It is never clear what fuels these fallouts but whatever it is, it must be addressed.
Without that background information, we will, for now hold our fingers and not wag them in anyone’s direction.
But here is the godly truth. Henties is neither a place for whites, nor is it for blacks. It’s a place for Namibians and outsiders who visits it and who live in it.
Thus, no individual or group has more right of access to the town than the other.
If this situation is not nipped in the bud real quick, Henties is a disaster waiting to happen. And when that bomb explodes, it would be too late to contain the skirmishes that emanate from it.
Too many people, including those who have nothing to do with these backward confrontations, would be caught in the crossfire.
If anything, Henties presents the best place to mould racial harmony. It is a small close-knit multi-racial town where everyone has interacted with almost everyone at one point or the other.
It is difficult to unite bigger populations, but in Henties we have a perfect platform for a ‘model town’ that can unite all those who live in it.
Racism has brought this country where it is today – segregated, unequal, poor and angry.
With so much glaring evidence of what racial divisions have done to us, one thinks it would be foolhardy of anyone to even contemplate going back into that space. Unless, of course, one is benefitting from the status quo and would thus want to perpetuate it for their own parochial windfalls.
Sober leadership needs to reign supreme in Henties. A leadership that promotes unity practically and not just by word of mouth.
The town has seemingly become a breeding ground for racial confrontations between whites and blacks. It is never clear what fuels these fallouts but whatever it is, it must be addressed.
Without that background information, we will, for now hold our fingers and not wag them in anyone’s direction.
But here is the godly truth. Henties is neither a place for whites, nor is it for blacks. It’s a place for Namibians and outsiders who visits it and who live in it.
Thus, no individual or group has more right of access to the town than the other.
If this situation is not nipped in the bud real quick, Henties is a disaster waiting to happen. And when that bomb explodes, it would be too late to contain the skirmishes that emanate from it.
Too many people, including those who have nothing to do with these backward confrontations, would be caught in the crossfire.
If anything, Henties presents the best place to mould racial harmony. It is a small close-knit multi-racial town where everyone has interacted with almost everyone at one point or the other.
It is difficult to unite bigger populations, but in Henties we have a perfect platform for a ‘model town’ that can unite all those who live in it.
Racism has brought this country where it is today – segregated, unequal, poor and angry.
With so much glaring evidence of what racial divisions have done to us, one thinks it would be foolhardy of anyone to even contemplate going back into that space. Unless, of course, one is benefitting from the status quo and would thus want to perpetuate it for their own parochial windfalls.
Sober leadership needs to reign supreme in Henties. A leadership that promotes unity practically and not just by word of mouth.
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