Swapo revives Namibia Today ‘to tell own story’
The Swapo Party last week launched their official website and newsletter ‘Namibia Today’, which the party’s secretary for information said will prevent their members and society from consuming “distorted information”.
ESTER KAMATI
WINDHOEK
Namibia Today, Swapo’s official mouthpiece that has been defunct for years due to factional fallouts, was reactivated last week as a digital newsletter which will be posted on the party’s recently launched website as well as the party’s social media platforms.
The publication ceased operations in 2015 after its then editor, Asser Ntinda, recommended that it stops publishing in order to fix its operations.
Ntinda, a critic of Swapo president Hage Geingob, later accused the party leadership of frustrating him out of the job, The Namibian reported in 2019.
Ntinda, a former NBC employee, was editor of Namibia Today since 1999.
Swapo secretary for information Hilma Nicanor said the relaunch is aimed at making the publication relevant in the information age and redirecting the public to a more positive discourse about the party.
“Our online newsletter will serve as a convenient tool for maintaining regular communication, cementing our social media presence and providing insight on our progressive party programmes and activities,” she said.
Strategic move
Namibia Today was inactive due to “strategic and logistical reasons,” according to Nicanor. She added that returning as an online newsletter is a strategy to strengthen the party’s information communication and mobilisation activities.
“Our aim is ensuring that our members and society at large are provided with the true alternative in terms of information consumption. This platform will therefore redirect our people to a more positive and constructive discourse, which will enable them to source information directly from the party.”
The new version, she said, further aims to inspire Swapo members, supporters and sympathisers to engage on party matters and debate about “topical socio-economic issues affecting the lives of our people and subsistence of confidence and hope in our mighty Swapo Party.
“The Swapo Party has an excellent track record of accomplishments second to none in this republic of ours,” which she said will be told for generations to come. “Therefore, there is a need for the party to drive its own narrative. We must be able to tell our own story instead of allowing a vacuum to exist that has allowed others to set their own pre-conceived and pre-meditated agendas mostly centred towards distortion.
“This vacuum has left some of our people entangled in a web of distorted stories about our party, our country and our heroic history, which culminated in the attainment of freedom and independence that we all are enjoying here today in the Land of the Brave.”
[email protected]
WINDHOEK
Namibia Today, Swapo’s official mouthpiece that has been defunct for years due to factional fallouts, was reactivated last week as a digital newsletter which will be posted on the party’s recently launched website as well as the party’s social media platforms.
The publication ceased operations in 2015 after its then editor, Asser Ntinda, recommended that it stops publishing in order to fix its operations.
Ntinda, a critic of Swapo president Hage Geingob, later accused the party leadership of frustrating him out of the job, The Namibian reported in 2019.
Ntinda, a former NBC employee, was editor of Namibia Today since 1999.
Swapo secretary for information Hilma Nicanor said the relaunch is aimed at making the publication relevant in the information age and redirecting the public to a more positive discourse about the party.
“Our online newsletter will serve as a convenient tool for maintaining regular communication, cementing our social media presence and providing insight on our progressive party programmes and activities,” she said.
Strategic move
Namibia Today was inactive due to “strategic and logistical reasons,” according to Nicanor. She added that returning as an online newsletter is a strategy to strengthen the party’s information communication and mobilisation activities.
“Our aim is ensuring that our members and society at large are provided with the true alternative in terms of information consumption. This platform will therefore redirect our people to a more positive and constructive discourse, which will enable them to source information directly from the party.”
The new version, she said, further aims to inspire Swapo members, supporters and sympathisers to engage on party matters and debate about “topical socio-economic issues affecting the lives of our people and subsistence of confidence and hope in our mighty Swapo Party.
“The Swapo Party has an excellent track record of accomplishments second to none in this republic of ours,” which she said will be told for generations to come. “Therefore, there is a need for the party to drive its own narrative. We must be able to tell our own story instead of allowing a vacuum to exist that has allowed others to set their own pre-conceived and pre-meditated agendas mostly centred towards distortion.
“This vacuum has left some of our people entangled in a web of distorted stories about our party, our country and our heroic history, which culminated in the attainment of freedom and independence that we all are enjoying here today in the Land of the Brave.”
[email protected]
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article