The sinking Titanic

By Inna Hengari

A few days ago, my friends and I got into a heated debate on how the idea that European structures and the idea of European modernity are some of the causes of an unjust and unequal African community. We spoke of how in the past, Africans were forced to conform to this idea of 'eurocentricty' and how that is equally responsible for the injustices around us.

In Namibia, for instance, we have a constitution that still portrays marks of the colonial period, perhaps even engraved within us are those self-same marks of dependency designed to make the African people seem unable to govern their own or even themselves. The idea of homelands for example, one could argue, was a 'divide and rule tactic'. This very idea has been revolutionised to make it seem as though it is the ideal tool to acquiring unity. The idea that people should be grouped on the basis of belonging to a certain race or tribe is grossly offensive to decency and morality.

In fact, I am of the opinion that our constitution provides for inequality, especially in the aspect of private land ownership. It has been and still remains my considered opinion that the black people of Namibia were betrayed via Article 16 of our constitution which promotes economic apartheid.

Also, for as long as we recognise tribal leaders in Namibia - 'traditional leaders' being the preferred term here; we are to blame only ourselves for the continuous promotion of tribalism which eventually results in division within the social construct.

The demarcation of areas, done solely to reflect new population patterns, one would have it, has been tampered with in Namibia. An attempt to fix boundaries in a discriminatory manner, which is at times the case in Namibia, is called ‘gerrymandering’. The demarcation of areas in my opinion has been highly discriminatory. This process over the past years has been the root cause of unequal advantages given to a particular political party. Race and culture often form as part of the barriers to economic development. A very critical question then arises… would Namibia be in the same position both economically and politically if African rather than European structures were pursued to attain development? Would we be facing the same continental problems? Could we have perhaps achieved more as a continent? Is there a need then, to review the Rule of Law in our country, considering the fact that even after 26 years of independence the previously disadvantaged form the majority of those who fall under the poverty line?

It is a common belief that African people have a tendency to always opt for the wrong choice when they are given the platform to make decisions. Africans 'by nature' are said to be a people that are self-enriching and self-centered. At times Africans are even deemed to be a people that are rarely innovative and are rather, a people of 'copy and paste'.

It is often always a good thing to remember that nothing in politics is constant or inevitable. Bluntly put, politics is a give and take process. A change in the socio-political and economic environment of Namibia in the right direction is only possible when and if we invoke change at the very top, our constitution; the document which outlines the very principles that rule and dictate everyday life in our country. No wonder the gap between the rich and poor keeps widening! White farm owners continue to hide behind this very Article 16 when the black people take so much as a step towards land ownership.

So then until we realise that unity, co-operation and embracing diversity are key to conquering most of these issues, we might as well forget about sailing on these troubled waters. This Titanic of ours is certainly going down. We are about to sink.

*Inna Hengari is a student at the University of Namibia’s Department of Political and Administrative Studies