Tribal cohesion a failed project
Namibia has a patchy record of fighting tribalism.
The arrest last weekend of a //Karas schoolteacher, who said he wished he possessed an AK-47 rifle to shoot Nama people and wished that the entire ethnic group be wiped off the face of earth by Covid-19, is the boldest we have acted on incidents of tribalism. To reverse the gains the police made in the matter, the court has already granted this seemingly dangerous man bail. Yet tribalism is one of the most disruptive influences confronting newly independent sub-Saharan African states, Namibia included. National unity is the perfect tonic to advance socio-economic development, but tribalism undermines this project because it suggests that only certain people, based on their ethnicities, may enjoy what their nations have to offer. If a country is divided internally, how can it take its rightful place in the world of progressive nations striving to outmuscle others in the race to economic emancipation? Apart from run-of-the-mill projects such as the 'My Namibia, My Country, My Pride' that will only be remembered for wasting national resources, there is nothing Namibia can point to as the success of uniting her people. If anything, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that tribalism is bursting at the seams, with some leaders in the driving seat of perpetuating it.
Coming up with initiatives to unite people is one thing, but teaching tribalism offenders hard lessons will go a long way in creating deterrence from such backward acts.
The arrest last weekend of a //Karas schoolteacher, who said he wished he possessed an AK-47 rifle to shoot Nama people and wished that the entire ethnic group be wiped off the face of earth by Covid-19, is the boldest we have acted on incidents of tribalism. To reverse the gains the police made in the matter, the court has already granted this seemingly dangerous man bail. Yet tribalism is one of the most disruptive influences confronting newly independent sub-Saharan African states, Namibia included. National unity is the perfect tonic to advance socio-economic development, but tribalism undermines this project because it suggests that only certain people, based on their ethnicities, may enjoy what their nations have to offer. If a country is divided internally, how can it take its rightful place in the world of progressive nations striving to outmuscle others in the race to economic emancipation? Apart from run-of-the-mill projects such as the 'My Namibia, My Country, My Pride' that will only be remembered for wasting national resources, there is nothing Namibia can point to as the success of uniting her people. If anything, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that tribalism is bursting at the seams, with some leaders in the driving seat of perpetuating it.
Coming up with initiatives to unite people is one thing, but teaching tribalism offenders hard lessons will go a long way in creating deterrence from such backward acts.
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