EDITORIAL: Namibia must avoid becoming ‘another African country’

“We can’t think like Africans in Africa generally. We are in Johannesburg. It is not some national road in Malawi. No.”Former South African president Jacob Zuma, notoriously known for his general lack of diplomatic etiquette, hit a raw nerve when he made those remarks in 2013 and attracted a barrage of criticism both at home and abroad.But as the old saying goes, truth is better served cold. Diplomacy aside, it is true that Malawi, which gained independence 56 years ago in 1964, remains one of the poorest countries in the world. It’s not Zuma’s fault that Malawi remains what it is – poor.There was a time when Namibia looked very different from the rest of Africa in many respects. Namibia doesn’t have to look far to see how corruption and incompetence of leadership have reduced a lot of African countries to non-entities.There is nothing wrong with looking ‘African’, but only in the true image of the Africa we want – not one that we have currently, blighted by endemic corruption, wars and hunger.To avoid being a typical African country, Namibia must steer clear of intolerance and embrace democracy tightly, like a biblical father who couldn’t let go of his prodigal son.We cannot afford to retrogress. The momentum, energy and zeal that we started our nationhood with 32 years ago must be restored if we are to avoid the ‘African trap’.

EDITORIAL: Namibia must avoid becoming ‘another African country’

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Namibian Sun 2022-08-18

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EDITORIAL: Namibia must avoid becoming ‘another African country’

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Namibian Sun 2022-08-18

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