What matters is the mind - Ondangwa mayor Ester Auala

Ondangwa’s new mayor, Ester Auala, assumed office carrying the hopes of her community – and unexpectedly, the weight of a nation’s misguided expectations about language.Instead of celebrating her achievement, some chose to mock her for not speaking “perfect English”.Auala told Namibian Sun yesterday that this is not the first time she has faced ridicule over the way she speaks English.She added that she has, however, learned to rise above social media criticism, and it will never affect or unsettle her."I do not mind the criticism because I was not born speaking English. I am an Owambo woman. I do speak English, even though some say I do not," she said."People can talk as much as they want, but what matters is the mind," she added.Auala has been the Ondangwa deputy mayor since 2020."The people of Ondangwa have always trusted me – that is why they chose me," she noted, adding that she is a confident woman who has worked hard to succeed."On the Swapo list, I came out on top. That should tell them something," she said.Auala also believes that negative social media comments only make her stronger."I have gone through a lot in my life. For me, there is no need to worry. I have Grade 10, and I passed Grade 12. I am not a failure," she said."This will only make me stronger. I am confident. I am a mother, and they should remember that I have children too."Spotlight on societal biasBut the controversy says more about our society than it does about the new mayor. We often forget that language is a tool of communication, not a measure of intelligence. It does not determine or prove thinking ability, leadership skills or moral clarity.Leadership is not about language; if it were, all professors would be great leaders – yet many, despite their polished grasp of English, cannot even hold a family together.Most of us were raised by mothers and fathers who never spoke English, yet they shaped us into upright, capable adults.Should we now look down upon our own parents because their tongues never twisted around foreign words? Should we insult the very people who held our families together simply because the language of their hearts is not English?The world’s most developed nations barely speak English at all – and they have built thriving economies, world-class universities, global companies and strong cultural identities using their own languages.Proud mother tongue Some will argue that Auala's job involves English to a great degree, including documents written in English. That may be true, so translate them into languages people understand.Chinese documents are not in English, yet China has invented, industrialised, and advanced far beyond Britain. The Japanese, too, use their own language for official documents, and yet Britain does not compare. Japan did not rise on the back of English.Neither did Korea, Germany, Norway or China. Their pride in their mother tongues strengthened their identity and advanced their development.What happened to mayor Auala is therefore not just a moment of public ridicule – it is a mirror held up to all of us. It asks a difficult question: why do Africans continue to measure each other’s worth through someone else’s language?Mayor Auala serves the people of Ondangwa. The majority of those people speak the language she speaks. Her work will not be judged in English but in the improvements she brings to the town’s roads, water systems, governance and public services.There was no need for her to impress anyone with English; her responsibility is simply to lead and to communicate clearly in the language that connects her to her community.This moment is also a lesson for leaders across the country. It is not a crime to speak in the language where your thoughts – your ideas, dreams and beliefs – live comfortably.The shape of our inner and outer livesParliament once had an opportunity to open the door for local languages when Dr Job Amupanda advocated for their use in the National Assembly.His proposal was rejected, but the question remains pressing today: how can we claim decolonisation while insisting that our own mother tongues are not good enough for leadership, governance or official discourse?Ngugi wa Thiong’o – one of Africa’s most brilliant literary minds – chose to write in his mother tongue, Gikuyu, because he believed that language carries culture, and culture carries the soul of a people.If we forsake our own languages, we risk losing our soul and identity. As we enter the holiday season, we should take a moment and reflect. Instead of ridiculing a mayor for her English, we should ask ourselves why we are still waiting for colonial approval to value our own voices.We should be asking why fluency in a foreign language has become more important than fluency in compassion, competence and service.

What matters is the mind - Ondangwa mayor Ester Auala

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-10

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What matters is the mind - Ondangwa mayor Ester Auala

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-10

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