For a couple of weeks, I have been struggling to write this piece, as I have been rehearsing in my mind not to start trouble.
As a child of God, I am one to recite It is well with my soul until I turned on Eagle FM, Lord have mercy.
That radio station has the ability to turn my happiness in pure anger because of the commentary and views of their listeners who tend to throw in comments such as A rape case among children is a normal thing because children play, The issues of housing in Namibia cant be solved because even if you build them, no one will buy them, or Ondangwa is a small town; it cant be compared to Windhoek even the allocation from central government is not the same.
Those were just some of the commentary contributions that were made in September that broke the camels back and drove me to pour out my thoughts as a Namibian citizen, and say,Dear Namibian, can we all stop living in glass houses, sipping on a cup of tea, swiping up and down on our iPhone 13 and uploading filtered snapshots.
Because enough is enough with the negativity and the spirit of ignorance and oblivionism while the whole country is burning up with social issues that need our voices and actions but give it a side eye, shift blames and point fingers because we dont want to be the enemy of the state but be people pleasers, clapping our hands and watching our bank account go up; we are good as long as it is not hitting home.
The year 2021 has been brutal on everyone. We started the year with Air Namibia closing its door, adding to the long list of unemployment and families around the country being plugged back into the cycle of poverty.
With multiple lockdowns and the economy buckling under-pressure, some chose to go in the street, despite it all because hunger will kill them.
As fear, anxiety and death consumed us, I sat on the plane, destined for Ondangwa. I am not one to come home in August and September because it is always dusty and windy with no tree in sight; the whole town became a ghost town. But this year, I chose me to come back home and sit down for a deep retrospection and introspection on my core value as a human being.
As I began my drive home in my uncles Beetle car, I cannot realise how, for the past two decades of my existence, Ondangwa has become an eyesore, a sight you want to pass and never come back to or something from a horror movie or a dream you want to wake up from.
That will apply to the travellers but for some of us, Ondangwa is home. We did not choose the problem but we were born into it; now, its our problem, Chude Jideonwo.
The town has been belittled to nothing but a small town with a failed town planning structure and majority of land located near the B1 road being occupied by sheebens and bottle stores.
I cannot help but wonder what do the youth do?
As we drove further inland, my question was answered, as I saw some of my age mates hustling by selling cellphone accessories and uumuhaka at major malls, but I observe a majority of them at this alcohol drinking hub and my heart sank.
One will wonder, is this a community of innovators and committed citizens or that of drunkards? There is a saying: Kehe Omukwaniilongo omOndonga endela; if such a saying is true, I wonder the image and the narrative that currently exists in those who have been to the town?
With a population of approximately 36 846, according to the 2011 regional census, the town is dominated by the 15-59 age group, which holds 63% of the total population, with no social responsibilities being displayed by the giant retailers into the community, where trade takes place, majority of the development is reliant heavily on central government.
This brought a stagnant growth that went from bad to worse due to a shaky, unstable economical environment, natural disaster and other human doings.
Being located in flood plains, Ondangwa unkempt and almost neglected environment rooms, with elect buildings some kept intact and others almost falling apart take centre stage.
As we turned into a short gravel road on our way home, we were met by a new military base, which took away hundreds of homes to relocate them into the desert and my heart sank, as I wondered why would you put a military camp in the middle of a community; why did you not take it to Uulunga waKolondo because you will be saving a lot of money from transportation of military personnel.
As I gazed to my left hand side, I realised Ondangwa urban is now flooding; it is an expansion of the rural areas, where any form of agriculture is now soon to be of extinction.
Out loud with no filter, I asked the famous questions of Mee Sofia Shaningwa: This towns and development we are building, where are they going to end? Are we going to turn the whole of Namibia into towns? Are we not going to have agricultural land for crops cultivation and animals grazing?
It almost puzzles me as young person how we are invested on the internet and travelling to other countries and not even realising it is actually possible to bring development (education, health and transportation) without destroying the majority of its fundamental living standards.
When are we going to capitalise on farming commercially in the communal land, instead of investing it all in erven, because we all know a majority of our food here is imported from South Africa and other SADC countries?
Yet, we act surprised when we see 1kg of Macaroni costing N$98.00, competing with a cement bag.
As I sat down listening to Kati FM from the compound of my late father, I watched my nephew return from school and I wonder the world he will live in, the education he will be receiving and the skills he will harness when its all said and done.
Chills went down my spine because it does not looking bright currently. I did not write this piece for interrogatory purposes nor to look down on progress made or whine like an ungrateful born free who thinks she can do better than the rest.
I wrote to start a conversation, to awaken sleeping giants and for deep thinking tanks to put their caps on and be somewhere when the African Continental Free Trade is implemented.
It is for all of us to see the bigger picture in a legacy format and leave the future generation with something to stand on because we did not fail them as we have failed ourselves.
Ondangwa has lost more than it had gained in the past decades. Although we have not been publicly dragged on the front pages of newspapers, it doesnt mean it is all Colgate smiles. They say, fear those silent ones; they will shock you one day.
But until then, I refuse to bring my kids and grandchildren into such an environment without excising my democratic freedom of speech and voting.
I am not an activist; I am just a citizen of Namibia with major concerns.
Read more here:
Opinion - A letter from the office of citizenship - New Era
- What You Need to Know About the New SAG-AFTRA Agreement ... - Casting Networks - November 24th, 2023 [November 24th, 2023]
- Premiership Rugby Highlights Show | Be on TV - ITVX - November 24th, 2023 [November 24th, 2023]
- Elon Musks Neuralink wants to merge your brain with AI at what ... - Vox.com - October 20th, 2023 [October 20th, 2023]
- The World's Job During the War on Hamas: Save the Space For Peace - TIME - October 20th, 2023 [October 20th, 2023]
- Brooklyn Beckham hits back at haters who mock his online cooking videos - Yahoo News UK - October 20th, 2023 [October 20th, 2023]
- Secret to immortality could be just a decade away as scientists predict when well learn to live forever... - The US Sun - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- Roblox Introduces Heads and Bodies to the UGC Program - Game Is Hard - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- Bigger Th*t Than Cardi B: Amidst Conor McGregor's Friend's Feud ... - The Sportsrush - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- Sofia Richie Says Royal Weddings Inspired Her Nuptials - Brides - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- How Many Times a Day to Post to BeReal a Day - Alphr - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- Usage of dark web for uploading sensitive defence information is a ... - LawBeat - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- What Should You Look for in your WiFi Plan? - My Everyday Tech - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- The Pros and Cons of Using No-Code Websites as a Blogger - MUO - MakeUseOf - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- The Future Is Now: Wrestling with Ethics, Policy and Brain-Computer ... - NC State News - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- How to Share Images Online Easily With Pasteboard - Dignited - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- The Acid Test, April 2023 - bandcamp.com - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Top 9 Generative AI Applications and Tools - eWeek - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Top 50 Most Viewed U.S. YouTube Channels Week Of 04/30/2023 - Tubefilter - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- PPC Automation: When & How To Use It - Search Engine Journal - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Image SEO: Optimizing images for search engines Yoast - December 16th, 2022 [December 16th, 2022]
- All That Is In The Heavens [Part 14]: Bionic Basim - MuslimMatters - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- Mill Creek Leverages QR Codes To Help People Store Their Loved One's Messages as Forever Cherishable Memories - Digital Journal - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- In their own words: County Commissioner candidates Randy George and Steve Skinner on why each should be considered for the open District 3... - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- Get ready now for the 2022 Great Southern BioBlitz! - Cosmos - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- ILUMINATIVE Is Reviving the Modern Genre Of Hip-Hop/Rock & Nu-Metal with the Latest Album, 'Endangered' - Daily Music Roll - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- Enter the Cambridge Independents Photography Awards 2022 - and win great prizes - Cambridge Independent - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- Coros Vertix 2 review the battery life of this smartwatch is insane - CyclingWeekly - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- WTF Are POAPs? The Intriguing Power of Proof of Attendance Protocol - nft now - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- Former NRL star Finch fighting to avoid jail amid fears hell be targeted by hardened criminals - Fox Sports - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- Muni Long's long and winding road to R&B stardom - Los Angeles Times - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- She-Hulk Recap: Episode 9 | Jen Breaks the MCU - United By Pop - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- People with dark personality type desire enhancing their brains with future tech, new study reveals... - The US Sun - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Emma Chamberlain has opened up the doors of her new home and I havent been able to think of anything else since - image.ie - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- 'Don't believe everything you read': The story of The Onion - Bennington Banner - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- DJ Ace - Peace of Mind Vol 39 (Saxophone Edition Slow Jam Mix ... - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- Longtermism Movement Misses the Importance of War - Scientific American - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- Ten warning signs that your phone is spying on you and tips on removing spyware - Scottish Daily Express - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- JNU Admission 2022: Registration starts for UG admission on the basis of CUET in JNU, fill your form from this link - News Day Express - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- RTI reply: 42 cars in CM Bhagwant Mann convoy, opposition says 'badlav or waste of money' - The Indian Express - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- 10 best One Direction rock covers, from the 1975 to Wolf Alice - Alternative Press - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- How to use GPX maps and trackback on the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro Route tile - Android Central - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- CHITCHAT OVER COFFEE: Give the Heart the space it needs - Manila Bulletin - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- How technology will bridge the gap for the next million - Times of India - September 20th, 2022 [September 20th, 2022]
- now allows you to upload your photos and edit them - Gearrice - September 20th, 2022 [September 20th, 2022]
- 2023 Honda CR-V First Drive Review: The Once And Future King? - Motor1 - September 20th, 2022 [September 20th, 2022]
- Pantheon Review: 2022's Wildest Tech Thriller Is a Cartoon | Time - TIME - September 7th, 2022 [September 7th, 2022]
- Worth Watching: Lord of the Rings Prequel, Uploading Gets Serious in Pantheon, NASCAR Race for the Championship - Channel3000.com - WISC-TV3 - September 7th, 2022 [September 7th, 2022]
- The super-rich preppers planning to save themselves from the apocalypse - The Guardian - September 7th, 2022 [September 7th, 2022]
- 8 Anime Outros Too Good to Skip - Geek Girl Authority - September 7th, 2022 [September 7th, 2022]
- From social media to Pollywood, singer Noor Chahal says originality is her secret to success - The Indian Express - September 7th, 2022 [September 7th, 2022]
- Behind the music - Ratios - RTE.ie - September 7th, 2022 [September 7th, 2022]
- According To Believers, 7% Of Us Will Find Code 0010110 And Exit The Matrix On August 27 - YourTango - August 2nd, 2022 [August 2nd, 2022]
- Elon Musk confirms he already uploaded his brain to a cloud, he spoke to himself - Marca - August 2nd, 2022 [August 2nd, 2022]
- Whatever Happened to the Transhumanists? - Gizmodo Australia - August 2nd, 2022 [August 2nd, 2022]
- TREASURES OF THE TRI-STATE 2022 - 97.3 the Rock - Radio Dubuque - August 2nd, 2022 [August 2nd, 2022]
- India versus West Indies second T20 highlights: Fancode yesterday match 2nd T20 highlights where to watch - The Sportsrush - August 2nd, 2022 [August 2nd, 2022]
- Edinburgh internet troll guilty of sending vile online messages to politicians - Edinburgh Live - August 2nd, 2022 [August 2nd, 2022]
- The PhotoStick Reviews (PhotoStick For PC) - Does This Device Really Worth Buying? Must Read This Before You Buy! - Outlook India - August 2nd, 2022 [August 2nd, 2022]
- How Close Are We to Uploading Your Mind? - How-To Geek - July 23rd, 2022 [July 23rd, 2022]
- Ranveer Allahbadia: Of collaborations and making Reels - Hindustan Times - July 23rd, 2022 [July 23rd, 2022]
- Jasmine TXO: The key to cracking TikTok - Ragtrader - July 23rd, 2022 [July 23rd, 2022]
- You can also earn big money sitting at home from YouTube or Instagram, know how? (How to Earn Money From YouTube And Instagram?) - News Day Express - July 23rd, 2022 [July 23rd, 2022]
- What the POTS shutdown will mean for faxing in the healthcare industry - Healthcare Dive - July 23rd, 2022 [July 23rd, 2022]
- Back Issues: Connecting with the past via historical objects - Stuff - July 23rd, 2022 [July 23rd, 2022]
- Hidden MrBeast Video Sees the Popular Millionaire Put Over $50,000 on the Line for His Fans - EssentiallySports - July 17th, 2022 [July 17th, 2022]
- Some of the internet's most homoerotic content is on The History Channel's YouTube? - Queerty - July 17th, 2022 [July 17th, 2022]
- A Twitter test will remind you to add alt text to images - TechCrunch - July 17th, 2022 [July 17th, 2022]
- Beyonc's 7th Studio Album Renaissance is About Release on The 29th of July - Daily Music Roll - July 17th, 2022 [July 17th, 2022]
- Repairing an old thing is a small act of defiance against disposable culture - The Irish Times - July 17th, 2022 [July 17th, 2022]
- Warzone players slam the dumbest Perk in the history of CoD - CharlieINTEL.com - July 17th, 2022 [July 17th, 2022]
- Tatsuki Fujimotos Just Listen To This Song Is A Lesson In Love And Buddhism - DualShockers - July 17th, 2022 [July 17th, 2022]
- Required Documents - School and Student Services by Community Brands - July 3rd, 2022 [July 3rd, 2022]
- Dr. Strange: Can the Multiverse Really Work as a Plot Device? - Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence - July 3rd, 2022 [July 3rd, 2022]
- Sophia Mirzas daughters say living with father happily - The News International - July 3rd, 2022 [July 3rd, 2022]
- Warning for MILLIONS of iPhone users before going on holiday this year... - The US Sun - July 3rd, 2022 [July 3rd, 2022]
- Interview: The Vamps Celebrate 10 Years At The Top! - CelebMix - July 3rd, 2022 [July 3rd, 2022]
- The powerful lesson I learned watching my father die - Sydney Morning Herald - July 3rd, 2022 [July 3rd, 2022]
- How to Sign Up for Amazon Primes Free Trialand Save Big Ahead of Prime Day in 2022 - Yahoo Life - July 3rd, 2022 [July 3rd, 2022]
- Firoz Hasan of Free Motion stands by flood affected Sylhet and Sunamganj - The Daily Star - June 29th, 2022 [June 29th, 2022]
- Almost Quote the Movie Serena Williams Fangirls Over Iron Man as She Dons Similar Pair of Glasses Ahead of Her Wimbledon Championships 2022 Campaign... - June 29th, 2022 [June 29th, 2022]