Photographs of the Founding Father

By: Martha Mukaiwa

IT’S hard to believe that there are people living in Namibia who would be unable to identify the distinctive white beard and large black spectacles so iconic of the country’s Founding Father.

Having grown up in a country a mere 23 years old and able to hear speeches and see glimpses of the man who co-founded and led the South-West Africa’s People’s Organisation (Swapo) in its struggle against South African rule before becoming Namibia’s first president, his Excellency Dr. Sam Nujoma’s legacy seems to be common knowledge that goes far beyond the four glass boxes and collection of mostly black and white photos currently in residence at the National Art Gallery of Namibia (NAGN).
‘Road to a memorable Dawn’, a retrospective photographic and artefact exhibition initiated by NAGN Board of Trustees vice-president, Draga Boskovic, is an endeavour to educate those, mostly the younger generation born into freedom, which may recognise Nujoma as an icon but have little idea of what role he played in the liberation struggle.
Presenting photographs from the National Archives, artefacts and paintings provided by friends, colleagues, writers and artists, as well as items lent to the NAGN by the Founding Father himself, ‘Road to a memorable Dawn’ offers a glimpse into Nujoma’s role in the Namibian war of independence that lasted over 24 years. The exhibition
commences with a portrait of Nujoma as we know him.
Impeccably replicated by NAGN director, Hercules Viljoen, the large painting of his Excellency capped and dressed as Chancellor of the University of Namibia
is a welcoming, formidable and contemporary image of the Founding Father that juxtaposes the present with a room full of the past.
Inside are images that will either douse the viewer in disbelief or evoke nostalgia, depending on whether or not one lived through the events depicted.
Presenting poignant images such as Peter Nanyembe cutting the border fence between Angola and Namibia (1978), Peter Shinyafa Haitembu cleaning hisgunat aPLANhide-out in Caprivi (1974) in full camouflage gear, as well as photographs of children walking through rest camps while their mothers queue at a make-shift dispensary. The exhibition not only situates Nujoma within the liberation struggle, but also gives faces to his brothers in arms and the nameless women and children caught in the war.
Images of well known names such as Theo-Ben Gurirab, Tobias Hainyeko, Andimba Toivo Ya Toivo, Hage Geingob and Hendrik Witbooi, as well as foreign allies such as Indira Gandhi, Nelson mandela, Samora machel, Robert mugabe and Kenneth Kaunda
are just as intriguing and offer some scope into the struggle’s reach and support, particularly in the 80s.
Following a somewhat chronological order, the exhibition then moves towards Independence day itself and goes beyond the formality to depict heartening images of Nujoma post inauguration on 21 march 1990.
An image of Nujoma’s mother, Helvi Kondombolo awaiting her son’s return from exile alongside Eunice Iipinge at Windhoek airport in 1989 is particularly arresting and it is images such as this one and the artefacts in the four boxes that most capture one’s attention. The artefacts include a rifle, two of his Excellency’s briefcases and the suitcase in which he carried his belongings when he left the country in the 1960s. It was bought for him by Chief Hosea Kutako who encouraged him to go into exile to find a solution to Namibia’s problems.
A book titled ‘The Diplomatic Task – A Guide to Action’ is just as fascinating, as are Nujoma’s official Swapo card and international certificate of vaccines which give the exhibition a human and personal touch.
For all there is to see, there is a complaint about curatorship. With items in the glass boxes not all labelled and with somewhat clumsy chronology, the presentation seems a little unfinished and isnotallitcanbeintermsof didacticism.
In fact, if the mission is to educate young people who aren’t sufficiently aware of the country’s history and
the Founding Father’s role in it, the exhibition, though mostly captioned, does little to expound on photographed events and present them
in a narrative and truly educational way.
This is suitable for those already aware of the history but, if the target is those who are not, then the exhibition takes the viewers knowledge of the time, the issues and why Nujoma had to rise
and became what he did for granted.
In terms of nostalgia, national pride and remembrance of Nujoma, this is an exhibition one will certainly find engaging. However, conceived as an educational and instructive installment primarily for the youth, it needs revision and alignment towards those particular patrons.
Head to the NAGN to view instances and items from nationally significant days gone by in the life of the Founding Father until may 30.

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