History or Hysteria And The ‘Old Days’

IT is a shame that the experience of the past, how Namibia was administered in the old days, is simply neglected by the administration and their bedfellows of today.

A good example is the article ‘Rehoboth and the battle of Sam Kubis’ in the New Era (May 7th 2010) written by the chief photographer(!) of New Era (Fifi Rhodes).He describes which Baster Families arrived in Rehoboth in the end of the 19th century:’…… Other Baster families also arrived later in intervals. During the Nazi period the following families arrived at Rehoboth : …..’The hate expression ‘Nazi period’ for the time of German administration is just out of context, done by a misguided person with no sense of history.A selected look at the year 1890 – 100 years before the Republic of Namibia was handed over to the Namibian voter by the UN – might give an interesting view to the open minded, interested in the history of his/her own country.In May 1890 a large Herero assembly agreed to acknowledge without one vote of opposition the Friendship and Protection Treaty with the German Empire.On July 1st the treaty between the British and the German Empire was signed, which fixed the borders in the south and the east. The Caprivi Strip was to be administered by Germany.Germany became therefore the ‘mother’ of the territory, which is called today Namibia.Before he left, the chief administrator Dr Goering arranged treaties between Germany and the different Nama groups. In a personal meeting Goering tried to convince – in vain as we know – Hendrik Witbooi to refrain from attacks on the Herero who lived under German protection. By the way, Goering had 50 German soldiers at his disposal in 1890.On September 15th Namas attacked the settlement of Otjimbingwe.On October 7th the paramount chief of the Ovaherero Kamaherero died in Okahandja. His successor would have been Wilhelm Maharero, had he not been killed by Jan Jonker near Otjikango. The next in line Tjetjo, the son of the oldest sister of Kamaherero , was sidelined.His place was taken by Samuel Maharero a son of Kataree , one of the 40 wives of the old Chief Samuel – as it transpired – was not recognized by several other chiefs. (This has resonance today).On October 18th Windhoek was founded by 41 German men and 40 Damara families who trekked from Tsaobis to their new home. Windhoek was at that time uninhabited. The old Kamaharero had previously given his consent in May 1890 in an agreement with Curt von Francois.On November 15th the new Augustineum was opened in Okahandja. It was the first institution in the territory which gave formal education to the local population.Of course many other events took place in that year 1890.The described period is characterised by constant bloody struggles between neighbours. The administration of the day had to enforce peace. Contracts/agreements were seldom honoured. At the same time boreholes had to be drilled, roads, railways, hospitals, schools, towns, mines, administrative infrastructure and many other things had to be built.The Swapo administration of today has similar problems. A look at the Caprivi or Kavango and the behaviour of the different groups which are part of the Namibian society, tell a familiar story. This is called tribalism. The offender or the victim is often the neighbour.The infrastructure, handed over by the colonial regime, has to be maintained and expanded to meet the expectation of the current population.Unfortunately, the Swapo administration of today based its credentials on the fight against colonialism in the past, more than on their capability to run Namibia for the past 20 years.Colonialism became anyhow obsolete in the 1960s (Wind of Change). However the process of de-colonisation was diverted and even prolonged by the conflict between the Russian Empire – Soviet Bloc – and what is still called the ‘West’. Most of the organisations fighting for independence were founded in that period with the financial help, an injection of alien ideology and/or material support (weapons) from interested parties. This was the time of the ‘Cold War’. Namibia was no exception.It seems that the constant repetition of the deeds – over the past 20 years – in the ‘struggle’ by the South West African Peoples Organization (SWAPO) has not helped them to master the problems of today. To empower people you need power plants, not hollow power talks.Japie Van WykWalvis Bay

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