Kaunda’s Humanism Holds Invaluable Lessons for Namibia

The late Zambian president and liberation icon, Kenneth Kaunda, was more than a political leader, he was a philosopher of African emancipation.

At the core of his ideology was a profound concept: Humanism.

It was not merely a political slogan but a belief that any individual, when freed from oppression and given an opportunity, is capable of evolving towards their full potential, of achieving excellence in their chosen field.

Kaunda’s philosophy has an urgent relevance in the Namibian context. Oppression manifests as an insidious force: a lack of opportunity, a debilitating socio-economic background, pervasive poverty, and the daily degradation faced by those deemed ‘lesser’ by a society obsessed with status.

HARSH REALITIES

Consider the Namibian classroom, the very place meant to be a great equaliser. Here, the theory of humanism confronts a harsh reality. Pupils are often oppressed by their circumstances.

A child from an informal settlement or village in the remote Kavango East region, wearing worn-out shoes and without money for the latest school project, can be subtly, and sometimes overtly, denigrated by educators and peers alike.

Their intelligence is questioned, their ambition stifled, not because of a lack of ability, but because of a perceived lack of ‘worth’ tied to their parents’ socio-economic background.

As a result, young Namibians find themselves trapped in a cycle of intergenerational poverty because their parents are poor.

Their employment and ambition count for little in the face of the immutable tag of their family background.

They are not judged on their own merit but on what their parents lack.

It’s a prejudice that extends to job interviews where they are rejected based on personality, physical appearance, and connections to the panel or the elite.

This systemic bias perpetuates a cycle of poverty. It denies people the chance to become self-sufficient, extending beyond economics into the most personal aspects of life, even dictating social and marital prospects.

For instance, some are denied marrying into certain families because of their background.

Others are forced by parents and relatives into marriages for economic security, unions that, lacking personal choice, can become fertile ground for gender-based violence and marital abuse.

THE OXYGEN OF
OPPORTUNITY

Yet, Kaunda’s humanism is ultimately a philosophy of hope. Its evidence walks among us today.

Look around our government offices, and thriving private enterprises. You will find them.

The executives, the managers, the specialists, many who were once those pupils; children discarded by a privileged society, written off by teachers who saw a poverty tag before they saw a human being.

But someone, somewhere, gave them a chance: a teacher who saw their potential, a bursary that opened a door, a first employer who valued grit over ‘pedigree’.

Their parents, preserving dignity amid poverty, instilled in them a resilience that no privileged upbringing can guarantee.

But given a chance, they not only succeeded but excelled.

They shook off the poverty tag through sheer force of will and ability, and now live free from the shackles of societal disdain.

Those who once wrote them off are left to wonder at the phenomenon, failing to understand that the potential was always there; it simply required the oxygen of opportunity.

FAIRNESS FOR ALL

The lesson for all of us is clear. It is also critical.

As we strive to build a more inclusive and equitable nation, we must internalise a core tenet of Kaunda’s humanism: never write off someone based on their family circumstances.

It is not only a moral failure but a practical one.

Society loses out on innovators, leaders, and change-makers when it judges children by their background and not by their potential.

Our national mission must be to systematically dismantle the barriers that oppress potential.

It means reforming an education system that too often reinforces class divides.

It means creating fairer access to land and capital for the youth, based on their plans and not their parents’ financial status.

It demands a shift in our collective mindset, from one that judges a person’s value on their past to one that invests in their future.

Every Namibian, regardless of origin or background, has the potential for greatness.

Kenneth Kaunda believed freeing that potential was the highest calling of any society. It is a belief Namibia would do well to embrace.

• Faustinus Shikukutu is a teacher and a resident of Kavango East. The views expressed here are his own.

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