The Namibian @40

Zoe Titus began her career at The Namibian in 1995 as a typesetter in the sales and advertising department. She wanted to become a journalist, however, she says there was no position in the newsroom.

“I wanted to get my foot in the door. There was no space, so I told myself I was going to do it even if it meant working at The Namibian as a typesetter,” she tells Desert FM.

She was tasked to typeset classifieds, display advertisements, do production at night, and edit The Weekender and the main paper.

Looking back, Titus says The Namibian newsroom is a lot louder now, compared to during her time, but the energy and the pressure of the daily paper remains. She says the paper has always had a general culture of inclusivity, which still makes it an epitome of advocacy journalism.

“It will continue to be, because that is the role we etched out for ourselves in society,” she says.

Titus says a culture of inclusivity is important for journalism, because the newsroom develops a particular breed of person for news information.

The former journalist says The Namibian is still true to its foundation and principles despite changes in technology and how people consume news today.

“The Namibian has stayed true and that is what is important. Its principles before and after independence have not changed,” Titus says.

She says the paper is very clear on its position and has always been a campaigner for the under-represented. Titus, who is now the executive director of the Namibia Media Trust, remembers an article she wrote 26 years ago on the founding president, titled ‘A day in the life of Nujoma’.

She says she got to spend a day with former president Sam Nujoma and gained insights no other reporter has ever been able to on him. “That was my most memorable moment. It was undoubtedly a highlight for me as a journalist in the newsroom,” she says.

Another memory is of an article Titus wrote about a woman whose partner threw acid at her after an argument, which she says made a huge impact.

“That article really put gender-based violence on the agenda,” she says. Titus urges The Namibian to keep telling it like it is on all platforms.

“The Namibian is iconic, part of the country’s social fabric, and I can’t imagine Namibia without it,” she says.

– Compiled by Dolly Menas

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