Township Life

I could not agree more with South African singer Simphiwe Dana who urged the masses to stop celebrating their lives in the townships because there is not much to celebrate. Apart from our few accomplishments in our respective communities, there is really not a lot we can truly look at with satisfaction.

This is something we seriously need to take note of 24 years after independence. Katutura and many other townships around the country need urgent and strategic development.

Omuryangava Street in Ombili, Katutura is where I was raised. Today, I still reside in the same street and I will tell you that the condition of my location keeps on deteriorating.

It is not by choice that I still reside in Ombili but simply because I cannot afford to live elsewhere in this city. One might think that I am privileged to a certain degree because I still live in my parent’s house but I will disagree because I feel cut off from many things that I believe I am entitled to.

In the 1950s when our people were forcefully moved from what was previously known as the Old Location, they named the entire township as Katutura which loosely translates as ‘we shall not live’. We still do not live and by the look of things, we will not be living any time soon.

The social ills that we confront are countless and complex. In order for anyone to arrive to an understanding of how these problems play out means being resilient towards the township condition and actually experiencing it. This is what all change agents in townships need to understand.

The way I see this is that we need proper transformative development in our townships. We need proper organisation and agency by the people and for the people.

Upon returning from my studies, I have dedicated my time to starting a youth drama group at the local community centre in my neighbourhood. This project, which is taking longer than expected to get off the ground, is an initiative to share my skills as a performing artist as well as mentor the youth that would be interested in a workshop of this nature. It has been a serious challenge to make this intervention a reality.

Things have drastically changed from my days as a teenager. I figured that there is not much vigour and ambition present in the youth in Katutura. The sense I get from talking to different people in my location is that they have given up on their condition and they seem to have given up on fighting their condition.

The bigger reality is that many of those who’ve gotten their tickets to exit their townships do not look back to where they come from. Many refuse to go back and invest in their communities. This is obvious because the state of being is seriously degrading every day.

It is indeed time for those of us who live in ‘lokasies’ to stop settling for less if we are really free. We, together with the entire nation, must work towards improving our state of being. Otherwise we must work towards a vision that does not embrace notions of townships in a free and democratic state. If we are going to remain in the townships, we must work towards creating developed and self-sustainable locations. Until then, I refuse to be proud of kasi life.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.