Creating a common memory for Namibians

It is quite common to hear politicians admonoshing the white communities for not participating in natinal events. I am not a history buff, but have recently been talking about my student politics days and placed a few pohotos from this period.

It got me thinking about the participation of young people (white, coloured or black) and the following struck me in an article, "..But maybe memory is what young people need to be taught before they can be taught actual history."

So, I have started a small project to ensure that our common memory becomes available to our youth through the Wikipedia website. This site covers almost all areas of knowledge, but I found very little written about Namibia. While doing this I found that there were no templates on the languages or cultural identities of many of our peopls.  I have started the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coloured_People_in_Namibia and hope to assist in developing similar sites about our common memories.

At the end of the project,I hope to create an SMS novella about certain historical events and peoplein Namibia.

If you have the timeand the inclination, feel free to assist.

Internal Struggle for Namibia's Independence - 1985-1989

During the 1980's the battle for the hearts of the Namibian people was being fought. The PLAN combatants were waging war with their Angolan, Cuban and Russian allies, but this was taking place outside the borders of the country. Inside the country, the battle was in the form of protest and civil disobedience.




The internal struggle included famous Namibians such as Hendrik Witbooi, Danny Tjongarero, Niko Bessinger, Anton Lubowski, John Pandeni and Ben Ulenga. They were harassed, beaten and arrested continuously by the South African regime.

However, the regime felt it was winning. They had created ethnic authorities and many of these leaders had convinced the people of the need for managed democracy versus the communist take-over by SWAPO.

All that changed when the students started participating in the struggle. In 1987 the police were unable to control and prevent the students from running through Katutura and Khomasdal, with some of the marchers reaching the central business district. By mid 1988, the South African regime and their puppet government was losing control. Over 75 000 school students were boycotting schools throughout the country in protest at the South African army and police repressions. The boycotts began at the Ponhofi Secondary School in Ovamboland.

Laws such as the Protection of Fundamental Rights Act (No. 16 of 88) were being used to prevent the gathering of any kind. This specific law was contested by the Namibian National Students Organisation and others and was found to be unconstitutional. This legal battle is still used around the world when discussing human rights as it "creates criminal offences for activities which in democratic societies have been perfectly acceptable and legal."[i]

In legal literature, "The period of 1985 to Independence ... an historical prelude because it arguably sets the stage for the constitutional development that followed Independence."[ii]

Unfortunately, this internal struggle for Independence has largely been neglected. This publication is a first step in bringing this story into the common memory of all Namibians.


http://www.scribd.com/full/52317421?access_key=key-1su694cazh8mkmptl651
Photo album of photos from the 1987/8 student unrest in Namibia
Comments collected during the two weeks of 21 March - 1 April 2011 via Facebook.
All photographs courtesy of John Liebenberg.­­­­


[i] Namibia National Students' Organisation & Others v Speaker of the National Assembly for South West Africa 1990 (1) SA 617 SWA, at 627.

[ii] Constitutional jurisprudence in Namibia since Independence - George Coleman and Esi Schimming-Chase