Namibian Independence Day

The term is winding down – we are nearly done. During the holiday, I will be assisting with a youth empowerment and gender equality camp for 80 Namibian students from throughout the country. It is a Peace Corps initiative that actually operates in many countries throughout the world. It is called Camp Glow.

There will also be a Peace Corps Namibia “All Volunteer Conference” which will provide additional training and opportunities for re-connecting with other volunteers and staff. In between, I hope to explore a bit more of Namibia and maybe one of the neighboring countries.

March 21 was Namibian Independence Day, which is one of the most important holidays here. 23 years after independence, the liberation struggle is still fresh on people’s hearts and minds. A lot of blood was shed here; many people who fought for independence never saw the fruit of their labors. It reminds me of the amazing Ugandan GLBTQ activist Jacqueline Kasha Nabakazera, who won the Amnesty Intl Martin Ennals award last year and delivered one of the most awe-inspiring and courageous speeches I have ever heard. She too was talking about how many people involved in her struggle in Uganda will never see the day when their goals are realized, but they continue the struggle nevertheless. It is probably the case everywhere: that which we aspire to, that which we work towards may be an elusive dream which we never witness. We may never know, or see directly, the impact we are having on others, or on the future. But Independence Day here gives one pause to reflect and to give thanks for the democratic and peaceful society that Namibia has become, and those that fought for freedom. Namibia is now one of the most stable countries in Africa. Thank you to all of those who fought for a more equal and just society!

At our school, we had an assembly to recognize the special day. Some of the students sang, some wore traditional dress and performed a cultural dance and song, and we even had our own special “school soldiers” who performed an amazing, synchronized, soldier’s march/dance, which was quite impressive!

The next day, on my way back from town, I had the tremendous serendipity to be offered a ride back to my village with our school’s patron, who is also a Namibian Member of Parliament! The 45 minute ride home became such an amazing opportunity; I found out that she is also a gender-equality and women’s empowerment advocate. She serves on many committees and works with the UN to foster and uplift the status of women and girls around the world. She herself is disabled, and she is also working to champion the rights of the disabled.

As I have written about before, Namibia is rife with challenges in the area of gender equality and women’s rights. There is the unfortunate phenomenon of “passion killings,” “sugar daddies” and too often, cases of domestic violence. These are issues that many of us are passionate about. Yet, my question for the parliamentarian was, how she balances her emotion with her intellect when working with such charged, sometimes divisive issues, issues about which she and many of us are very passionate. She agreed that this is a struggle, but advised meditation and reflection, harnessing the power of your emotion and passion, but controlling it and keeping it at bay when it does not help you. When setting policy, a clear head and intellect are required. She is a good example of this, and has overcome so much to achieve such a high position in society. She is from the village where I work, a rural and impoverished place, but has not let that stop her from reaching an influential position where she can truly make positive changes in Namibian society. So it was an uplifting and inspirational happenstance.

Happy Independence Day, Namibia!

Here is a photo from the a recent training that I attended - this was our team building a giraffe! It was a team-building exercise/competition, and a lot of fun. (Yes, we built the tallest giraffe! :)) )