Christi Warner’s Ice Cream and Politics: A New Collection from Namibia

Abstract

This article analyses the Namibian Christi Warner’s debut collection, Ice Cream and Politics, in terms of the salient themes found in her poems: the exploration of the complex nature of love; the challenges women face when establishing relationships; the scourge of gender-based violence; the burdens borne by mothers who work; the horrors of child abuse; her critique of the exercise of power in Namibia; her views on the formation of a personal identity and the challenge of being black in the world. Emphasis is placed on Warner’s love of language and her striking descriptions of relationships. She also critiques the betrayal of the ideals of the liberation movement which is symbolized by the entrenchment in power of the ‘struggle elite’, at the expense of the ordinary citizens of Namibia, who still languish in poverty. These are themes that are characteristic of the third generation of Namibian writers, to which she belongs. The intergenerational tension between the youth and the elders is humorously explored, as is the quest for identity in times of transition.