Namibia's Liberation Research Articles

A tribute to James Cone: A source of liberation in Namibia and the United States

A tribute to James Cone: A source of liberation in Namibia and the United States

Individual and Communal Values, Voices, and Perspectives in Namibian Novels

This essay analyzes five novels set in Namibia, focusing on their treatment of individual and communal identity both on the level of narration and on that of character and plot. All of the novels employ techniques of internal focalization in unusual and innovative ways to shed light on questions of identity from different perspectives, sometimes oscillating between individual and communal voices and views. The first two novels, Joseph Diescho's Troubled Waters and Kaleni Hiyalwa's Meekulu's Children, revolve around Namibia's liberation struggle and show how the questioning of identity patterns imposed by the apartheid regime leads to the emergence of hope; they also reveal the effects of the struggle's violence and terror on the population. Neshani Andreas's two novels—The Purple Violet of Oshaantu (2001) and her unpublished Who Told You That You Were Naked (2011)—present conflicts between individual autonomy and traditional village authorities in the nineteenth century through to the present. Peter Orner's The Second Coming of Mavala Shikongo creates a vivid picture of a rural community of teachers in a country still scarred and fragmented just after independence, defying bleakness and isolation through routines, solidarity, and a lively interest in human eccentricities.

A Nama 'Exodus'? A postcolonial reading of the diaries of Hendrik Witbooi : exodus as narrative concerning origin and migration negotiating identity in Africa

This contribution attempts to interpret the personal diaries and papers of Hendrik Witbooi, an icon of the struggle for liberation in Namibia, in view of postcolonial criticism. It is argued that Witbooi's diaries and papers indicate how he responded to colonial discursive practices by means of assimilation and resistance. Special attention is given to the possibility that an 'exodus theme' was employed as a rhetorical strategy to mobilize the Witboois to relocate to new territory and eventually used to resist colonialism by inciting an uprising against the German authorities. The question will also be posed what type of Bible interpretation Captain Witbooi employed to come to such an understanding of the exodus theme in his diaries within the nineteenth century theological context of providentialism. The article forms part of a research project on "The negotiation of identity and narratives concerning origin and migration in Africa." doi: 10.7833/108-1-6

A NAMA ‘EXODUS’? A POSTCOLONIAL READING OF THE DIARIES OF HENDRIK WITBOOI

This contribution attempts to interpret the personal diaries and papers of Hendrik Witbooi, an icon of the struggle for liberation in Namibia, in view of postcolonial criticism. It is argued that Witbooi's diaries and papers indicate how he responded to colonial discursive practices by means of assimilation and resistance. Special attention is given to the possibility that an 'exodus theme' was employed as a rhetorical strategy to mobilize the Witboois to relocate to new territory and eventually used to resist colonialism by inciting an uprising against the German authorities. The question will also be posed what type of Bible interpretation Captain Witbooi employed to come to such an understanding of the exodus theme in his diaries within the nineteenth century theological context of providentialism. The article forms part of a research project on "The negotiation of identity and narratives concerning origin and migration in Africa." doi: 10.7833/108-1-6

A NAMA ‘EXODUS’? A POSTCOLONIAL READING OF THE DIARIES OF HENDRIK WITBOOI

This contribution attempts to interpret the personal diaries and papers of Hendrik Witbooi, an icon of the struggle for liberation in Namibia, in view of postcolonial criticism. It is argued that Witbooi's diaries and papers indicate how he responded to colonial discursive practices by means of assimilation and resistance. Special attention is given to the possibility that an 'exodus theme' was employed as a rhetorical strategy to mobilize the Witboois to relocate to new territory and eventually used to resist colonialism by inciting an uprising against the German authorities. The question will also be posed what type of Bible interpretation Captain Witbooi employed to come to such an understanding of the exodus theme in his diaries within the nineteenth century theological context of providentialism. The article forms part of a research project on "The negotiation of identity and narratives concerning origin and migration in Africa." doi: 10.7833/108-1-6

A Human Being Is Free: The Phenomenological Experience of Liberation in Namibia

Many oppressed groups throughout Africa have successfully engaged in struggles for liberation to oust colonial rule. To study the psychological experiences of liberation in a specific context, the U.S. researcher traveled to Namibia and, using a phenomenological approach, explored the meanings people ascribed to their independence from South Africa. Six individual interviews were conducted with Ovambo Namibians. Seven themes emerged from 280 invariant structures and their 280 corresponding meaning units: Continuous and Inescapable Oppression, the Tipping Point, Family Ecology and the Choice, Participation in the Struggle, Reconciliation, Dreams of Freedom Realized, and Left Wanting: Disenchantment and Lost Democracy. Findings revealed that liberation was an arduous and traumatic experience and that resilience was required to endure the liberation struggle. Although the experience of liberation among Namibians may share features such as posttraumatic stress and the role of resilience with other struggles, the particular context and history led to unique elements, including rifts that developed within families during the struggle and dissatisfaction with unfulfilled promises.

DIFFERENTIATING ‘BUSHMEN’ FROM ‘BANTUS’: IDENTITY-BUILDING IN WEST CAPRIVI, NAMIBIA, 1930–89

ABSTRACTThis article focuses on the historical and political factors that shaped Khwe (San) and Mbukushu ethnic identities and their interrelationship between 1938 and 1989 in west Caprivi, Namibia. While acknowledging the multi-authored nature of identity-building, the article demonstrates that the colonial and apartheid states made significant contributions to the construction of ethnicity in west Caprivi through veterinary interventions in the 1930s and apartheid policies regarding ‘Bushmen’ in the 1950s, and by securing Khwe collaboration during Namibia's liberation struggle in the 1970s and 1980s. These state interventions, together with Khwe and Mbukushu responses to them, also shed light on why land and political authority became so central to struggles between the two groups.

Henning Melber (ed.), Re-examining Liberation in Namibia: political culture since independence. Uppsala: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet (pb £15.95 – 91 7106 516 4). 2003, 149 pp.

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Manfred O. Hinz, Sam K. Amoo, and Dawid van Wyk, eds. The Constitution at Work: Ten Years of Namibian Nationhood. [Pretoria]: University of South Africa, VerLoren van Themaat Centre for Public Law, [2002]. Distributed by African Books Collective Ltd., The Jam Factory, 27 Park End St., Oxford 0X1 1HU. 393 pp. Notes. $43.95. Paper. - Henning Melber, ed. Reexamining Liberation

Manfred O. Hinz, Sam K. Amoo, and Dawid van Wyk, eds. The Constitution at Work: Ten Years of Namibian Nationhood. [Pretoria]: University of South Africa, VerLoren van Themaat Centre for Public Law, [2002]. Distributed by African Books Collective Ltd., The Jam Factory, 27 Park End St., Oxford 0X1 1HU. 393 pp. Notes. $43.95. Paper. - Henning Melber, ed. Reexamining Liberation in Namibia: Political Culture since Independence. Uppsala: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, 2003. Distributed by Transaction Publishers. 149 pp. Notes. Bibliography. $24.95. Paper. - Volume 48 Issue 2

Melber, Henning (ed.). — Re-examining Liberation in Namibia. Political Culture since Independence

Melber, Henning (ed.). — Re-examining Liberation in Namibia. Political Culture since Independence

Re-examining Liberation in Namibia: Political Culture since Independence

From 1960, SWAPO of Namibia led the organised and later armed struggle for independence. In late 1989, the liberation movement was finally elected to power under United Nations supervision as the l ...

China and swapo: The role of the people's republic in Namibia's liberation and post‐independence relations

The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature of the People's Republic of China's relations with Namibia. Prior to liberation, China maintained cordial links with SWAPO, yet was constrained by the close ties the organisation had with Moscow and its allies. However, the absence of any alternative to SWAPO meant that China refrained from supporting any rival organisation to the Soviet‐backed movement, as it did in Zimbabwe or Angola, and the struggle for independence was largely devoid of the Sino‐Soviet dispute found elsewhere in Southern Africa liberation struggles. Upon independence, China was thus in a position where it sought to continue linkages with the SWAPO government, as part of its policy of bolstering itself internationally through the utilization of Third World support. Namibia for its part was eager for investment and economic development, and China has been seen as a useful country to do business with.

Namibia's Liberation Struggle: The Two-Edged Sword

It took twenty-three years of armed struggle before Namibia could gain its independence from South Africa in March 1990. Swapo s victory was remarkable in the face of an overwhelmingly superior enemy. How this came about, and at what cost, is the subject of this outstanding study that is based on unpublished documents and extensive interviews with a large range of the key activists in the struggle. The story that emerges is one of endurance and heroism in face of atrocious brutality on the part of the colonialists. But it reveals that it was also one of painful compromises imposed by the conditions of the struggle and the subordination of internal democracy within the liberation movement to the single goal of military and diplomatic victory. The study will be of keen interest to everyone concerned with southern Africa. Students of armed liberation struggle generally will find much to challenge received wisdom. The sheer human interest of the interviews makes the book attractive to a wide readership.

Namibia's Liberation Struggle: the two-edged sword by Colin Leys and John S. Saul, with contributions by Susan Brown, Philip Steenkamp, Sipho S. Maseko, Chris Tapscott, and Lauren Dobell London, James Currey; Athens, Ohio University Press; 1995. Pp. xii+212. £35.00. £12.95 paperback.

Namibia's Liberation Struggle: the two-edged sword by Colin Leys and John S. Saul, with contributions by Susan Brown, Philip Steenkamp, Sipho S. Maseko, Chris Tapscott, and Lauren Dobell London, James Currey; Athens, Ohio University Press; 1995. Pp. xii+212. £35.00. £12.95 paperback. - Volume 34 Issue 2

Review: Namibia's Liberation Struggle

Review: Namibia's Liberation Struggle

Reviews

Work, Culture, and Identity: Migrant Labourers in Mozambique and South Africa, c.1860–1910 by Patrick Harries. Witwatersrand University Press, Johannesburg; Heinemann, Portsmouth NH; and James Currey, London. 1994. 328 pp. including photographs, maps and tables. R75.00 paperback. African Workers and Colonial Racism: Mozambican Strategies and Struggles in Lourenc.0 Marques, 1877–1962 by Jeanne Marie Penvenne. Witwatersrand University Press, Johannesburg; Heinemann, Portsmouth NH; and James Currey, London. 1995. 242 pp. including maps, halftones and tables. R86.00 paperback. Historical Dictionary of Namibia by John J. Grotpeter. The Scarecrow Press, Metuchen, New Jersey and London. No 57 in the African Historical Dictionaries series. 1994. xxvi plus 725 pp. including a chronology, map, appendices and bibliography. $89.50 hardback. Out in the Cold: Academic Boycotts and the Isolation of South Africa by L.J. Haricombe and F.W. Lancaster. Information Resources Press, Arlington, Virginia. 1995. xiv plus 158 pp. including tables, bibliography and index. $29.50 hardback. The Foreign Policy of Zimbabwe by Ulf Engel. Institute of African Affairs, Hamburg. 1994. vii plus 479 pp. including diagrams, tables, notes, bibliography and indices. The Politics of Two Sudans: The South and the North 1821 ‐1969 by Deng D. Akol Ruay. The Scandinavian Institute of African Studies, Uppsala, Sweden. 1994. 183 pp. £14.95. Namibia's Liberation Struggle: The Two‐Edged Sword edited by Colin Leys and John S. Saul. James Curry, London and Ohio University Press, Athens, Ohio. 1995. x plus 212 pp. including maps, notes and index. £12.95 paperback. Namibia and External Resources: The Case of Swedish Development Assistance by Bertil Oden, Henning Melber, Tor Sellstrom and Chris Tapscott. Nordiska Afrikainstitutet. Research Report No. 96, Uppsala. 1994. 122 pp. including map, references and tables. £5.95 paperback. Short‐Cut to Decay: The Case of the Sudan edited by Sharif Harir and Terje Tvedt. Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Uppsala. 1994. 275 pp. £19.95. Divided Sisterhood: Race, Class and Gender in the South African Nursing Profession by Shula Marks. Witwatersrand University Press, Johannesburg (South Africa), Macmillan Press Ltd (Great Britain), and St. Martin's Press, Inc., (USA). 1994. xiii plus 306 pp. including notes, bibliography and index. R82.00 paperback. Transition to Democracy in Nigeria (1985–1993) by Tunji Olagunju, Adele Jinadu and Sam Oyovbaire. Spectrum Books Ltd., Ibadan and London. 1993. 278 pp.

Namibia's Liberation Struggle: The Two-Edged Sword Colin Leys and John S. Saul Et al

Namibia's Liberation Struggle: The Two-Edged Sword Colin Leys and John S. Saul Et al

Book Review: Church and Liberation in Namibia

Book Review: Church and Liberation in Namibia

Book reviews

Michael Manley: the making of a leader Darrell E Levi London: André Deutsch. 1989. 336pp. £17.95hb Edna Manley: the diaries Edited by Rachel Manley London: Andre Deutsch. 1989. 303pp. £14.96 hb Palestine and Israel: the uprising and beyond David McDowall London: I B Tauris. 1989. 322pp. £14.95hb The Peacekeepers: an assessment of peacekeeping operations at the Arab‐Israel interface John Mackinlay London: Unwin Hyman. 1989. 239pp. £25.00hb Unifll: international peacekeeping in Lebanon 1978–1988 Bjørn Skogmo Boulder, Colorado/London: Lynne Rienner. 1989. 277pp. £22.50hb Republic of Fear: the politics of modern Iraq Samir al‐Khalil Berkeley: University of California Press. 1989. 310pp. $25.00hb The Devils are Among Us: the war for Namibia Denis Herbstein and John Evenson London and New Jersey: Zed Books. 1989. 202pp. £26.95hb, £7.00pb Church and Liberation in Namibia Edited by Peter Katjavivi, Per Frostin and Kaire Mbuende: London and Winchester, Massachusetts: Pluto Press. 1989. 222pp. £17.50hb Structural Adjustment in Africa Edited by Bonnie K Campbell and John Loxley London: Macmillan. 1989. 277pp. £45hb The Star Raft: China's encounter with Africa Philip Snow London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson. 1988. 250pp. £14.95hb The Soviet Union and the Asia‐Pacific region Edited by Pushpa Thambipillai and Daniel Matuszewski New York: Praeger. 1989. 217pp World Directory of Minorities Edited by the Minority Rights Group (MRG) Harlow, Essex: Longman. 1990. 427pp. £65hb Southeast Asian Affairs 1989 Edited by Ng Chee Yuen Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. 1989. 368pp. np Political and Economic Encyclopaedia of the Pacific Edited by Gerald Segal Harlow, Essex: Longman. 1989. 293pp. £60hb World Conflicts: why and where they are happening Patrick Brogan London: Bloomsbury. 1989. 603pp. £19.95 The African Studies Companion: a resource guide and directory Edited by Hans M Zell London: Hans Zell. 1989. 165pp. £30

Namibia : the Ideology of National Liberation

SUMMARY The article examines the distinctive ideological character of Southern African national liberation, compared with earlier African nationalism. The case study is the Political Programme of Namibia's liberation movement, SWAPO. Its theme is to differentiate national (political independence, national unity, egalitarianism) from liberation goals (social emancipation, mobilisation, self reliance). This distinction is vital in terms of determining the character of post‐colonial restructuring in an independent African state.RÉSUMÉ Namibie : L'idéologie de la libération nationaleCet article examine le caractère idéologique particulier de la libération nationale dans le sud de l'Afrique et la compare au nationalisme africain antérieur. L'étude de cas est le Programme politique du mouvement de libération de la Namibie, SWAPO. Son but est de différencier les objectifs nationaux (indépendance politique, unité nationale, égalit‐arisme) des objectifs de libération (émancipation sociale, mobilisation, autonomie). Cette distinction est vitale pour déterminer le caractère de la restructuration post‐coloniale d'un état africain indépendant.RESUMEN Namibia : la ideología de la liberación nacionalEn el artículo se examina el carácter ideológico distintivo de la liberación nacional de Africa Meridional, comparada con anteriores nacionalismos africanos. El estudio de casos es el programa político del movimiento de liberación de Namibia, SWAPO. Su tema consiste en establecer diferencias nacionales (independencia política, unidad nacional, igualdad) con los objectivos de liberación (emancipación social, movilización, autodependencia). Esta distinción es vital para determinar el carácter de la reestrucuración posterior al periodo colonial en un estado africano independiente.