Opinions

JOSEF KEFAS SHEEHAMA It's uncertain if Iran will attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz, which ship 20-25% of the global oil.  The closure of the Strait of Hormuz would have an immediate impact on global oil prices, potentially leading to significant global economic crises. According to energy experts, the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, is critical for global oil trade and security. Its strategic importance arises from its role as the key conduit for oil and gas exports from major Middle Eastern exporters to…

As thousands of Namibian learners prepare to transition from high school to university, the excitement of choosing an academic path is often accompanied by the risk of falling into traps set by unaccredited and questionable institutions.Over the past few years, there has been a worrying rise in mushrooming colleges and so-called universities that operate without proper accreditation, offering qualifications that are ultimately worthless in the job market. It is crucial that learners, parents, and guardians become vigilant and informed to avoid wasting time, money, and dreams on institutions run by opportunistic scammers. Accreditation is not just a bureaucratic formality, it…

PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) ABSTRACT On 16 June 2025, the Day of the African Child, we are reminded of the profound legacy of linguistic and cultural suppression endured by generations of African children. This article draws methodologically on Cheikh Anta Diop’s interdisciplinary framework, integrating linguistics, historical reconstruction, and cultural analysis as indispensable tools of epistemic decolonization and African renaissance. The goal is not only scholarly clarification but, more profoundly, the unwavering affirmation of Africa’s sovereign intellectual heritage and a fervent call for the immediate and comprehensive internalization and institutionalization of our indigenous languages as…

JOSEF KEFAS SHEEHAMA Geopolitical developments in the Middle East are expected to have a negative influence on market sentiment and the global economy if de-escalation efforts fail. Namibia is a part of the global village and trades with other countries; it is therefore not immune to economic catastrophe. The global economy has been negatively impacted by event such as COVID-19, the wars between Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Palestine, Israel and Hamas, the start of the global tariff war, and Israel and Iran. These wars threaten the global economy and have the potential to erode globalization and interdependence. Oil prices…

Kae Matundu “Decentering singular suffering: a Pan-Africanist perspective on genocidal memory and epistemology in Southern Africa” was the attention-grabbing headline of an opinion by Paul T. Shipale, in the Windhoek Observer on 13 June of instant. Upon reading the headline and realising who the writer was, I could not but instantly be amused and be intrigued what Shipale really had to say about genocide and its memorialisation? Very much aware of the fact that he has been writing consistently and comprehensively many a times. Thereby establishing himself as a spin doctor of note for the ruling party, more than anything…

PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) Abstract                          This article interrogates the Eurocentric hegemony embedded in memorializing the Herero and Nama genocide (1904–1908) as Southern Africa’s singular genocidal event. Drawing on Frantz Fanon’s dialectics of colonial violence and liberation, it argues for a pan-African historical consciousness that centers the interconnected suffering of marginalized groups—including the Ovambandja, San, Ovakwanyama, Lozi, Mbundja, Ndebele, Shona, Kalanga, Xhosa, Zulu including 8 million Congolese who were massacred by the Belgians.   By exposing the colonial logic of hierarchizing suffering, we call for a unified ethics of remembrance that rejects Western-defined exclusivity in justice. Introduction:…