P T SHIPALE
I. Prologue
Indeed, a great tree has fallen and a great shadow hangs heavy across the entire land because our beloved Founding President and Father of the Namibian Nation, H.E. Dr. Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma is no more. For those of us who knew him, who worked alongside him, who counted and relied on him, who were led by him, who learned from him, who loved him, it is unbearable that we will not see him again.
The sad news of his passing struck a deep and solemn note as he was an iconic and quintessential revolutionary leader, a Pan-Africanist par excellence, a Statesman and indeed the last man standing as one of the foremost Founding Fathers, not only of the Non-Aligned Movement but also of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the forerunner of the African Union (AU).
It is as if the departure of the Founding President was well-orchestrated by the ancients of days for his burial to take place on the 1st of March 2025 coinciding with the day on which he crossed the border fence into the British Bechuanaland Protectorate, on the 1st of March 1960 and went into exile to campaign internationally, not least at the United Nations in New York.
II THE LAST MAN STANDING (LE DERNIER DE MOHICANS)
Even though I feel the unbearable weight of his passing, I celebrate his longevity and indelible legacy and will place my tribute under the theme; “The Last Man Standing”, adapted from A Narrative of the 1826 historical novel by James Fenimore Cooper, “The Last of the Mohicans”, which has come to represent the sole survivor of a rare type.
A year ago, on 08 February 2024, on the occasion of the Memorial Service in honour of the Late President Hage Geingob, my learned colleague Press Secretary Dr. Alfredo Tjiurimo Hengari quoted the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature and controversial Chilean activist, but elegant poet, Pablo Neruda, in his melancholic poem, “Solo La Muerte”, which translates into English as “Only Death”.
However, instead of Pablo Neruda, allow me to quote José Julián Martí Pérez, better known as José Martí, the Cuban hero and sometimes called the Apostle of the Cuban Revolution, who showed a talent for writing and revolutionary politics at an early age. The famous patriotic song “Guantanamera” adapted from his poetry collection “Versos Sencillos”, which translates into English as “Simple Verses”, says in the two stanzas that I have selected;
“A sincere man am I.
Born where the palm trees grow”, …
“No boundaries bind my heart.
I belong to every land …”
Before dying, I want to share these poems of my soul…
My verses are light green,
But they are also flaming red.
My verses are like a wounded fawn,
Seeking refuge in the mountain…
With the poor people of this earth,
I want to share my lot.
On their part, Latin American authors who have won the most prestigious literary award in the world, the Nobel Prize for Literature, such as: Miguel Ángel Asturias (Guatemala, 1967), Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia, 1982), Octavio Paz (Mexico, 1990), and Mario Vargas Llosa … described death as inevitable and tragic, but also as a possibility to create a new utopia, says Gabriel García Márquez. Meanwhile, Mexican poet Octavio Paz described death as a playful companion and a lasting love in his poem “The Labyrinth of Solitude”, and believed that in a place beyond contraries, in a moment of pure vision, there are no frontiers between life and death.
The above selected poems by the Cuban hero José Martí and the Latin American Nobel Laureates remind us, once again, that as a nation, we suddenly have to cope with the blatant and painful reality of having lost to death one of the finest and best amongst us, our beloved Founding President.
I chose the above Latin American Nobel Laureates to accompany my tribute because their poetry gives the colour green to the face of death, just like José Martí says in one of the stanza that I have selected “Before dying, I want to share these poems of my soul… My verses are light green, but they are also flaming red.” This gives us hope and teaches us the lessons of rebirth that we must draw from our cherished memories with our beloved Founding President.
Just a few weeks ago, as a nation, we were commemorating the first anniversary of the passing of our third President Dr. Hage Geingob. We remember that last year when he passed on there have been tears and grief in so many homes. We have had to endure so much that at times it has seemed too great to bear. And now the stroke of death has taken the very one who has been our citadel, our rock and our tower of strength.
Surely, we are under unbearable pain and are inconsolable. However, even during this dark cloud that hovers around our nation, we must celebrate the life of our Founding President who was among the last surviving Frontline Heads of State who greatly contributed to our emancipation from colonial rule after the passing of other iconic leaders such as Dr. Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and South Africa’s first democratically elected President Nelson Mandela.
As such, Founding President Nujoma is indeed the last man standing as somebody who personified more than anybody else our country’s liberation struggle history and independence. Thus, he enters the pantheon of luminary leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement and the annals of history together with other African leaders.
His life’s story is a tapestry woven with threads of perseverance, determination, love, and kindness – qualities that have touched the lives of all those who have had the privilege of knowing him and he emerged as a beacon of hope to the entire Namibian Nation and the world at large. His life’s symphony sings of resilience and selflessness, echoing across generations as with unwavering devotion, he sculpted the tapestry of our nation’s destiny, weaving a mosaic of cultures into the fabric of our identity as a nation.
Late President Hage Geingob described Founding President Nujoma, on the occasion of his 94th birthday saying; “His leadership came to the fore during our darkest days of the struggle, when the battleship seemed lost at sea, he was our compass, pointing us in the right direction. When the incessant waves of the storm seemed insurmountable, he was the captain at the wheel, keeping the ship sturdy. When things became wayward, he was our rudder, steering us towards the shores, where the promise of independence was waiting for us. True leadership is forged during the most challenging times and the liberation struggle was the anvil that forged the iron will of Comrade Nujoma. It was that iron will that refused to waver, refused to surrender and ultimately spurred our combatants to achieve victory against all odds”.
Indeed, throughout his 95 years, Founding President has accumulated a treasure trove of experiences, successes, and lessons that have shaped him into the remarkable individual he was. His infectious laughter and smile, his profound wisdom, and his enduring love for those around him served as a beacon of light, inspiring all who crossed his path to live with joy, gratitude, and a heart full of love.
ANECDOTE
I recall on one occasion when the Office scheduled visitors to pay a courtesy call on him around 10H A.M. It is so happened that the visitors arrived early and the Founding President was having his snack. I then informed him that the visitors were already at the reception and told him that he should just finish his snack. The Founding President immediately asked me a rhetoric question saying “How do you expect me to be sitting here in the Office drinking tea, while there are people waiting for me outside? People are much more important than this snack I am having here.” That is the man we are mourning who shows humility and his humanity as he always put the people first and deeply respected everyone.
Indeed, the Founding Father has demonstrated his humility as a leader with a watchful eye over the interests of each and every one of us. I recall when he paid a courtesy call on the Late President Fidel Castro when he was ill. In addition, Founding President was worried when he heard that former President José Eduardo dos Santos was hospitalized since April 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. When the former President of Angola returned to Luanda, Founding President immediately paid him a courtesy call on 16 October 2021, at his residence in Luanda, Angola.
Certainly, Founding President Nujoma was a consequential leader with clarity of vision like an eagle that can cover you under its wings; a consequential leader with credibility like a reliable bull that one can trust and a consequential leader with courage like a roaring lion as the mighty king of the jungle.
III. EPILOGUE
I express our deepest admiration, respect, and gratitude for the gift of his presence in our lives for nine decades and a half.
We remember him as a leader of substantial stature who engaged everyone with respect and dignity and therefore promise to pick up his mantle and complete his long vision, including the extension of the railway line from Ondangwa all the way to the port of Cape Fria. It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge all those who have worked closely with the Founding President.
In conclusion, as we pay homage to him today, let us remember him for what he was, a servant leader who loved the people of this great land, and put them above love of self.
Go well my Hero and Commandante-en-Jefe!
Go well our Founding Father!
You have fought the good fight, you have finished the race, you have kept the faith. Now there is in store for you the crown of righteousness!
May His Soul Rest Peacefully in Power and Glory!
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of my employer and this newspaper but solely my personal views as a citizen.
