Page 54 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 12

MY AFRIKA

enough to tell the true story of this million hectares. With the exception people of Namibia do not view land

Afrikan nation outside of it being all of a few urban centres and settle- as their own property — rather, it is
desert and stuff. So I must say I was ments along the coast line, the desert something that belongs to everyone,
very happy when on a very bright is not habitable due to the climatic it becomes very important for all to
morning while taking a walk, I heard conditions and landscape. This situa- understand that this particular stand
in my spirit these words "Namibia tion leaves only 74.3 million hectares on land by the natives, is really one
the land of peace and restora- of habitable land. of the pillars of Ubuntu which is a

tion." major bedrock of Afrikanism even
Amazing to say the least. Namibia was a German colony from though it has been abused mostly
1884 to 1914. In the decades that fol- over time.
Like many other nations in Afrika, lowed, upto independence in 1990, it Shalom Namibia
Namibia has, for quite a long time, was administered by South Africa, I do however now say this as I have
been dealing with the issues of land; which imposed its oppressive system heard, Namibia you are a land of
lands which were supposed to be lo- of apartheid on the population. Dur- peace and restoration and no power

cal but found in the hands of for- ing this time, thousands of Namib- on earth will shift what you are in
eigners or the offspring of the colo- ians were expelled from their lands. God. And according to the words
nialists. To this day, a large portion remains one of my brothers sent to me as
under the control of Germans and I was writing this article, the word
Facts about Namibia South Africans, or other foreigners: SHALOM means much more than
Namibia had a projected population approximately 70 percent of Na- peace. It means wholeness, wellness,

of 2.4 million inhabitants in 2018. mibia's farmland is owned by whites. well-being, safe, happy, friendly, fa-
The population increased from According to the Namibia Statistics vor, completeness, to make peace,
1.4 million in 1991, to 1.8 million in Agency, socially disadvantaged black peace offering, secure, to prosper, to
2001, 2.1 million in 2011 to 2.3 mil- or colored citizens own only 16 per- be victorious, to be content, tranquil,
lion people in 2016. cent of the land. quiet, and restful. The pictographic
The average household size had de- symbols for the word shalom (shin,
creased from an average of 5.2 in The Namibian government has lamed, vav, mem) read “Destroy the

1991, to 5.1 in 2001, to 4.4 in 2011 sought to correct past colonial authority that binds to chaos.”
and 3.9 persons in 2016. wrongs and pursue social equality. The noun shalom is derived from the
Administratively, the country is di- Up until now, white farmers only had verbal root shalam, which means “to
vided into 14 regions: to sell their lands back to the state on restore,” in the sense of replacing or
Zambezi, Kavango East; Kavango a voluntary basis. But this principle providing what is needed in order to
West, Kunene, Ohangwena, Omu- had not worked. By 2020, Namibia make someone or something whole

sati, Oshana, and Oshikoto in the planned to return 43 percent of its and complete. So shalom is used to
north; Omaheke, Otjozondjupa, 15 million hectares of farmland to describe those who have been pro-
Erongo, and Khomas in central the black population. At the end of vided all that is needed to be whole
Namibia; and Hardap and //Kharas 2015, only 27 percent of the land and complete and break off all au-
in the south. The country has 121 was redistributed, according to the thority that would attempt to bind us
constituencies. Namibia Agricultural Union. to chaos.
Along the coast line is the Namib
Desert which accounts for about 8.1 In a country where the indigenous SHALOM SHALOM NAMIBIA!

54 | we tell the true afrikan story