Terrible mistake (Part 2)

SALOM SHILONGO WRITES:

Some whites in Africa did manage to learn local languages and gained trust from the local people. For example, Roy Bennett was a prominent opposition figure in Zimbabwe. He was white but he spoke the Shona language fluently. He was even nicknamed Pachedu (loosely translated as “one of us” or “amongst us” in the local Shona language.)

Christopher (Chris) Pappas is the mayor of uMngeni Local Municipality in Kwazulu Natal. He is white and speaks fluent Zulu.

Helen Zille, the former leader of the Democratic Alliance party in South Africa, is white and speaks fluent Xhosa language.

So, to the patriotic whites who consider Namibia as their motherland, they must learn to adapt or die. It is not too late to learn the local languages. If you have a domestic servant, ask her/him to teach your children at least the basic local language. You can also hire a private tutor to teach your children the local language. Ask your children to listen to the local radio in order to understand the local people better. Try to communicate with your black employees/colleagues in the local languages. If you are a white parent, ask your child to read this article and let him think about his future in Namibia.

However, I don’t mean that white people must take the local language as a written language or subject. They must just learn it for the sake of communication.

TRUST

However, it must not stop there. White Namibians must do more in order to gain trust from the local people. I have noticed that some white employers don’t even bother to attend the funeral of their black workers when they die. Some don’t even send a message of condolences to the bereaved family. And some don’t even bother to visit or call their employees when they are sick or just to visit their employees at their private residence in order to get to know them better. Visiting your employee, calling him or sending him an email, text etc. during the holiday, at Christmas time or the New Year, shows that you value them. Sharing a meal or a drink with your employee shows that you care.

Many Namibians told me that they prefer to work for a white employer for various reasons. However, if white people want to be taken seriously politically, then they must also learn to take themselves seriously.

Namibia is our motherland, black or white. When the economy is strong, it is good for everybody, black or white. When the economy is weak, it is bad for everybody, black or white. When crime is high, it is bad for everyone, black or white.

OPPORTUNITIES

Many Namibians, including me, had no choice but to learn European languages like English and so on. Because we knew that it would open opportunities for us. So, what is stopping whites from learning at least one or two local languages in order for them to actively participate in local politics? That is the only way for black and white Namibians so they can work together and save our country from the dirty jaws of Swapo. White Namibians must stop being arrogant and face reality.

But on the other hand, African people must understand that it doesn’t really matter if a horse is black or white as long as it takes you to your destination, it is a good horse. Meaning that it doesn’t really matter if a person is black or white, as long as he can do the job.

The days of judging people by their skin colour or political affiliations are over.

To borrow from Martin Luther King Junior, “a man must be judged by the content of his character, but not by the colour of his skin!” – The end

* Rubrieke, meningstukke, briewe en SMS’e deur lesers en meningvormers weerspieël nie noodwendig die siening van Republikein of Namibia Media Holdings (NMH) nie. As mediahuis onderskryf NMH die etiese kode vir Namibiese media, soos toegepas deur die Media-ombudsman.