Lessons from Andimba (Part 2)

Salom Shilongo writes:

Some people are silent because they are benefiting from corruption. But we must never be happy just because we are benefiting from the crime.

We should never celebrate beauty or wealth from crime.

A government for comrades and their children is doomed. If our government was a woman, it will be a gold digger.

The youths must continue to fight for a better Namibia. If a lion fails to roar, the baboon will declare itself the king of the jungle.

If good people are quiet, bad men will rule. So don't be afraid!

Salvation will not come from the heavens or Jerusalem. Namibian youths should emulate the bravery of Andimba and fight to make Namibia a better place for all. It's all about courage.

A man does not climb a mountain with his feet, but with his heart. We can't wait for some other people to come and fight for us. We can't blame the whites forever either. We must learn to solve our problems.

We must learn to pay attention even to the little things in our country. It was not the elephant but the snake that had betrayed Adam in the Garden of Eden.



WRONG VICES

It's very disappointing when some Namibian youths say they are afraid of being killed.

But are you not afraid of dying in car accidents when you drive like Lewis Hamilton? Are you not afraid of dying from AIDS when you have unprotected sex? Are you not afraid of dying when you use harmful drugs? Are you not afraid to die when you drink alcohol like the Mayor of Sodom and Gomorrah?

Dying brave is better than dying poor.

The youths are not useless fools who should be ignored and left to lag behind like a tail. Even a tail has a purpose. And just like Andimba, the youth should never dread or sell their principles.

A bird doesn't fly with one wing. So the youths should start to work together in order to move forward. People should discuss issues that affect them.

So Namibian youths, you have nothing to fear or loose but your poverty. Don't let someone turn you into circus lions and circus elephants. A circus lion or elephant thinks it is a mouse.

Andimba would never allow someone to turn him into a circus lion/elephant. Not even at gunpoint.



THE TIME IS NOW

Andimba was young when he began the fight to free Namibia from colonialism.

Don't wait to grow grey hair before you do something for Namibia. No one is too young or too poor to make a difference.

Andimba was not rich when he began the struggle. You don't need to be a governor, minister, a president or a millionaire to make a difference.

You can be Mother Teresa, King Martin Luther Junior or even a Che Guevara in your street, town or village. After all, those people were also not presidents or wealthy.

Namibian youth, rise and roar for change. Rise and roar for your future. Rise and roar like Andimba.

A man is not judged by the size of his head, but by the size of the dream in his head. In the end, it's better to be led by a wise mouse than to be led by a foolish elephant. So don't be afraid!

(Salom Shilongo is the author of The Hopeless Hopes)

* Letter abridged. - Editor