FLIPSIDE — Chris Jacobie
The Omuthiya commemoration of Heroes’ Day is every Namibian’s unbreakable bond with the sacrifices that have endured through the ages of an ageless country.
Heroes of freedom and democracy are those who give much more to society and the Namibian nation than they can ever get back.
The biggest challenge of democracy itself, when Namibians march to polling stations to elect a President and members of the National Assembly, is to reward and trust those who gave, not those who want more than they are prepared to share or give.
More citizens registered as heroes for the November elections than those who marched to the battlefronts for the very freedom they attained and maintained under severe challenges like droughts, pandemics, and even threats to Namibian unity.
Heroes’ Day is therefore not only a day to remember those from all sides of Namibian society who fought until the last bullet, or until their luck, or until both, ran out on the battlefields for the dignity that freedom brings to the free.
What Namibians always had, but will always need is bravery, courage, and grit, especially the will to live to fight another day.
The Omuthiya commemoration should therefore be a homage to a past never to be forgotten and a future always to hold – one in trust for fellow Namibians whose opportunities must also come.
Heroes’ Day will always have one foot in the past but it will always inspire the next step of the journey towards nationhood.
History has blessed the nation with grit, courage, and fortitude to meet the national challenges of today and to carry the generations yet to come.
Namibians have proven that they appreciate the sacrifices by maintaining peace, stability, and freedom and by remaining united in their love of the land.
A nation that achieved liberation, has agreed to respect the Constitution as a contract of mutual trust, and such a nation can overcome much more.
After the disruption of Covid-19, a ten-year drought in most places, a worldwide cost of living crisis, wars across the globe, and the unprecedented death of a President in office, Omuthiya represents everything that is good about freedom and unity.
Whatever opportunities exist for Omuthiya, they are the battlefields of a future of unity.
The woodlands of the past were designed for the gun, but the small foundations for food security and the trenches from which the battle for economic freedom and self-sustainability is fought lie in Omuthiya.
The homesteads and military garrison of 34 years ago are now a prospering town buzzing with trade and entrepreneurship. Omuthiya is unrecognizable through development and is still growing.
It is more opportune that the commemoration will be led by the Namibia Defence Force as the tip of the spear for the safety and security of Namibians as well as the integrity of our territorial borders. Most importantly, in 34 years, the Defence Force has revolutionized itself to be the symbol of pride and national unity.
It is worth remembering that the NDF was formed out of all fighting forces, where friends and foes forged a unified force and uniquely led the parade and hoisted the Namibian flag on Independence Day on 21 March 1990. Warrior unity indeed came before independence.
Namibia’s Heroes’ Day will add another chapter to mutual trust by smoothing the cracks that can appear from time to time in any foundation.
Namibians must touch the shrines of heroes to feel the wind of virtue that ignites a deep desire to respect the lesser as equals and give them dignity because we know the names of even the most unfortunate.
Dignity, justice, and care maintain good citizens and the best Namibia for all.
The heroes must rest assured that their sacrifices left a legacy of bravery in good hands.
They will forever inspire and unite.
