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Pecka Semba writes:The past weeks have witnessed an unpreceded increase in debates about tribalism in the Omaheke Region.Suddenly tribalism has become a “catchphrase” wherever you find yourself in this Region. Obviously it has been fuelled by the recent remarks made (allegedly) by the Honourable Governor of the Omaheke Region on the now widely circulated video recording, especially since this has come from the highest office in the Region that is supposed to uphold and protect the Constitution of the Land and that of the Swapo Party.A CHOICEHowever, it will be utterly ignorant and naïve to think that tribalism and to an extent racism in this Region and country can be attributed to this one incident alone. Tribalism in Omaheke, can be equated to what Foucault, a French philosopher called “a contemporary reality of our time, a voluntary choice made by a group of people, which in the end becomes a way of thinking and feeling, a way too of behaving and acting”. To this, I will add: it becomes a way of expressing ourselves, a livelihood, a nice comfort zone and a receptive context to advance agendas not necessarily beneficial to the wider public.To make matters worse these speeches, expressions and activities hover dangerously close to tribal hatred, while unsuspecting and ignorant listeners ululate and clap hands. The Omaheke Region is littered with numerous examples of tribal and racial stand-offs and expressions.AN EXPLOSIVE TOXINWhat is worrisome is that twenty six years after independence, we as leaders have failed in this Region to properly address this potentially explosive and toxic issue, and we rather use the promotion of tribalism and racism as the essence of our existence as leaders, a great paradox of our Region.I should not be misunderstood. There is nothing wrong to belong or to promote the culture and traditions that defines a tribe, but it becomes tricky and unacceptable to use this to advance tribalism.The trail of evidence reveals clear tribal agendas entrenched in the fabric of our societies all over this Region. The very issues we should fight against and despise, in line with our Supreme Law, are conveniently pushed to the fore unabated by us as unscrupulous and selfish leaders.One does not have to look beyond the obvious, to realize that tribalism and even intra-tribalism in Omaheke has become a highly contested issue and dominates almost every aspect of social life, be it cultural, sporting, language, political, educational and even religious discourses in this Region. What remains worrisome, is that most of the time, these are not used for a good cause, but to advance tribalism in its purest form.YES TO MERITAs "highly respected leaders" of this Region we are taking front-row seats to shamelessly advance tribalism, even in administration set-ups, where merit, qualifications, experience etc. should be the overriding factors and not necessarily the tribe or race you represent. We fight our political leadership fights in the name of tribalism and racism.Omaheke Region therefore grossly undermines the very Constitution we should uphold. As a Region our future looks bleak and uncertain in the face of the current tribal onslaughts. Some of us, who have grown up and have been nurtured throughout our lives in multicultural set-ups, find tribalism very difficult to digest and support. Many people, me included, believe this debate should by now be sterile and pointless; it should by now be a faint memory of a painful past.However, the contrary unfortunately seems to be true. The agenda of tribalism is being pushed relentlessly to the front, a truth which hurts and is very unfortunate.This truth makes us a laughing stock. Instead of having moved on a long time ago, we in Omaheke, as Ngugi waThiogo, an African literary giant from Kenya argued in his book Decolonizing the mind, still cling to this flimsy myth called tribalism and racism to an extent that it seems our lives depend on it.ALL HOPE NOT LOSTIn his work Pedagogy of the oppressed Paulo Freire, a Brazilian Educationist and philosopher warned society against deliberately creating a social context which stereotypes certain issues and in Omaheke this seems to be the naked truth. Tribalism has become a reference point and a common denominator in most issues dealt with in this Region. I am convinced that all hope is not lost however, since there are a lot of inhabitants of the Omaheke Region as well as the rest of Namibia that have experienced the flipside of the coin of the xenophobic misery tribalism and racism brought about in this world.The price is simply too big to pay.The suspicion towards colleagues and co-inhabitants is clearly more than the belief and confidence you should have in the next person.PULL TOGETHERAs Mazrui, an African philosopher put it: "Africans have a very short memory of hate, and this is a great cultural resource." We must rather live up to the resolve of fostering the spirit of reconciliation and peaceful co-existence in spite of linguistic and cultural diversities.Let us as leaders in Omaheke Region critically reassess our stance and belief system and learn from history. Let us use our tribes, cultures, languages, religions etc. to create a more tolerant society. Let us guard against tribalism since this is a threat to achieving our development goals, ably aided by the Harambee Prosperity Plan.Otherwise history will judge us harshly.Yours in anti-tribalism

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