Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro
When the dust settles over the opportunistic, if not crocodile, tears over the sad and indeed untimely bowing out of this world of the prodigal son of Gam, James Unomasa Uerikua, none shall miss him dearly and direly, and for long so, more than the Otjiserandu villagers and indeed the broader inhabitants of the Gam Bantustan.
An inopportune and untimely passing, surely, as if there were ever any death that were timely and opportune. The road to Gam, the days leading to the burial of Uerikua, was out of the world of Gam. Perhaps a pointer to his inopportune passing on, as the road more than anything points to an inopportune and temporary re-gravelling.
Not so much to smoothen it for the easy and smooth passage of Uerikua, but more so for the convenience of the cortege of the VVIPs’ cars that would dare this gravel, safe for those who may have flown over there.
The smoothening of the gravel road for the easy and smooth passage of the country’s first-class, second- and/or third-class citizens is very telling of the signs of the times. In the same mould and mode as the upgrading of a ward in the Windhoek Central Hospital to ensure and elevate it to a five-star medical facility fit, and only fit, for the country’s petty bourgeoisie.
Petty bourgeoisie because it is all that witnessed Uerikua’s committal to eternity at Gam, with the actual bourgeoisie, the capitalists themselves, remaining behind and doing what they do best. Mapping out the next step in entrenching themselves and capitalism in milking the country dry.
But be that as it may, one cannot but just imagine whether there shall ever again be another inopportunity and how, for that matter, not to pray that next time it be a joyful one as opposed to a sad one that shall resuscitate and revitalise the dusty road to Gam and/or whether the next time may have seen it having been transformed into bitumen.
The late Kazenambo Kazenambo took the lead, trying to refocus the attention of the powers that be on Gam upon himself, only for the area to lose him untimely and inopportunely. Followed by Uerikua, who met the same fate. Even during their existence, notwithstanding which certainly must be appreciated, little has been moving towards visible progress in terms of the development of the area.
There’s no denial that Gam has been struggling far beyond the struggles of many a community with their background, its inhabitants being predominantly, if not solely, repatriates from Botswana. Thus, ordinarily it must and should have been aggressively benefiting from the transitional justice programme of the government.
But perhaps, despite the existence of its vociferous voices in the likes of Kazenambo and Uerikua, theirs had been isolated and not powerful enough. Not that the media, true to itself as the Fourth Estate, which in the context of Namibia can be interpreted as no more a master’s voice and/or lapdog, this lapdog and/or master being the capitalist status quo, has been of any assistance to them.
Speaking of the media, in a rarity Gam saw an avalanche of media representatives leading up to and during Uerikua’s interment. It may be as yet too early, and perhaps we are going to see and hear the voices of the Gam villagers themselves regarding their loss.
What we have been hearing and seeing thus far are only the voices of the usual media darlings, the petty bourgeoisie. From the articles, even the pictures released in the media, there has been little about the villagers themselves, let alone their pronouncements on their own grief, their development and what the future may hold for them, especially now without one of their own as their development champion.
One need not recount the trials and tribulations of the descendants of Gam, who are bona fide descendants of the survivors of the great wars of resistance against German imperialism and the eventual near annihilation of their forebears as per the GENOCIDE of their forefathers and mothers. Some of the remnants of this sad historical epoch find themselves close to being stateless people in neighbouring countries like Botswana and South Africa.
Where most, if not all, have not only been left without an identity but also without cultures, language and all that goes into the fulfilment of a human being. It is from Botswana that the inhabitants of Gam were repatriated.
Lately, as recent as last year, more were repatriated from Botswana. Their experience hitherto in the land of their forefathers and mothers is, to say the least, not enviable. Soon, like the people of Gam, who seem to have been forgotten, they shall also be forgotten. A voiceless person in the wilderness of Namibia. Only enjoying the marginal and once-in-a-lifetime coverage by the media. When something happens that makes a helicopter land there.
*Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro is a descendant of the survivors of the Ovaherero, Ovambanderu and Nama genocide; a veteran and freelance journalist; a reparations advocate; and an adherent of restorative justice.
