Eba Kandovazu OUTAPI – Omusati governor Immanuel Shikongo has called on Namibia to continue commemorating Heroes’ Day and documenting the country’s liberation history. He warned that failing to preserve the memories of the war could leave future generations questioning whether the struggle ever happened.Shikongo made the remarks in a recent interview with Nampa. He said... The post Shikongo warns against forgetting liberation history appeared first on New Era .
Eba Kandovazu
OUTAPI – Omusati governor Immanuel Shikongo has called on Namibia to continue commemorating Heroes’ Day and documenting the country’s liberation history.
He warned that failing to preserve the memories of the war could leave future generations questioning whether the struggle ever happened.
Shikongo made the remarks in a recent interview with Nampa.
He said Namibia must ensure that the experiences of liberation struggle veterans and communities who lived through the war are recorded before the generation that witnessed those events pass away.
“National commemorations serve as a reminder to younger Namibians that the country was once at war.
If we stop commemorating it, a person who was born in 2000 may argue with you: ‘What is here that shows that there was war?’”
Shikongo said Namibia should make greater efforts to engage liberation struggle veterans and community members who witnessed the war and allow them to tell their own stories.
He said communities should document who the soldiers were, who led them, and how ordinary residents supported the struggle.
He called on government and private institutions to work together to record these testimonies.
He said the bravery and sacrifice of those who fought for independence should remain part of Namibia’s national consciousness.
Shikongo also reflected on what he described as a decline in patriotism among younger Namibians, contrasting the willingness of liberation fighters to risk their lives for the country with what he sees as a “less physically resilient and less patriotic modern generation”.
He used humour to suggest that modern lifestyles and unhealthy food have contributed to a decline in physical stamina.
His broader message was that Namibia should not lose the courage and sense of civic duty demonstrated by those who fought during the liberation struggle.
Shikongo said independence ended the armed struggle but did not eliminate the challenges facing Namibia.
“Our forefathers and mothers did their part in liberating Namibia and now we are free, but there is still war. And this war that we are in now is the economic war,” he stressed.
He said the responsibility of the current generation is, therefore, to build on the gains made since independence, particularly by creating an economy capable of producing more goods locally rather than depending heavily on foreign assistance.
Shikongo pointed to improvements in infrastructure and social services as part of the progress made since independence.
The governor also highlighted government social programmes supporting elderly people, people with disabilities and children facing difficult circumstances.
He, however, said these achievements should not lead Namibia to become complacent.
Special advisor to the minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs Hilma Nicanor, meanwhile, said the commemoration of Heroes’ Day should serve as a reminder that Namibia’s independence, peace and freedom did not come easily.
“Many rivers of blood have flowed. Many Namibians lost their lives.
Many lost their body parts and are still amongst us,” she said.
Nicanor added that Namibians who survived the liberation struggle with injuries should remind the nation of the sacrifices made to achieve independence.
Nicanor said those who took part in the struggle were prepared to die because their goal was to see Namibia become free and able to govern itself as a nation.
She stressed the importance of ensuring that younger generations understand the hardships that preceded independence so that they can appreciate the country’s history and uphold the ideals of those who fought against oppression and colonialism.
“It’s only when they appreciate where we are coming from that they will know the importance of really keeping up the legacy, the ideals of those who were there,” Nicanor said.
She said Heroes’ Day should not be viewed through political affiliations, but as a national occasion to honour the sons and daughters who sacrificed their lives or were prepared to do so for Namibia’s liberation.
“It’s not about political associations. It’s about us, as a nation that has liberated ourselves, that we should honour the sons and daughters who sacrificed their lives,” she stated.
Namibia commemorates Heroes’ Day on 26 August every year to mark the start of the armed liberation struggle at Omugulugwombashe in 1966.
-Nampa
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