Hamutumwa’s moving memoir unleashed
By Hilary Mare
A recently published book, Pioneer: Offspring of the Namibian liberation struggle is a moving and illuminating memoir which chronicles the life of an extraordinary man, Ndeulipula Hamutumwa.
Centred on the struggles of his childhood as an exile child of Namibia’s liberation struggle, the memoir opens a window to a side of Namibia’s liberation history yet to be as vividly recorded, examining the pitfalls that children endured en-route to Namibia’s independence in 1990.
It also beams the light on Hamutumwa’s experiences post-independence encompassing his involvement in student politics, business engineering and more importantly, the development of sports.
The memoir is reflective of Namibia’s true identity of solidarity and provides a moral compass for the contemporary political landscape which is now marred with infighting, corruption and other social ills.
“It is not possible to understand our true Namibian identity and character if we do not have a full appreciation of where we are coming from,” affirmed Hamutumwa as he launched the memoir last weekend in Windhoek.
Reading the early pages of this memoir, Hamutumwa traces his footprints to life as a child in Swapo exile camps particularly in Kwanza-Sul in Angola where he endured a life relentless heartache, uncertainty, poor hygiene and hardship. He remembers vividly another drastic turn in his early childhood when he had to leave Angola for Germany and face a whole new challenge of adapting to a first world country.
In all these experiences, the memoir provides key insights into Namibia’s history from a different perspective and shares key lessons of a journey worth lived.
“This book is a great contribution by a young individual to educate and share the history of the offspring of the Namibian liberation struggle.
I cannot think of a more befitting way of honouring the Namibian liberation history.
Giving and sharing Namibian stories are essential traits of hearty and prosperous citizens,” Minister of Higher Education, Dr Itah Kandjii-Murangi said on behalf of former president Hifikepunye Pohamba at the book launch.
Indeed, Hamutumwa was never the only child in exile; hence some of his peers then and now have also been moved by his courage to document this chapter of their lives and help inspire many Namibians today.
“It is befitting that he ends this book with a phrase that nurtured and inspired him, namely, that a pioneer should be ever prepared in the battle of life. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would be interested to see how differently Namibian youth have been brought up and how, together, they are preparing to take the next steps in life in order to ensure that Namibia remains a place for us all to call home,” remarks Corporate Communications Manager of the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), Iipumbu Sakaria who reviewed the book.
Echoing these remarks, Namibian diplomat, Tuliameni Kalomoh said: “The book is an authentic narrative, elegantly and powerfully told by a direct witness to Namibian history. As fate had it, Ndeulipula went into exile as a toddler, in the arms of his loving and caring mother, and in the company of two older brothers.
It is a reverting and wholly absorbing account of an inspiring story.”
The book was published by the El-Shaddai Family Trust and is dedicated to his wife Kadiva and their three children. The book is available for purchase.