Understanding Namibia by Henning Melber

Who is Henning Melber? Why write Understanding Namibia?

Understanding Namibia by Henning Melber is the documentation of what Melber classifies as a soul-searching effort reflecting his disappointment and frustration with the realities of post-colonialism in Namibia. Melber’s understanding of the possibilities and opportunities that Namibians’ struggled for, was supposed to be mainly in the interest of the oppressed and marginalized, what came to understand that this was not the case. Melber moved to Namibia in the 60’s as a teenager from Germany and was unable to adjust fully to the dominant values of the existing white minority society. In 1974, he joined SWAPO's liberation movement which ultimately led to him being banned from returning to the country from 1975 until 1990 when Namibia gained Independence.

Melber was committed to advancing the opportunities for marginalized and oppressed populations in Windhoek. What he realized was that not all the members involved had similar visions. How could they? They grew up in different circumstances, socialized in very different worlds, had different realities, and different life challenges.To Melber, Namibia’s struggle for independence was supposed to be a struggle for self-determination which would promote human dignity and social justice. It was supposed to create conditions of better well-being for most. It was supposed to replace the legitimizing of privileges for some and eliminate the disrespect for those considered as different.

Melber says, “Democracy can’t be built with the hands of broken souls” it goes without saying that Namibia needed to gain its independence from its colonial rule. What happened with independence, and what Melber ultimately had an issue with, was that the formal end of colonial occupation resulted in political power being transferred from foreign rule to local agencies. Local agencies who were supposed to usher in a new era of equity and opportunity further perpetrated the interest of the dominant powers. Melber was an individual that was critical of the abuse of power under the new settings, while there is no doubt that colonialism and minority rule in Namibia were unacceptable and untenable, the alternatives established since then do not necessarily embrace everyone’s visions and hopes.

Understanding Namibia critically assessed and reflected on some of the developments since Independence in a way that other articles briefly touched on. Each chapter challenged parts of the dominant narrative. While SWAPO’s liberation gospel suggests that the struggle for independence achieved meaningful change for all people, Understanding Namibia presented a somewhat different picture. Many newly independent countries are still socially constructed in ways that have them in a new regime reenacting old customs. In a new democracy a constitution must be agreed on by the people.Democracy is gradual and mainly elite driven because of how new it is for a society. Namibia’s decolonization did not decisively create democracy but instead created the potential opportunities.

My preparation for Namibia after reading this book was centered around my own understanding of democracy. I began challenging my own perspective of what America’s democracy is and ultimately lacks and how I expected a younger democracy to be. After reading what I considered the ugly truth of Namibian politics, I reflected on the disadvantages of underrepresented communities in both settings. Understanding Namibia prepared me to offer our local partners, the Namibian Institute for Democracy (NID), my services and any support I had for their current programs.