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Namibia: What the Elders Used to Say - Namibian Perspective on the Last Decade of German Colonial Rule
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New Era (Windhoek)
BOOK REVIEW
25 April 2008
Posted to the web 25 April 2008
Peter Mietzner
Windhoek
THIS compilation (somehow sounds much better than just "book") by Casper W Erichsen and Larrisa Förster is evocative in its very title.
The oral traditions in our country have sadly diminished over the years and it is always a pleasure to find someone enthusiastic enough to actually go out, record, transcribe and make these tales of our old folk in the various remote areas of the country even more precious.
The fact that this event concerns itself with the German occupation of 1884 to 1915 makes is veritable Namibiana. There are many books describing the events from the German side and even some, written by the missionaries, about aspects of the side of our people, but there are very few sources of any kind, which give as a picture of the occurrences of that time through the eyes of people who have actually lived through the era.
It is also self-evident that a number of the accounts given were real oral traditional stories; told by the grandfather or grandmother to the mother or father and then again told to the child - the real old way - the tradition that is dying out because of radio, cellphones, cameras and other modern conveniences which make personal face to face conversations unnecessary.
One of the, in my view and opinion, biggest drawbacks of the book is the fact that the topic has been handled within very narrow parameters. I find it a great pity that, for instance, Alex Kaputu, an acknowledged expert on oral traditions, did not take the chance of making more of the opportunity. But, then, I suppose time was a factor.
After a fairly long introduction, background, methodology and research findings we get to the nitty-gritty and this is what I liked, although it was sometimes repetitive. At least it brought out the suffering of the people through the eyes of not only one person, but many people.
I am very sorry that the authors did not make more of the atrocities at Shark Island because there are good sources available to document rather fully the terrible suffering of all our people during that dark part of our history.
All in all, it is not something to race through.
"What the elders used to say" is one of the facets of our history that the authors have highlighted. Maybe they have done Namibians a favour. I hope so. This issue of "oral tradition" is dear to my heart and I often wished that I had done more about it while I was in a position to do so many years ago.
That was when, before independence, I was a guest at the homestead of an elder who still remembered the German period quite well and lucidly. Then it was just an honour to speak to this old gentleman and hear what he had to say.
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Today I wish I had had a recorder with me to take down all those wonderful tales, because today the gentleman has joined his forefathers and the stories are but forgotten.
I also hope that this book serves as a catalyst to others - writers, compilers, historians and donors - to attempt to document the history of our country this way more fully - the history of ALL our people.
I am also very glad indeed that all the raw material have been made available to Namibia and not kept, as before, in a remote location of a country where most people do not even know (or care) about Namibia and its people.
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