By Joe-Chintha Garises
MARIENTAL, Aug. 26 — The country’s main Heroes Day celebrations held in the Hardap region today went well in the spirit of patriotism.
The celebrations, one of the biggest features on the Namibian calendar, were graced by the presence of President Hage G Geingob and other dignitaries.
The Landless People’s Movement however boycotted the event hosted in the region the opposition party controls as it holds all the seats in the regional council.
During his welcome remarks governor, Salomon April said the region is very ideal and appropriate to host Heroes Day because courage, gallantry and bravery are synonymous with Hardap.
“I am happy for what Namibia has become, I am glad that we are free and independent yet I am sad and vexed because I know, for some, this gathering is a waste of taxpayers’ money, I am grateful and captivated knowing that no amount of tax can pay for the volumes of blood spilt for this country and no amount of taxpayers’ money can pay for the legs and arms, for the graves both known and unknown that paid for the freedom we have today.
Therefore this day cannot be reduced to being described as nonsense and rubbish because the price paid cannot be rubbish or garbage,” April emphasized.
He further stated that to be heroic is to be courageous enough to die for something.
President Geingob, the main speaker, said the nation remembers and pays tribute to those men and women who engaged in great feats of heroism and sacrifice.
“As we are commemorating our heroes and heroines in this historic town of Mariental, we remember our departed legendary leaders who hail from the great Hardap and //Kharas regions such as the late Reverend Kaptein Hendrik Witbooi, traditionally known as !Nanseb /Gabemab, the great-grandson of the legendary Hendrik Witbooi, was the early resistance leader who valiantly fought against German colonialism.
“Namibia has a history filled with tragedy, struggle and triumph. The tragedy was colonialism and from the day Germany colonized Namibia in 1884, our people were subject to the brutality of imperialistic subjugation,” Geingob said.
The president said the barbaric treatment of the indigenous peoples of this country culminated in one of the greatest tragedies in history – the Herero and Nama genocide of 1904 to 1908.
Despite various uprisings by gallant Namibian anti-colonial luminaries, the Namibian people continued to toil under the yoke of colonialism and after the German defeat in World War One, Namibians were transferred from one system of brutality to another, when the apartheid South African regime took illegal control of the country, Geingob said.
The president added that the effects of this dehumanizing policy of apartheid are still visible today in the form of widespread abject poverty among the people that the government is addressing unceasingly.
“The best way we can honour our heroes and pay homage to their immense sacrifices for Namibia’s freedom is to inculcate within our society the intrinsic forces that buttress our unity and to purge out the foreign superimposed influences that keep us apart.
“Due to the blood that was spilt, we can never return to tribal Bantustan ideologies. Due to the lives that were lost, we can never again allow the spectre of apartheid to infiltrate our society. Due to the sacrifices made, we must relentlessly guard our sovereignty and independence,” he explained.
“In the same vein, I salute the new age heroes and heroines who are our healthcare workers, first responders, uniformed services and all Namibians who made sacrifices in assisting their fellow compatriots during the darkest period of our war against Covid-19.
“Because of you, although we were bent, we did not break. Today, thanks to your valiant efforts, we stand ready to recover and move on, hand in hand, towards our destiny of prosperity,” Geingob said in acknowledgement of the bravery of the frontline workers during the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
“Those who fought for the independence of Namibia have laid a solid foundation of unity and sacrifice. The onus lies with us to continue the march where they left off, to fulfil the ideals, which spurred them to patriotic action. We must realize that it is only the Namibian people who can usher in the dawn of economic liberation,” the president emphasized.
