Until the Lions Write: Reflecting on and Challenging the Western Media’s Depiction and Distortions of African Heroes.

If you want an example of the Afrikan proverb, “Until the lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter” in modern times, contrast how British journalist Alan Cowell writes about the death of President Sam Nujoma, who died at 95 and his Queen Elizabeth who died at 96.

Cowell belittles President Nujoma as “A bearded, bespectacled man” (at least he left out the word ‘little’ before bearded) and dismissively minimizes his contributions as someone who “played no direct part in the negotiations” that led to our country’s independence. He labels him a “self-exiled leader,” which conjures up an image of someone who ran away rather than accurately capturing that many Namibians went into exile because the apartheid system left them no choice but to fight for independence from outside the country. Yet he writes glowingly of Queen Elizabeth as the “nation’s anchor” while omitting the suffering her empire brought to many “colonial subjects.”

Alan Cowell may have been a good journalist in his career, but my read of what he writes about Afrikans vs. others seems dismissive of agency and humaneness. Please don’t take my word for it, click on his name on The NY Times and read. In the case of President Nujoma, the intended takeaway seems to be….yeah, he led his nation to independence, but he wasn’t all that! By comparison, his queen was a shining light for her nation and the world. In the write-up for Queen Elizabeth, one would take away that her people loved her, whereas in the case of President Nujoma, we, the Namibian people, are ominously and conspicuously absent.

Leaders are complex, multidimensional human beings. If a leader is blessed to live long enough, their record will be of complex achievements. President Nujoma was such a leader, who left a trove of recorded actions. Often, those of us with a fraction of accomplishments assume the privilege of sitting in judgment. If the paper of record does indeed claim to be balanced, then let’s give Afrikan leaders the same treatment in discussing their lives as we do those of lighter skin complexion. The obituary of President Hage Geingob was also written in a similar style of faux balance.

Let me clarify that this is not just about Mr. Cowell. This is endemic, and he is only one in a lorry-load of similar authors. It is about news organisations such as the Times that continue, as they have done for centuries, to belittle Afrikans and ignore our agency and humanity. We constantly have to spend time in defense. So, on days such as these, when I should be reflecting on the life of our founding president, I am writing to address a rubbish article in the New York Times. Most importantly, though, it is about us Afrikans and the need to remember that we must tell our stories from our perspectives and honour our heroes and heroines for what they mean to us. Doing so will celebrate, honour, and speak of them in their fullness, but also provides a counter narrative to those who want to characterize them as unidimensional.

To this end, let me hastily borrow, combine and remix the great words of others as my attempt to celebrate and recognise that

A giant great tree has fallen! 

As Ngakudi Geraldine rightly writes

He provided shelter and safety while he lived

He left an indelible mark on the world and the Namibian nation in particular.

As Maya Angelou reminds us

When great trees fall

rocks on distant hills shudder

lions hunker down

in tall grasses

and even elephants

lumber after safety.

To borrow the words from Israel Dammy Ipaye

Tatekulu Sam Shafishuna Nujoma

Is a fallen tree that cannot be re-planted 

A great protagonist who breathed his last 

Gone To abide in his permanent habitat 

Gone to his home

For the well deserved rest.

Vululukwa no mbili Tatekulu.