Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) spokesperson Job Amupanda says he is about to release his first book, inspired by black consciousness, Pan-Afrikanism, society and contemporary politics. The book, he says, will reflect on the demographics of the Namibian society, including its people.
We hear you are working on a book on politics and society. Tell us more about this.
Well, I just finalised the manuscript of the book titled “Truth is Truth.” It is similar to political pamphlets Vladimir Lenin used to write. If you have read “One Step Forward Two Steps Back” or “What is to be done” then you will be able to understand this baby I am now pregnant with and about to deliver. It has various attributes ranging from political analysis, storytelling, clarification of self and all other aspects on our politics and society. Its key theme is the brutal truth about truth; that truth is what it is, you cannot do anything about it. It is like cream in a glass of milk, no matter how much milk you pour in, cream will always resurface on the very top. In our country, in our politics and our society, truth is despised, discouraged and victimised. The book speaks truth about our politics and our society. It speaks about things many are either unwilling or afraid of speaking about so as to keep jobs, keep terms and be favoured. It is a thorny and unsettling book. It is Pan Afrikan in outlook and black consciousness in content. If it were a movie it would be rated 18 and that ‘parental guidance is advised.’
What prompted you to write the book?
I had always prioritised two things; first I seriously want to provide information to young people and secondly I want to provide inspiration to the same youth. Said differently, information and inspiration have always characterised my activism programme of action. In the process of providing information and inspiration, many young people always asked me to write a book so that they can use it as the basis for organising and mobilising society. I obliged. It is for that reason that the book is dedicated to all militant and radical young activists in Namibia. Of course there were other reasons for I am not a consequence or an extension of other people’s opinions. The second chief reason is intellectual production. The so-called intellectuals in Namibia are often interested in clothes, entertainment and drinking. They are not engaged in intellectual production. I want to make a contribution to intellectual production. Lastly, the book is written for three objectives; for recollection and reorientation by those who have been following my activism, for orientation and catch-up consumption by those who found me started with activism and for saving for those yet to come.
What are some of the highlights of the book, in terms of content?
In its quest to drive home the underpinning message that truth is sacrosanct and must be proclaimed, the book divides into three parts; the first part is series of published and unpublished offerings about black people with a hope to bring about both their knowledge and confidence of self; the second part is a critical analysis of the national and African question. This analysis looks and exposes the paradoxes of our politics and society and demand the best of and for our country because, in the books’ mind, patriotism includes demand for excellence; part three is special, a revelation of the Wrath of Kamati kaTate. The book concludes with a short answer to a question of what is the type of society do we desire? This is a question to those who will ask; you have told us the truth, so what?
Should anyone out there be scared that there’s mention of them in the book, maybe exposing them on something they did?
Surely there are several names mentioned. You can’t be in the enterprise of truth and not mention names. As to whether people should be scared I can’t say. They must wait for the book to be released and read for themselves. But what I am sure of is that whites, liberals and black elites are on the receiving end. Truth is Truth is critical of them not because of some malicious agenda but because of their historical and present role in the perpetuation of the exploitation of black people. No one is spared, the Aawambo have a say “Ningeni omitilo.”
We hear that the book is also disclosing that you are Kamati KaTate, a ghost columnist who wrote in New Era some years ago…
Yes, I am Kamati kaTate. I wrote those columns between 2011 and 2012 before it was terminated at the pressure and behest of politicians who could not stomach Kamati’s sharp tongue in proclaiming truth. I was based in Stellenbosch (South Africa) at the time. Part three of the book, the wrath of Kamati kaTate, actually deals with this matter. It reproduces selected offerings of Kamati KaTate and explains why what was, was what it was. As you know, Kamati used to be a popular columnist. I think people were intrigued by the concept of concealed identity. They were ever speculating. I was told that the then Prime Minister Comrade Nahas Angula was keenly interested in the identity of Kamati. The US Embassy at one point released a statement on the work of Kamati. In that part, the book also reproduced the messages which Namibians, from members of Cabinet to ordinary youth, sent to Kamati. Most messages are reproduced, including those that were against and launched scathing attacks against Kamati. It will be interesting you will see.
What was Kamati KaTate about, and why did you conceal your identity?
Kamati kaTate was a radical and ruthless columnist, who combined attributes of storytelling, political analysis, information dissemination and inspiration within the greater context of Black Consciousness. As many are aware, black consciousness and Steve Biko’s philosophy is central in how I look at things. As a Bikoist, I have read books and narratives about Steve Biko during my days at Iipumbu Secondary School already. Biko also wrote a pseudonym column under the name “Frank Talk.” Like Kamati kaTate, Frank Talk ruffled political feathers and had politicians and society talking. Kamati kaTate was inspired by Frank Talk. It was necessary to conceal my identity so that I am able to confront society without going around circles and to have a message for black people that will penetrate their psyche without being distracted by my actual personality. Even those that today want to cut my throat were serious followers and supporters of Kamati kaTate.
How will the content of the book affect your relationship with your comrades in Swapo?
I don’t think the book will have any negative effect really unless one is opposed to truth. The only effect, perhaps, is for the comrades to gain a better understanding of my thinking, my views and my struggles. Through the book I will be present in their libraries and when they want to understand me they will simply go to their shelves and read parts or sections of Truth is Truth.
When do you intend to officially launch the book?
It should be between the end of October or beginning of November. This book will be self-published by Black Thought Publishing and will take form of street level distribution as opposed to formalised access for the rich. All these factors play a role. We will be doing a main launch in Windhoek and thereafter launch in other parts of Namibia between December 2014 and June 2015.
Would you describe this as a commercial project?
It depends on how you look at it. People study journalism and start selling newspapers to inform the nation. Is that a commercial project? If the answer is yes, is the nation not being informed? Same with those that study medicine and opens up their practice to treat patients. Is that a commercial project? Well it depends on how you look at it. The book is meant to be a means to an end. It is what people do with the book that matters. If they use the book to wage struggles, to inform others and demand the best from a state in which they are shareholders then they did well, the cost is incidental. I have already spoken to some friends who will buy 50 or 100 copies and then donate to the youth at their former schools and at their villages. For the efforts I am putting in and the resources I saved, over the past two years, there will surely be a return. How big, we will wait and see. I am following a leftist logic that says “each according to his ability, to each according to his need.”
What do you think of literature in Namibia? Are our academics too lazy to write?
That they are lazy is an understatement; find a word worse than lazy. As I said before they prioritise clothes, drinking and entertainment. They are also scared and most of them are motivated by promotion and upward mobility. Probably 90% of the prescribed books at the universities and Polytechnic are not by Namibians. You find that you have a subject like Namibian Politics taught at the University of Namibia but there is no text book on Namibian politics. They use Heywood textbook on politics which says nothing about Namibia. It is the same with other fields. We are actually in an intellectual crisis. Most academics don’t publish; they are engaged in writing reports for market forces and capitalists. This is not to exonerate myself from the rest, we are all to blame. We need to do more.