The problem with being progressive

Freedom fighters are pioneers, they persevere and push on where others faltered and gave up. They suffered untold horrors at the hands of the colonisers, they made sacrifices that we the present generation can’t begin to comprehend. Some freedom fighters didn’t live to see and experience the freedom they fought for. Perhaps that is why the surviving generation of freedom fighters ‘The elders’, look at our generation with disdain. Perhaps that is why they see it necessary to remind us of the sacrifices that were made for us to live free, perhaps they sometimes see us as a lost flock without any direction. What I have come to realise is that every generation looks down on the generation that succeeds them, case in point ; the way my generation (80’s kids) looks down on the ‘born free’ (After 1990) generation (It’s contagious).

Freedom fighters are also visionaries, case in point; educational reform in post-independence Namibia. Freedom fighters realised that an independent country can only push on and survive if it can produce its own skilled professionals, otherwise the country that they fought so hard to liberate, will end up as that poor African country that survives on imports and international aid. Perhaps that is why the Namibian government has focused heavily on education, the Education Ministry receives an excess of 20% of the National budget per year. Results have varied, but I am sure you can applaud the government’s vision and drive to steer the country towards prosperity. Primary education is now free, student organizations are pushing for free Secondary education and it’s only a matter of a decade (or two) before Tertiary education is free in Namibia. “Go to school, learn. The country needs skills.” One of many of the pro education slogans chanted like folk songs by our ministers. “Education is the key,” the slogan that every child in primary school should know like a pop song. You have to command the desire to be progressive. It is natural for one generation to use their gains to empower their successors, one generation enabling another (Ideally).

However, school teaches a person many things. One of those things is the fact that books can only teach you so much, some of the most important lessons are taught at the University of Life. You don’t need a formal education to have common sense, wisdom is not a course of study at a University. What I have quickly realised and I am sure that I am not the only one, is the fact that life is held together by systems. Even the seemingly random nature of life in the wild teaches us that order keeps things in balance. Have you ever looked at a Carnivore devouring its Herbivorous prey? Have you ever felt sorry for the prey? Have you ever wondered what would happen if the Carnivore was removed? I am not en ecologist, but I will tell you that there would be an imbalance in the ecosystem, too many Herbivores and not enough grass. Amongst several other things. Like I said I am not an Ecologist nor am I an Environmental scientist.

I have come to realise that Democracy, the so called cradle of our freedom is a system. This is where the trouble with being progressive starts. When you are progressive, you are not only good at what you study but you are observant of things around you. You tend to notice that the systems that run a country benefit some more than others. That’s how scenarios like a rich businessman speeding past his fellow countrymen in a Ferrari, while they (his countrymen) forage from a dustbin occurs. Naturally being progressive means questioning things, especially things that don’t appear to be ethical. So naturally if I observe an incident where my elders are enriching themselves, then I will complain. I will criticize them. A newspaper report on corrupt practices and shady under dealings by the Elders is not uncommon. However, it is viewed as disrespectful, and a malicious personal attack. It begs the question as to why such a reaction is necessary if there is nothing to hide.

The sad thing is the average Namibian views criticizing the establishment as taboo. Most people still see voting for an opposition party as a one way ticket back to colonialism. That is exactly the type of sentimentality and people worshipping that keeps bad leaders in power.

In African Tradition you don’t criticize your elders, you can, but the results are not particularly pleasant (Ass whooping guaranteed). It’s this analogy that creates the problem. So why send people to school? Why educate them? Why do you aim to be progressive if certain things can’t be questioned? Why aim to be progressive if conflicts of interests, self-enrichment and corruption by the Elders cannot be questioned? That is the problem with being progressive. 

It seems being progressive is only allowed if it makes the system and those who benefit from it look good, but as soon as questions are asked, then being progressive becomes an undesirable trait.

Young people are naturally inquisitive, we question everything. From why the sky is blue, to why government ministers don’t sign performance agreements. It is in our nature to know, so it puzzles me when words like ‘puppet’, ‘imperialist tool’ and ‘traitor’ are thrown around. Opposition party leaders and Newspaper editors are often on the receiving end of those terms, for daring to ask questions, for daring to be progressive.

In the end it seems silly to encourage young people to be progressive, but react aggressively when they question the establishment. Are we supposed to be contributors to nation building or robots with pre-programmed ideologies? The lingering dilemma is whether to remain respectfully quiet or continue to criticize and question the use of the country as a personal piggy bank. That is the problem with being progressive.