13th Feb 2015 Namibian organization Swapo, formerly known as the South West Africa People’s Organization, has called for the celebration of both living and fallen heroes of the country, and the African continent in general. The organization’s Secretary-General Nangolo Mbumba has said Namibians must continue celebrating the lives of heroes and heroines of the liberation struggle regardless of whether they are dead or alive.
The secretary general said this at the unveiling of the tombstone of a freedom fighter, Naftali Emmanuel Amadhila. He noted that people who went into exile are not the only heroes and heroines, but some of those who stayed behind during the liberation struggle actually did more for the country. Mr Mbumba is quoted as saying “There are people like Councillor Amutenya Ndahafa who worked in Oranjemund during the liberation struggle and supplied medicine to PLAN fighters for free while others went to Luanda, Kwanza Sul, Sierra Leone and Nigeria and came back home. Don’t let anyone convince you that you did not contribute simply because you were not abroad,”
He also encouraged Namibians to be more proactive in documenting their past and to put pen to paper to write about their history so that it lives on forever.
The tombstone of the late freedom fighter was designed and erected by businessman Meitaalo Kamati, who also helped trace the family of the fallen hero. Swapo co-ordinator for Oshana Region, Erastus Kapolo, said Amadhila will forever remain a hero because of his bravery and resilience in his struggle for his people, and that “Not all of us can be buried at the Heroes’ Acre or other national monuments like Omungulugwombashe. That is why we must work together to make sure that all freedom fighters get a decent burial place”