'Re-examining Liberation in Namibia', Henning Melber (ed.)
The emerging trends in Namibia’s political culture offer reason for concern. The different chapters in this stock- taking volume suggest in different ways that the long struggle for national liberation and human rights has not been followed by a process towards genuine democracy and tolerance.
Henning Melber (ed.)
Re-examining Liberation in Namibia
Political Culture since Independence
ISBN: 91-7106-516-4, 187 pp, 200 SEK (20 Euro)
Published by the Nordic Africa Institute Oct 2003
Keywords: Namibia, Independence, Liberation, Political Culture, Reconciliation, Post-colonialism, Human Rights
The emerging trends in Namibias's political culture offer reason for concern. The different chapters in this stock taking volume suggest in different ways that the long struggle for national liberation and human rights has not been followed by a process towards genuine democracy and tolerance.
An introductory chapter examines the consolidation of political power and control by the former liberation movement SWAPO. Other chapters offer case studies on SWAPO’s ideology prior to Independence, a comparison of constitutional developments in Namibia and Zimbabwe, an overview on minority rights and policies concerning indigenous people and a case study on cultural policy with regard to music. Analyses also cover the issue
of the SWAPO "ex-detainees", a critical reading of the Namibian President's biography and an exploration of the institutionalised public memory. The book ends with an essay challenging the limited tolerance currently existing in post-colonial Namibia.
The contributors are mainly from Namibia or Southern Africa and have a long-term commitment to the struggle for national liberation and democracy. The editor, Henning Melber, had joined SWAPO in 1974. He was Director of the Namibian Economic Policy Research Unit (NEPRU) in Windhoek between 1992 and 2000 and has been Research Director at The Nordic Africa Institute since then.
Contents:
Henning Melber
Limits to Liberation. An Introduction to Namibia’s Postcolonial Political Culture
William Heuva
Voices in the Liberation Struggle: Discourse and Ideology in the SWAPO Exile Media
Sufian Hemed Bukurura
Between Liberation Struggle and Constitutionalism: Namibia and Zimbabwe
Clement Daniels
The Struggle for Indigenous People's Rights
John S. Saul/Colin Leys
Truth, Reconciliation, Amnesia: The "ex-Detainees'" Fight for Justice
Christopher Saunders
Liberation and Democracy: A Critical Reading of Sam Nujoma's 'Autobiography'
Reinhart Kössler
Public Memory, Reconciliation and the Aftermath of War: A Preliminary Framework with Special Reference to Namibia
Minette Mans
State, Politics and Culture: The Case of Music
Andre du Pisani
Liberation and Tolerance
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