The Divide and Rule Strategies vs ovaHerero communities:

What divides Ovaherero communities on a daily basis, some other communities begin to jokes with us, when you tell your colleagues that I am going to the funerals, they begin to says; there goes another division. Funerals of our relatives becomes a weapon of division amongst our communities. Especial if someone is in higher position in our communities.

Who divide us, is it the enemy else where using the divide and rule strategies or is it the enemy within?

The answer to this question will be, yes is both enemies. We have the enemy’s outsides and the enemies within that causes the division amongst ovaHerero descendants. The enemy within amongst this communities causes by us drifting away from our cultural norms and practices that end up destroying us internally.

Ovaherero descents is dual kinship system of patrilineal and matrilineal. Therefore, our duality should bide us together, but nowadays you see the contrary happening.  The duality used to govern the ovaHerero communities in different events and lifestyles and is our common denominator. Through research is proven that drifting away from this duality causes one to be unstable in their dealing. Therefore, there is a huge shift in following patrilineal system amongst the ovaHerero descents.

How does this cause division then? One will ask that question. The patrilineal system has norms and principles one should follows, or otherwise the ancestor will place a cursed on you. Nowadays ovaHerero doesn’t place values on those principles that supposed to be adhered to especial during funeral arrangement, announcement and all procedures that need to be followed.  I will answer this through narrating ovaHerero funeral procedure. Who should announce the death and to whom it should be announced to? What happen during the burial period?

The father (Omuyanwa) of the paternal father of the deceased should be the one to do the announcement to the paternal and maternal of the deceased maternal side. In Otjiherero we call him Omuyanwa should be the one to announce death. The burial arrangement when going to dig the grave there is rituals done before and after the grave dug. When people are going to the graveyard, they slaughter a cow for Omuyanwa the slaughtered cattle known as (Ongombe yepingo).

The meat is eaten by Omuyanwa and the team goes with him to go dig the grave. The team before they leave the go to the holy fire, to reports to the ancestors on what this team going to do and they took ombweya. Hence, when they arrived at the graveyard before they do anything, they do this practice (Ombweya) in order of paternal seniority starting with senior in the grave to the least. The person who start this is the one from that patrilineal (Oruzo) of the deceased first and other patrilineal (Otuzo) fellows to do the practice (Ombweya) to their relatives there. After this practice done the father (Omuyanwa) of the paternal father of the deceased be the first to dig the grave. They come and eat this cattle meat after they finished with grave preparation. During mourning period, the children and spouse of the deceased vepirika (wearing something to sign of mourning or loss of their loved one). Their movements and behaviors are monitored.

Nowadays the reverse of these procedure happens. A biological father or an uncle or a chief or political leader of the deceased do the announcement which is a taboo in ovaHerero traditions. Therefore, this open up a weakness amongst the ovaHerero communities in the ways how we should govern ourselves as society which lead to the enemies outside to use our descendants as weapons to turn them against the nations of ovaHerero. Nowadays people value political parties’ regulation then the cultural ones. Looking at the covid19 regulations has excluded the African cultural practice.

 Back home here, this turn against us big time. There are certain times when the deceased remains should arrived at home and when to leave. Now we witness one of our members remain buried night time. This tells you that all those rituals weren’t practices. Un-instability in our dealings is clearly evident and this is what brought division to certain extend. The saying that says blood is thicker than water, is diluted mowatjiri politics is thicker than blood nowadays. 2 timothy 3:2 says for people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.

 This is evident in our communities. With this happening amongst us, it will be difficult to unify this communities. We need to revisit our cultural practice. I will conclude with this, ovaHerero holy fire, practice has principles that govern that, and one that I will alerts you is that, the only external tribes that goes to that sacred place is the descendant of kazunangombe (Aawombo communities), but with certain rituals perform to facilitator that process. Bring another tribe’s apart form ovambo communities, is highly prohibited. This doesn’t mean if someone is of higher ranks in our society, we should ignore this ancestral practice. The event that unfolded in Aminius (Omongua) this year is prohibited, our president tribe, isn’t allowed to sit at that fire, taking him there is cursed (Ondikira / Ondikiza).  We shouldn’t undetermined those law because the consequence can cause a tribe a huge lose. I share in the next article on how to reversed what has transpired in Aminius (Omongua) and also continues with the enemy outside which the real enemies of the tribe. Please subscribes to this page and leave your comments below.

(Article written by:  Mr Alphons Kahuhu Koruhama(CEO of Possibility Thinkers)