On the morning of Saturday, 3 November, 2018, we held the book launch for Oiva Angula's SWAPO Captive at a Cuban-owned restaurant in Eros, a leafy suburb in the capital city of Windhoek. The previous two weeks had been a flurry of activity; organising, planning, calling and incessant to and fro mailing. Invitations to the launch were sent out via e-mail, posted on Facebook and Twitter. The posters were printed, the venue secured, the details fussed over and obsessed about until late at night. Determining what time of day the launch would take place was extremely important; Windhoek gets uncomfortably hot very quickly early in the morning during the summer months with a heavy heat after that lasts long into the night.
During the week before the launch, readers would come into our little bookshop, buy Oiva Angula's book and be simultaneously invited to attend the launch. Some honestly admitted that they were too scared to attend. Others shook their heads in silence and declined to verbally respond to the invitation. For a bit of insight into the existing political climate, most Namibians had voted for the ruling party, Swapo, in the last national and presidential elections, and the Swapo Party presidential candidate, Dr. Hage Gottfried Geingob, the current president, had received more than 80% of votes. The aforementioned were but some of the major reasons, there are many, why Oiva Angula's memoir, SWAPO Captive, made many Namibians uncomfortable enough not to want to be seen attending the book's launch.
And so it was that a mere two days before the launch, our list showed less than ten RSVPs. As a country with a small population, ten is the golden threshold for an event of this nature. Our monthly sales reports at Book Buddy told an entirely different story altogether. Instead of speaking to the author about cancelling the event because interest appeared to be almost non-existent, we decided to trust the figures because they did not lie; there was tremendous local interest in the book ever since its release in South Africa at the end of July 2018. Our figures showed that SWAPO Captive was Namibia's literary event of the year and a runaway bestseller.
When author Oiva Angula arrived at the restaurant for his book launch shortly after 09:30 in the morning accompanied by his sister, there were people already standing and sitting on the restaurant terrace, eager to see and meet him. All had brought along their books to be signed. To our even greater surprise, during the following half an hour, people from all walks of Namibian life slowly trickled into the main atrium of the restaurant. Songs of old Cuba, notably the voices of Chucho Valdes and Celia Cruz, poured from the speakers. As the crowd gently swelled to twenty, thirty, forty, the atmosphere in the restaurant became more relaxed, friendly and pleasantly familiar. From throats moistened by filtered coffee, tea and a variety of juices, words and speech escaped in a quintessentially Namibian salad of local languages; Oshiwambo, Afrikaans, Khoekhoegowab, Otjiherero, Swedish, English and German. The diversity of the audience was a good indicator of the book's broad local appeal.
Oiva Angula isn't talkative nor does he come across as naturally gregarious but judging from the reactions of the people already standing on the terrace at the restaurant waiting for the launch to start, he is well-liked. As he walked onto the terrace, smiles and hugs greeted him. Dressed in a royal blue suit and shirt without a tie, there is a sense of occasion but none of the swagger or self-importance evident in some authors at their book launches.
He had brought along to the launch a poster-sized hand-drawn illustration. The illustration showed a man in tattered clothing looking up at a soldier looking down into an earthen pit. The man's hand is outstretched as though pleading with the soldier. On the floor of the pit, lies another man, clearly in distress, two men on either side, one with an arm around him and another wiping his face with a cloth. The men in the pit are thin and bare-chested; their rib-cages show. In the bottom centre of the illustration, a man holds his head in his hand and looks away from the scene as if he cannot believe the nightmare unfolding before his eyes. At the very bottom of the hand-drawn illustration appears the following: ''Depiction of SWAPO's 'hell-hole' dungeons in Angola. Drawn by Frederick Cheetah Gawaseb, a former SWAPO detainee himself.'' This hand-drawn illustration was stuck on the wall below a poster of Oiva Angula's book and immediately drew attention.
The back-end of the restaurant had been closed for the event. Double-doors leading out onto another terrace were firmly shut to keep out traffic noises from the road curving around the building. Two leather chairs separated by a rustic coffee table were positioned in front of the double-doors; one chair with its back to an old-fashioned wooden piano, and the other to a ''city scape'' of Havana at sunset, in the corner. On the coffee table between the chairs, facing the launch guests, a single copy of SWAPO Captive stood upright to attention.
After sound engineers fitted his lapel with a microphone, Oiva Angula stood up to formally address the crowd. The people seated before him, in wooden chairs arranged in cinema style, were a mixed group from all backgrounds and everywhere in the country. The common denominators were the copies of SWAPO Captive in their hands, post-its peeping from between the covers of some books, others bookmarked with pieces of old newspaper.
It was only when former PLAN (People's Liberation Army of Namibia) fighter, Oiva Angula, began speaking about the nightmares that haunt his sleep, the flashbacks about the Lubango pits haunting his waking hours, that a horrified hush settled on everyone in the restaurant. All the while he spoke, his eyes never avoided those of the people before him. He had bared to every reader of his book the extent of that horrific experience, and had allowed them to witness through his words the depth of his and others' suffering, the miserable and unnecessary deaths, an experience that had been so intensely traumatic, he had been compelled to write it down in detail.
Regarding methodology, Oiva Angula said that after years of careful deliberation and personal anguish, he had decided to suppress as many of his emotions as possible in order to effectively tell his story. He wanted, he said at the launch, more than anything, for readers to have the facts and did not spare his personal feelings while writing. It was also one of the most difficult things he has ever had to do in his lifetime because writing his memoir meant he had to be vulnerable and powerless again so as to open for everyone to see the pit where he had been held captive by a traumatic experience for almost as long as Namibia has been independent.
The book launch was also attended by other survivors of the Lubango pits and during a question and answer session with Oiva Angula, some courageously spoke up and shared their experiences. The most astonishing thing about their contributions to the discussion, other than their experiences, was the absence of bitterness and anger. Many of those in attendance who had read the book remarked upon this after the launch event. More than one of the survivors, Oiva Angula included, agreed that everyone involved in the Lubango saga had been victims; both the perpetrators and their prisoners in the pits. Many of the survivors continue to support the ruling party, Swapo, in spite of what had happened to them.
The SWAPO Captive book launch was a historic event in Windhoek, Namibia, taking place as it had twenty-eight (28) years after a new country came into existence on the African continent, on the 21st of March, 1990. This book was the first, written by a living survivor, that detailed what had happened to him and others in the omalambo, also called 'the dungeons', or simply 'Lubango'. It is an engrossing, gripping memoir, a valuable addition to Namibia's historical library in the form of survivor testimony. More than anything, the launch of this particular book demonstrated that Namibia is on the right path towards becoming a safe space for her citizens in which to share their various stories and experiences with compatriots.
It was a beautiful launch and in the end, well-attended. The venue was pleasant, bougainvilleas flowered prettily in the sun along the terrace, the beverages and refreshments were plenty. The conversation was fascinating and the guests had interesting stories to tell. In the midst of this event, were a group of Namibians who sought acknowledgement for what had happened to them during the war for the liberation of Namibia. Everyone, down to the man (or woman), knew without a doubt that this was internal Swapo Party business. This was a matter to be addressed at the highest levels by Namibia's ruling political party. These were former PLAN fighters, comrades, Swapo supporters asking for justice, for their names to be cleared, their suffering to be acknowledged and the deaths of comrades in the pits to be made known.
While many survivors of the Lubango pits had opted to live elsewhere, this particular group, including Oiva Angula, had returned to Namibia and tried to build normal lives, raise their families and carve out livelihoods for themselves. And, one of them was determined enough to ensure that his and others' suffering, and the deaths of countless others had not been in vain. On a day, he sat down, opened his head and heart, and painstakingly wrote an extraordinary memoir.
SWAPO Captive by Oiva Angula is available countrywide at leading Namibian bookshops.
During the week before the launch, readers would come into our little bookshop, buy Oiva Angula's book and be simultaneously invited to attend the launch. Some honestly admitted that they were too scared to attend. Others shook their heads in silence and declined to verbally respond to the invitation. For a bit of insight into the existing political climate, most Namibians had voted for the ruling party, Swapo, in the last national and presidential elections, and the Swapo Party presidential candidate, Dr. Hage Gottfried Geingob, the current president, had received more than 80% of votes. The aforementioned were but some of the major reasons, there are many, why Oiva Angula's memoir, SWAPO Captive, made many Namibians uncomfortable enough not to want to be seen attending the book's launch.
And so it was that a mere two days before the launch, our list showed less than ten RSVPs. As a country with a small population, ten is the golden threshold for an event of this nature. Our monthly sales reports at Book Buddy told an entirely different story altogether. Instead of speaking to the author about cancelling the event because interest appeared to be almost non-existent, we decided to trust the figures because they did not lie; there was tremendous local interest in the book ever since its release in South Africa at the end of July 2018. Our figures showed that SWAPO Captive was Namibia's literary event of the year and a runaway bestseller.
When author Oiva Angula arrived at the restaurant for his book launch shortly after 09:30 in the morning accompanied by his sister, there were people already standing and sitting on the restaurant terrace, eager to see and meet him. All had brought along their books to be signed. To our even greater surprise, during the following half an hour, people from all walks of Namibian life slowly trickled into the main atrium of the restaurant. Songs of old Cuba, notably the voices of Chucho Valdes and Celia Cruz, poured from the speakers. As the crowd gently swelled to twenty, thirty, forty, the atmosphere in the restaurant became more relaxed, friendly and pleasantly familiar. From throats moistened by filtered coffee, tea and a variety of juices, words and speech escaped in a quintessentially Namibian salad of local languages; Oshiwambo, Afrikaans, Khoekhoegowab, Otjiherero, Swedish, English and German. The diversity of the audience was a good indicator of the book's broad local appeal.
Oiva Angula isn't talkative nor does he come across as naturally gregarious but judging from the reactions of the people already standing on the terrace at the restaurant waiting for the launch to start, he is well-liked. As he walked onto the terrace, smiles and hugs greeted him. Dressed in a royal blue suit and shirt without a tie, there is a sense of occasion but none of the swagger or self-importance evident in some authors at their book launches.
He had brought along to the launch a poster-sized hand-drawn illustration. The illustration showed a man in tattered clothing looking up at a soldier looking down into an earthen pit. The man's hand is outstretched as though pleading with the soldier. On the floor of the pit, lies another man, clearly in distress, two men on either side, one with an arm around him and another wiping his face with a cloth. The men in the pit are thin and bare-chested; their rib-cages show. In the bottom centre of the illustration, a man holds his head in his hand and looks away from the scene as if he cannot believe the nightmare unfolding before his eyes. At the very bottom of the hand-drawn illustration appears the following: ''Depiction of SWAPO's 'hell-hole' dungeons in Angola. Drawn by Frederick Cheetah Gawaseb, a former SWAPO detainee himself.'' This hand-drawn illustration was stuck on the wall below a poster of Oiva Angula's book and immediately drew attention.
The back-end of the restaurant had been closed for the event. Double-doors leading out onto another terrace were firmly shut to keep out traffic noises from the road curving around the building. Two leather chairs separated by a rustic coffee table were positioned in front of the double-doors; one chair with its back to an old-fashioned wooden piano, and the other to a ''city scape'' of Havana at sunset, in the corner. On the coffee table between the chairs, facing the launch guests, a single copy of SWAPO Captive stood upright to attention.
After sound engineers fitted his lapel with a microphone, Oiva Angula stood up to formally address the crowd. The people seated before him, in wooden chairs arranged in cinema style, were a mixed group from all backgrounds and everywhere in the country. The common denominators were the copies of SWAPO Captive in their hands, post-its peeping from between the covers of some books, others bookmarked with pieces of old newspaper.
It was only when former PLAN (People's Liberation Army of Namibia) fighter, Oiva Angula, began speaking about the nightmares that haunt his sleep, the flashbacks about the Lubango pits haunting his waking hours, that a horrified hush settled on everyone in the restaurant. All the while he spoke, his eyes never avoided those of the people before him. He had bared to every reader of his book the extent of that horrific experience, and had allowed them to witness through his words the depth of his and others' suffering, the miserable and unnecessary deaths, an experience that had been so intensely traumatic, he had been compelled to write it down in detail.
Regarding methodology, Oiva Angula said that after years of careful deliberation and personal anguish, he had decided to suppress as many of his emotions as possible in order to effectively tell his story. He wanted, he said at the launch, more than anything, for readers to have the facts and did not spare his personal feelings while writing. It was also one of the most difficult things he has ever had to do in his lifetime because writing his memoir meant he had to be vulnerable and powerless again so as to open for everyone to see the pit where he had been held captive by a traumatic experience for almost as long as Namibia has been independent.
The book launch was also attended by other survivors of the Lubango pits and during a question and answer session with Oiva Angula, some courageously spoke up and shared their experiences. The most astonishing thing about their contributions to the discussion, other than their experiences, was the absence of bitterness and anger. Many of those in attendance who had read the book remarked upon this after the launch event. More than one of the survivors, Oiva Angula included, agreed that everyone involved in the Lubango saga had been victims; both the perpetrators and their prisoners in the pits. Many of the survivors continue to support the ruling party, Swapo, in spite of what had happened to them.
The SWAPO Captive book launch was a historic event in Windhoek, Namibia, taking place as it had twenty-eight (28) years after a new country came into existence on the African continent, on the 21st of March, 1990. This book was the first, written by a living survivor, that detailed what had happened to him and others in the omalambo, also called 'the dungeons', or simply 'Lubango'. It is an engrossing, gripping memoir, a valuable addition to Namibia's historical library in the form of survivor testimony. More than anything, the launch of this particular book demonstrated that Namibia is on the right path towards becoming a safe space for her citizens in which to share their various stories and experiences with compatriots.
It was a beautiful launch and in the end, well-attended. The venue was pleasant, bougainvilleas flowered prettily in the sun along the terrace, the beverages and refreshments were plenty. The conversation was fascinating and the guests had interesting stories to tell. In the midst of this event, were a group of Namibians who sought acknowledgement for what had happened to them during the war for the liberation of Namibia. Everyone, down to the man (or woman), knew without a doubt that this was internal Swapo Party business. This was a matter to be addressed at the highest levels by Namibia's ruling political party. These were former PLAN fighters, comrades, Swapo supporters asking for justice, for their names to be cleared, their suffering to be acknowledged and the deaths of comrades in the pits to be made known.
While many survivors of the Lubango pits had opted to live elsewhere, this particular group, including Oiva Angula, had returned to Namibia and tried to build normal lives, raise their families and carve out livelihoods for themselves. And, one of them was determined enough to ensure that his and others' suffering, and the deaths of countless others had not been in vain. On a day, he sat down, opened his head and heart, and painstakingly wrote an extraordinary memoir.
SWAPO Captive by Oiva Angula is available countrywide at leading Namibian bookshops.
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