Namibian youth leader calls for boycott of white-owned papers

• Originally published by BBC Worldwide Monitoring, February 24, 2005

Copyright 2005 British Broadcasting Corporation


SWAPO ruling South West Africa People's Organization Party Youth League (SPYL) Secretary Paulus Kapia urged Namibians to boycott buying The Namibian, Republikein, and Windhoek Observer newspapers as they are regarded as enemies of the people.

Kapia said: "The limits of freedom of expression have been punctured, the white newspapers must as from today be regarded as enemies and anyone wasting money on purchasing them is directly supporting their insults on the black majority."

Kapia, speaking at a media conference on Thursday 24 February , was reacting to letters published in those newspapers recently insulting President Sam Nujoma. Last year, the Windhoek Observer published a letter stating that he would like President Nujoma to die, so that the writer would urinate on his grave while last week the Republekein paper published a letter written by a certain Walya Shakadila, stating that Nujoma is enemy to the Namibian people and The Namibian newspaper, Kapia said is becoming a mouth piece of CoD opposition Congress of Democrats party.

"These newspapers are enemies of peace, security and stability in the country," Kapia fumed, adding: "We will forge ahead to make sure that if you are buying these newspapers, you are a supporter of those who are insulting our president." From today on, 'we' condemned the three newspapers through boycotting of buying them, he said.

He said newspapers in the country supposed to educate and inform the people, but contrary they are misinforming and trying to destabilize the peace in the country. He said it is customary that the profession of journalism adheres to codes of ethics in so far as it concerns the aspiration for an informed concern for truth, accuracy, fairness and respect. For most countries particularly in the West, mainstream media ownership is exclusive the domain of whites who also are the indigenous and natural rulers of their people, he said, adding that their media is reflection of the society and government of their respective countries.

In Namibia, he said, on account of the abnormal legacy of racist apartheid past, mainstream media are dominated and owned by arrogant remnants of white settlers. "Ironically, the derive their profits from black majority yet such whites thrive on insulting and demonizing Africa leaders in whom the black majority have entrusted electoral mandate," Kapia noted.

He said the whites in America, Holland or England do not buy black papers en masse, why should 'we' Kapia said, adding: "From hereon now solidarity of Africans must begin, never again shall the white papers be treated with kid gloves from today our conscience shall dictate to us to respect and promote African newspapers and consider those who hold contrary view not as free marketers but as self-imprisonment sellouts and puppets."

Kapia said there are some people who view him as he speaks as Kapia as an individual opinion, but he is speaking on behalf of the SPYL.