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The Namibian@30 85 - 2 19 015 Photo: Hans Rack ...and still years telling it like it is! 2 31 August 2015 31 August 2015 3 Foreword Occasions like this 30th anniversary help us to reflect on the fact that passion for journalism, in particular, and civil liberties, such as freedom of speech, in general, are indispensable to human advancement, including the pursuit of material goods. HE people’s paper, the people’s since the paper was by then well-estab- undisputed fastest moving commodity. only by building on the tradition of The company, the people’s institution. lished as the most read, reaching most The internet is testing how journalism Namibian as fiercely independent, an TThere should be no doubt by now Namibians by any comparison. is practised. Our duty is to ensure that we inquiring institution and a defender of that The Namibian is that sort of national Thankfully, all those attempts have adapt to this new technology to continue the public good, especially in service of treasure, and for good reasons. been in vain, and only strengthened the being relevant to you, our audience, be- the poor and vulnerable. After all, as it is The history of the paper is fairly resolve to keep the institution independent cause freedom, peace and the pursuit of said, a caring nation is measured by how well-documented, but less known is of special monied and power interests. happiness can never go out of fashion. well it looks after the weakest members perhaps the fact that the very structure of Lifting that ban 10 years later was also Our duty is to ensure that every one of us of its society. the organisation that owns the newspaper a sign of political maturity and progress. should be interested to participate in how We draw our strength from the public is one of unique autonomy. Hopefully, those in power were starting we are governed. Only when people are at large, but specifically from ardent read- During three decades of its existence, to appreciate that the relationship between well-informed through news and analy- ers and advertisers who have trusted and The Namibian has earned the tag of “the news media and those elected to admin- ses can they participate meaningfully in backed us since inception and continue to people’s paper” through sheer tenacity ister the country would be naturally testy their destiny. support us in good or bad times. as a voice that is independent of polit- but crucial to peace and development. Part of our challenge is to keep The Na- We thank you for your support as we ical, commercial or other preordained It is during difficult periods between mibian a relevantly useful and innovative celebrate this massive milestone of turning interests. the media and those in authority that we news institution. 30 and we look forward to serving many However, the ownership structure of are also reminded about what we stand for. We can meet this and other challenges more generations in future. n this news organisation, known best as After all, power is fleeting. The Namibian, is the ultimate guarantor And those in power will always be of its independence. tempted to demand a pliable news It is registered as the Free Press of media, knowing that like any person, Namibia (Pty) Ltd, in essence a normal journalists are also seduced by power profit-objective business. But since in- and privilege. ception there was nothing normal about Journalism (free access to informa- it. Profit was never placed before people tion and free expression) is a natural and principle. antidote to the excesses of power and The organisation was started with, and privilege. Having journalists with for about a decade depended on, donor no principles is as good as having a funding (from as far as anti-apartheid brain-dead nation, a guaranteed recipe forces in Europe, to like-minded people for a people with no future. on the continent and in the country itself). Occasions like this 30th anniver- Perhaps for that reason, its founders did sary help us to reflect on the fact that not deem it fit to turn it over to private passion for journalism, in particular, hands. It was placed in a trust. and civil liberties, such as freedom of Unlike many businesses, not a single speech, in general, are indispensable individual can claim dividends when- to human advancement, including the Congratulations on your ever the company turns a profit because pursuit of material goods. the Namibia Media Trust that owns With Namibia being 25 years old, the Free Press of Namibia (Pty) Ltd, fundamental freedoms ought to be has no individual beneficiaries either. taken as a given, but we all know that The objectives of the trust are owning nothing that is so good and so impor- anniversary! a newspaper, strengthening journalism, tant should be taken for granted. We training journalists and generally pro- shall do so at our own peril. As one of your first moting the free press and that’s were Ask Zimbabweans, for example. the profit goes. Read history books on just about advertisers 30 years ago, Such deep-seated distance from any country on this earth. They will Woker Freight Services narrow, especially money-driven or tell you how quickly things can turn wishes you all the best for power-seeking interests, accounts for the for the worst. Thus, one’s rights, feisty independence of this newspaper. freedoms and responsibilities must the next 30! It has also enabled the company to fund be fought for, every moment. We public causes even when it was not able shall not allow complacency to set in. or guaranteed to make a profit. By many global standards, 25 to The Namibian is, therefore, a business 30 years is a generation. like very few others. It belongs to the The first generation of The Na- public that it serves. Those of us in charge mibian laid a foundation that, if of it today are only here as custodians of well looked after, is timeless. This a public institution, serving at the behest foundation of an independent news of you, the audience. medium goes beyond narrow and In this publication, put out to celebrate individual interests. The Namibian turning 30 years old, we It is said each generation has its highlight the journey travelled; from a struggles and that every individual stifling political environment under apart- has obligations to the greater good heid through to a difficult period where of society. even the government of an independent The team that is currently running Namibia tried to beat us into submission. The Namibian (which has grown In 2001, independent Namibia’s gov- from a staff of 10 in 1985 to more ernment banned state institutions from than 100 now) has a responsibility advertising in, and buying The Namibian. to strengthen the strong tradition by It’s hard to view that as anything but abuse adapting to a new world where tech- of state resources by people in power, nology has made news probably the 4 31 August 2015 I remember dissolving into tears when no-one was near. There appeared to be no future for myself or the rest of the staff in the then Namibian media landscape which was predominantly anti-Swapo look back to the founding of The Namibian in 1985 with a sense of I unreality. Hard to believe that the newspaper, now celebrating its 30th anniversary, made it through periods of history which taxed the resources of its staff to the limit. Back then, few believed we would make it. The odds were most definite- ly against us. It’s impossible to tell the whole story of how it all began, as it would take several books to encompass everything. But for the benefit of those who weren’t around when it all happened, I will sketch just some of the background which led up to today. The founding of The Namibian Gwen Lister reflects on the The support of former in 1985 was given impetus by other events in the media in Namibia in President Sam those days. Nujoma was also I had started my journalism career founding of The Namibian instrumental in getting in 1976 working on The Windhoek Advertiser with then editor Hannes The Namibian up and Smith. In 1978 pressure was put on running. Smith and the staff to adopt a stance less critical of ‘internal’ parties which had then formed the Multi-Party Con- ference, spearheaded by the Demo- cratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA). The MPC, as it was known, was intent friend, Dave Smuts, we started work on a settlement which excluded the on a project proposal to try and get liberation movement, Swapo. funding for such a newspaper. He and Refusing to bow to political pres- I worked under cover of night at a sure at the time, Smith, myself and a local law firm Lorenz & Bone where few other staff members left the Wind- he was employed, to finalise it. Once hoek Advertiser, and within a week, completed, the proposal was ready in fact on 4 May 1978 (the day on to go out to prospective donors. But which South African apartheid forces there was a hitch. I could not travel. bombed the Cassinga refugee camp in I had been denied a passport and was Angola) brought out the first edition confined to the Windhoek magisterial of the weekly Windhoek Observer. district where I had to report to the The Observer soon became a force police station several times a week as to be reckoned with in then South a result of yet more charges against West Africa’s media landscape.
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