, I S'l'/DPIS'l'/DPI ORALORAL HISTORYHlS'l'ORY (02)(02) I D8B8D8B8 I I .. Yale-UNYale-UN OralOral HistoryHistory ProjectProject I BishopBishop KleopasKleopas DumeniDumeni .. JeanJean Krasno;Krasno; InterviewerInterviewer MarchMarch 17, 1999 I .. Oniipa, Namibia I I I I I I ~ I • 11 Yale-UN Oral History Project Bishop Kleopas OumeniDumeni Jean Krasno, InterviewerInterviewer March 17, 19991999 11 Oniipa, NamibiaNamibia Index: Namibian Independence: Role of the ChurchChurch • Apartheid 4,7,8 April 1, 1989 Crisis 13, 15, 16, 17, 18 Bombing of the First National Bank 2/88 31 ChurchChurch,, Independence 6 OefenseDefense Forces, South African 9,10,14-17,19,28,30,32 Freedom fighters 9,14-16,18,19 Finnish Missionary Society 5,6,23 Government, South African 9-10, 14-17, 19,23,27-28,31 Independence, Angolan 7 Koevoet 9-10,16,20 Lutheran World Federation (LWF) 11 Missionaries 5 Namibia Colonization of 7 Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (OTA)(DTA) 25,28 Elections 12,13,24-26 • Evangelical Lutheran Church, Namibia 2,3 Independence, 3,24 National Church Council 3 • National Reconciliation 26-28, 32-33 Repatriation 12, 18-20,27 Resolution 435 10,14,16,18,23,26-28 • School boycott 1988 29-31 South West African People's Organization (SWAPO)(SWAPO) 10,12,14-19,23-27,30-31 South West African Police (SWAPOL) 30 • Truth Process 33 UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 12 • UN Transition Assistance Group (UNTAG) 11-13,18-19,21-22,29 •If 11 ,• • III III Yale-UN Oral History Bishop Kleopas DumenDumenii Jean Krasno, IntervieweInterviewerr March 17, 19919999 • Oniipa, NamibiNamibiaa • • Jean Krasno: To begin with, Bishop Dumeni, could you justjust saysay a littlelittle bitbit aboutabout 11 yourself, where you were born, where you were educated, and thethe work thatthat youyou areare doingdoing here at Oniipa? Bishop Kleopas Dumeni: Thank you, Jean, and for thethe purpose behind thisthis projectproject and the opportunity to share with you my experiences. My name isis Kleopas Dumeni.Dumeni. MyMy father past away, but he was a teacher for many years. My mother isis stillstill alive atat thethe ageage of 86. I got my education in primary schools in Ombalantu, inin Nakayale, growinggrowing upup here. Then after primary school I went to secondary school inin thethe samesame area ofof Ombalantu. Then I attended the teacher training school here inin Oniipa. II completed mymy schooling as a teacher in 1953. Then after a few years, I went toto thethe theologicaltheological seminaryseminary for 5 years. Then I was ordained as a pastor on 16 August 1959. From thatthat day,day, II waswas aa pastor of the Lutheran religion in the Tshandi parish. At thatthat same time,time, II was alsoalso elected as a youth pastor in 1960 - 61. For this reason, I went toto thethe United StatesStates forfor youth camps and also to get some experience in youth leadership.leadership. Later, II servedserved asas aa youth pastor for another 10 years. From the begilming of 1973, II was elected asas assistantassistant to my Bishop, the late Leonard Auala, where I served for threethree years. Then II waswas re­re- elected again to the same post as a church leader until almost thethe end of 1978. ..J 11II Then in December 1978, I was elected bishop ofof thethe EvangelicalEvangelical LutheranLutheran ChurchChurch in Namibia to replace the late Bishop Leonard Auala. II waswas consecratedconsecrated asas aa bishopbishop thethe 1tilt h of June 1979. In that year, after thatthat consecration, II tooktook overover fromfrom thethe latelate BishopBishop Auala who was the leader of the church up toto thisthis time.time. ThatThat meansmeans thatthat II waswas inin thethe leadership of our church for 30 years and as a bishop closeclose toto 2020 years,years, fromfrom JuneJune ofof 19791979 to June of this year, 1999, as a bishop of thisthis church. OfOf course,course, inin thethe officeoffice ofofpastor,pastor, II had completed my mandate as a pastor forfor thethe congregation andand alsoalso asas thethe youthyouth pastor,pastor, taking care ofthe youth of the church at large.large. But whenwhen II becamebecame aa bishop,bishop, II hadhad thethe task to follow up the moving away of thethe members ofof thisthis church.church. According to the post official, thethe church has toto followfollow itsits membersmembers toto wherewhere theythey are, no matter where they are, beyond across thethe border oror inin thethe hospitaJhospital oror inin somesome areasareas where they have jobs, and so on. This isis thethe mandate, thethe responsibilityresponsibility ofof thethe churchchurch toto take care of its members. That has been my tasktask and itit isis mymy tasktask untiluntil thisthis day.day. I'mI'm suresure if you could implement the purpose of thisthis church, which isis toto preachpreach thethe goodgood newsnews toto the person as a whole, the person inin his or her totality.totality. IfIf somebodysomebody isis cryingcrying toto getget anan education, to give them an education; forfor health, toto provideprovide aa hospital;hospital; ifif theythey areare hungry,hungry, provide food. This is a holistic approach. JK: We are sitting in your office inin thethe parish. There isis thethe churchchurch andand thethe officesoffices nextnext to the church. KD: This is the national office. Which means thatthat thisthis church,church, thethe membershipmembership ofof thisthis church, is more than halfthe Namibian population. TheThe membersmembers ofofthisthis churchchurch areare now,now, 2 I I according to statistics taken in 1997, more than 500,000. Which means thatthat more thanthan half the population belongs to this church. In this church we have two dioceses. We are • now sitting here in the Eastern Diocese. We have a second bishop who isis inin charge of thethe I Eastern Diocese and we also have the Western Diocese in my charge. The Western I Diocese in under my leadership. But at the same time, I am the presiding bishop of thisthis ,: church. Therefore, I have been the bishop before the church was divided inin twotwo diocese and now I have a diocese which is my church and at the same time, I have thethe responsibility ofthe church at large countrywide. • This is the headquarters of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia and thisthis • is the national office and we have offices in Windhoek. The members of our church are If all over the country. My main tasks are as the chairperson of our seminary and also thethe 11 chairperson of the National Church Council and I have the responsibility for thesethese parishes. And in my diocese, I have more than 60 parishes and more thanthan 280,000 11 members. But we have more than 100 parishes in this church and also smaller 11 congregations. I talked to you already about the purpose of this church, which isis thethe , holistic approach. Maybe I will digress just a little bit. Before independence, maybe before 1960, all 11 the educational matters and development activities were just in the hands of thethe churches. , The church has established many hospitals, clinics, schools. There was trainingtraining colleges here established by the govermnent before 1960s. The government schools came in.in. , They came to take over just after the 1960s. The Anglicans had their private day schools They came to take over just after the 1960s. The Anglicans had their private day schools , or training college and also the church here in Oniipa where we are now. The trainingtraining , college used to be here, then we moved it to Ongwediva and by the 1960s, we handed itit 11 3 I I over. We handed over more than 10 hospitals andand manymany clinics,clinics, aboutabout 3030 overover thethe area,area, I especially the northern area. Also the schools, eveneven thethe primaryprimary schools,schools, havehave beenbeen established by the church and where we have a parish,parish, wewe havehave alsoalso aa schoolschool andand aa clinic.clinic. I This means that the Anglican and the Roman Catholic churchchurch diddid thethe same.same. I But the church that I represent came earlier aroundaround JulyJuly 1870,1870, asas youyou cancan see.see. [Points to pictures on the wall] It is a longlong timetime ago.ago. WeWe areare nownow celebratingcelebrating somethingsomething I like the 129 years, at the end of this year, 130 years. TheThe wholewhole emphasis,emphasis, thethe wholewhole 1I program, has been in the hands of the church. ForFor thatthat reason,reason, toto implementimplement whatwhat II toldtold I, you that it is the purpose of the church toto carry outout thethe holisticholistic approach:approach: education,education, development, health, spiritual care, and also thethe povertypoverty programprogram forfor thosethose whowho suffersuffer I from hunger or malnutrition. We must taketake care ofof thethe personperson inin hishis oror herher totality.totality. ButBut I given that, when the government in thethe 1960s came andand tooktook overover somesome ofof thethe hospitals,hospitals, schools, training colleges, we still have a private school.school. ForFor instance,instance, wewe havehave I Oshigambo high school here which isis a private schoolschool forfor thisthis church.church. ItIt hashas beenbeen aa I diocese since the 1950s, since 1955. Now, we traintrain manymany Namibians.Namibians. YouYou see,see, inin thisthis I country, there was a policy of what theythey call separateseparate education,education, separatedseparated byby color.color. Therefore, the policy for non-whites was not a proper education,education, educationeducation inin thingsthings likelike I physical science, math, biology, and so on. Therefore, inin aa privateprivate school,school, thesethese subjects,subjects, I and it was the same for the Roman Catholic and AnglicanAnglican churchchurch beforebefore independence,independence, could be taught. Therefore, many were trainedtrained here.here. AndAnd somesome ofofthemthem crossedcrossed thethe I border because they could go to school inin thosethose countries.countries. TheyThey wentwent overseasoverseas andand alsoalso , to African countries. It was a good chance forfor themthem toto continuecontinue toto furtherfurther theirtheir studiesstudies r because they had a base education here.