EDITORIAL: Tribalism or exaggeration?
The topic of tribalism is on the tip of everyone’s tongue again, thanks to recent remarks by labour minister Utoni Nujoma and former Namibia Football Association boss Barry Rukoro.
Some have argued that the remarks by both men do not ordinarily constitute tribalism. Some say the pair simply spewed hard truths instead of choosing to be politically correct as many Namibians often do, despite their true views.
Be that as it may, the national question now is whether tribalism exists in high volumes as perceived by many, or whether we must remove our magnifying glasses to see the exact size of this phenomenon.
Namibians, like the entirety of mankind, possess the innate capacity to identify with members of their own groups. Go to a school playground and children, who have no full appreciation of ethnic identities, are often found in groups that relate to them most - usually in linguistic, racial and cultural terms. All this happens subconsciously.
People in every culture share the same propensity to form coalitions, a tendency that anthropologist Donald Brown calls a ‘human universal’.
Group identity alone, especially one which does not seek to disadvantage other groups, does not automatically equate to tribalism. But when our choice of words and actions prejudice other groups, the roots of tribalism start to sprout.
We cannot have a casual definition of this sensitive subject. Just as we cannot deduce racism from the mere act of a fist fight between black and white drunkards in a pub.
Some have argued that the remarks by both men do not ordinarily constitute tribalism. Some say the pair simply spewed hard truths instead of choosing to be politically correct as many Namibians often do, despite their true views.
Be that as it may, the national question now is whether tribalism exists in high volumes as perceived by many, or whether we must remove our magnifying glasses to see the exact size of this phenomenon.
Namibians, like the entirety of mankind, possess the innate capacity to identify with members of their own groups. Go to a school playground and children, who have no full appreciation of ethnic identities, are often found in groups that relate to them most - usually in linguistic, racial and cultural terms. All this happens subconsciously.
People in every culture share the same propensity to form coalitions, a tendency that anthropologist Donald Brown calls a ‘human universal’.
Group identity alone, especially one which does not seek to disadvantage other groups, does not automatically equate to tribalism. But when our choice of words and actions prejudice other groups, the roots of tribalism start to sprout.
We cannot have a casual definition of this sensitive subject. Just as we cannot deduce racism from the mere act of a fist fight between black and white drunkards in a pub.
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