Mukwahepo

Download or read book Mukwahepo written by Ndeshi Namhila and published by African Books Collective. This book was released on 2013-10-22 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1963 Mukwahepo left her home in Namibia and followed her fianc across the border into Angola. They survived hunger and war and eventually made their way to Tanzania. There, Mukwahepo became the first woman to undergo military training with SWAPO. For nine years she was the only woman in SWAPOs Kongwa camp. She was then thrust into a more traditional womens role taking care of children in the SWAPO camps in Zambia and Angola. At Independence, Mukwahepo returned to Namibia with five children. One by one their parents came to reclaim them, until she was left alone. Already in her fifties, and with little education, Mukwahepo could not get employment. She survived on handouts until the Government introduced a pension and other benefits for veterans. Through a series of interviews, Ellen Ndeshi Namhila recorded and translated Mukwahepos remarkable story. This book preserves the oral history of not only the dominant male voice among the colonised people of Namibia, but brings to light the hidden voice, the untold and forgotten story of an ordinary woman and the outstanding role she played during the struggle.