Tribalism: Namibia's real ticking time bomb Tribalism remains a social problem still plaguing nations, and our motherland Namibia, is no exception. Back home a lot has been said about this perennial problem still rearing its ugly head despite widespread condemnation at public platforms by national leaders and others. Tribalism is evil and ugly especially when tribal loyalty is used for personal gains. When our forefathers took up arms to liberate this nation a high premium was placed on unity of purpose. They were true nationalists who knew exactly how it feels to be united in diversity as a continent and as Namibians. The same cannot be said about the recent events where national leaders have made use of public platforms to promote narrow tribal interests. As Namibians, we need to appreciate each other for who we are. If you want others to respect you, you’ve got to respect others first. We must underscore – at all times - the importance of building nations around ideas rather than clan identities. The same logic should apply to politics in this country. For far too long we have allowed ourselves to be used in tribal fights involving national leaders and their rivals. We should always compete on the basis of ideas and not use tribal identities to advance our personal interests. Taking identity as a starting point is useful in understanding our future goals and re-evaluating our past. And working together to build a just society requires us to embrace each other as hardworking and loving Namibians. Let’s detest name-calling, derogatory attacks against each other and all other evils that have blighted our society. Tribalism was the root cause of the civil war in Rwanda some 22 years ago in which one million people were killed. These are painful lessons and we should steer clear from going the same route as it might not end well. We should never take the peace we enjoy in this country for granted.Tribalism: Namibia's real ticking time bomb Tribalism remains a social problem still plaguing nations, and our motherland Namibia, is no exception. Back home a lot has been said about this perennial problem still rearing its ugly head despite widespread condemnation at public platforms by national leaders and others. Tribalism is evil and ugly especially when tribal loyalty is used for personal gains. When our forefathers took up arms to liberate this nation a high premium was placed on unity of purpose. They were true nationalists who knew exactly how it feels to be united in diversity as a continent and as Namibians. The same cannot be said about the recent events where national leaders have made use of public platforms to promote narrow tribal interests. As Namibians, we need to appreciate each other for who we are. If you want others to respect you, you’ve got to respect others first. We must underscore – at all times - the importance of building nations around ideas rather than clan identities. The same logic should apply to politics in this country. For far too long we have allowed ourselves to be used in tribal fights involving national leaders and their rivals. We should always compete on the basis of ideas and not use tribal identities to advance our personal interests. Taking identity as a starting point is useful in understanding our future goals and re-evaluating our past. And working together to build a just society requires us to embrace each other as hardworking and loving Namibians. Let’s detest name-calling, derogatory attacks against each other and all other evils that have blighted our society. Tribalism was the root cause of the civil war in Rwanda some 22 years ago in which one million people were killed. These are painful lessons and we should steer clear from going the same route as it might not end well. We should never take the peace we enjoy in this country for granted.