Publisher's Synopsis
Monale-nale, Aawambo oya li ya tala ko ondjamba oshinamwenyo shi tilitha noonkondo. Yo aniwa oya li ashike hayi itsuwa ongula aantu sho taya penduka. Yo aasamane yaawambo yonale kaya li haya lala inaaya pangela kutya ongula otaya meneka taya ningi shike. Ihe ngele nkene ya ka penduka omondjamba, oompangela adhihe dhesiku odha li dhi na okukalekwa opo omukunda aguhe gu kondeke ondjamba. Omupya omunene, Tshiwa, kehe ngaa esiku a pendukile, omondjamba. Sho ye mu nyengelele, ye okwa li oye awike, ashike osho e yi kola. Tshiwa okwa koko ngaashi aanona aakwawo yAawambo yopethimbo ndiyaka. Osikola okwe yi hiti poosikola dhongeleka yaKatoolika koshitopolwa shokonooli. Onkene uukwatya we owa li wa ngongwa komuthigululwakalo nelongo lyongeleka. Ta shi ti uuyuni we pethimbo ndiya owa li owala wa hulila pomukunda gwawo nopoomisioni dhaKatana nAnamulenge. Esiku limwe nkene ya ka lalele pwAnamulenge, Tshiwa naanasikola aakwawo ongula ya landula oye yi piti mwAngola. Ehokololo olya li lya yela. Ya kwathelwa kaakwiita yaSWAPO ya taaguluke oongamba noye ki iyadha kombanda metifa lyekondjelomanguluko lyaNamibia. Inapu kalwa, Tshiwa nayakwawo ya tumwa koosikola. Membo muno, Tshiwa ota hokolola nduno ondjila ye ndjo a enda naashihe shono a tsakaneke, mwa kwatelwa iinima oyindji mbyo ye mu adha ombaadhilila, nenge ka li e yi dhiladhila. Ihe Tshiwa ehokololo lye ote li hokolola a manguluka, nonenyanyu lyokutopolelathana. Ita holeke sha, nopoompito dhimwe ota shendjula nokuli kombinga yonkalamwenyo ye, yookume ke naapehe mpoka a kala. Ye Iwahugunina ta hokolola wo nkene a tsakeneke omusamane gwe gwoshilumbu omupopі gwelaka lyOshindowishi, ovalele yaSwakopo. Nonando ondjokana yawo ya kumitha Aanamibia oyendji pethimbo ndiyaka, oya hedhitha wo pamwe omithigululwakalo noonkuluhedhi mbali.
In Oshiwambo, the elephant is likened to the most challenging situation that people can face. If an elephant appears in the morning, all planned activities are put on hold and the villagers join forces to deal with it. For Tshiwa Trudie Amulungu, the elephant showed up on many mornings and she had no choice but to tame it. Growing up in a traditional household in northern Namibia, during the period of South African rule, Amulungu's life started within a very ordered framework. Then one night she crossed the border into Angola with her schoolmates and joined the liberation movement. Four months later she was studying at the UN Institute for Namibia in Lusaka Zambia. She went on to study in France before returning after 12 years to take part in the elections that led to Independence. Amulungu recounts the cultural shocks and huge discoveries she made, both in exile and after Independence, with honesty, emotion and humour. She draws the reader into her experiences, reflecting on the socio-historical-cultural context, and portraying life, friends, and community in the different places she lived. This is a compelling story of survival, longing for home, fear of the return and overcoming adversity in strange environments. It is also a love story that brought two families and cultures together. The author reflects on the vast differences in life experiences over three generations in her family. There is no comparison between her childhood and that of her children, let alone between their youthful experiences and those of her parents.
