In which African country did Adolf Hitler win an election with a landslide last week? Ok, we understand. No one is in the mood for a quiz right now. Christmas is coming but there are no cheers. 2020 has been a horrible year for all of us. We would rather be left alone to ponder in silence what the future holds for us.
We have been battered by Covid-19, scared for our lives and those of our loved ones. We sigh with hopelessness at the thought of those the pandemic has taken, whom we will never see again in this world. Sleep disappears after a phone call informing us a relative or friend is unwell.
We are fatigued by the strict health protocols – the discomforts of wearing masks, washing hands, sanitising, no hugging or partying. The anxiety of rushing home to avoid violating the curfew and getting clobbered by the police…
Our children have wasted months at home after schools were closed many moons ago as a measure to contain the spread of the pandemic. It is hectic keeping them busy – and safe.
Covid has touched each of us at a very personal level. Will we still have a job come Monday? Hundreds of scribes have joined the ranks of millions of jobless Kenyans since the pandemic struck in March. It has worsened an economy that was already in the doldrums.
But life must go on. We must reach to the depths of our being and gather energies to push us forward one day at a time. We must keep hope alive, as the famous Ugandan-American VoA broadcaster Shaka Ssali always reminds his audiences in ‘Straight Talk Africa’, his current affairs show celebrating 20 years this year.
So, Hitler won a landslide in an African country last week. That was Namibia. Adolf Hitler Uunona took a councilor’s seat on the ticket of the ruling SWAPO party in a rural constituency. He made the international headlines because he is named after the German Nazi tyrant.
Hitler told the German newspaper Bild that unlike his infamous namesake, he has no ambition to dominate the world. “My father named me after this man. He probably didn’t understand what Adolf Hitler stood for,” he explained.
Poor man, he had no idea of the monster he was naming his son after. It was a nice name he probably heard in the news. But why can’t the grown politician change his name, having understood the facts of history? Strange.
Anyway, amid the dreadful news of Covid, corruption, state failure and so on, funny things still happen. Take a break and try to relax. There is still a lot to live for. Tomorrow will be better. Keep hope alive!
