By Sr. Janice McLaughlin MM

Who can forget the marvelous movie THE GOD MUST BE CRAZY? It featured the so-called Bushmen of Southern Africa. As we learn from this article, their real name is the San people and many of them live in Namibia where Sr. Imelda Bautista works alongside her Maryknoll companions.

German Colony

Sr Imelda Bautista (right) coordinates education in Namibia's 
48 Catholic Schools.

A fort, the statue of a German soldier with upraised rifle and the German Lutheran Cathedral dominate the skyline of Namibia’s capital, Windhoek, reminders or the country’s colonial past. Formerly South West Africa, Namibia is one of the newest independent nations in Africa and the newest mission of the Maryknoll Sisters.

Sisters Arrive

Sister Imelda Bautista of Quezon City works along with Sister Josephine Kollmer of New York and Sister Josephine Lucker of Texas. A dry rugged country, Namibia was a German colony from 1884 until 1915 when it was taken over by South Africa. It became independent in 1990 after a long liberation war by the South-West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) against South Africa. SWAPO leader Sam Nujoma was elected the first president of the new nation of 1.4 million people.

Evils of Apartheid

White minority rule of more than a century left poverty, unemployment and illiteracy in its wake. To heal the wounds left by apartheid (separation of races practices by South Africa). Archbishops Haushiku invited the Maryknoll Sister to his diocese. “My biggest hope is that we can empower Namibians who were oppressed to take up their rightful role in the country,” said Sr. Josephine Kollmer, “helping them get a better sense of themselves, their identity and the contribution they can make,” Sr. Kollmer is conducting a diocesan catechetical survey with Sr. Lucker and hopes to get involved in informal education programs that create jobs for women and youth. Sr. Lucker prepares the laity for pastoral ministries in urban and rural parishes. Meanwhile Filipino Sr. Imelda Bautista is acting education coordinator fro the Namibian Catholic Development Commission (NACADEC), which is responsible for all the Catholic schools in the country.

The San People

One of the commission’s concerns is the plight of the San people, commonly known as Bushmen. Expert hunters, mainly were recruited as trackers by the South African Defense Forces during the war. Fearing retaliation by the new government, many fled to neighboring countries. Those who stayed, live in poverty as squatters on the land. “They are still forgotten,” lamented Nekondo (a member of the Church Justice and Peace Commission). “There is a big gap between them and others. They have no housing, education or health care. They own no land and are being scattered.” The Church plans a program to teach them their rights and help them resettle in areas of their choice.

Small But Important

Independence aims to give more opportunities to Africans. Sr. Kollmer pointed to improved the housing, education and health care. “What the three of us (Maryknoll sisters) can do will be very small; nevertheless, it is important.”

Namibia map