Frantz Fanon is one of the well-known decolonial scholars. He has developed the concept of the zone of nonbeing which discusses the positionality of the colonised and oppressed and oppressed people in general and black people in particular. The notion of the zone of nonbeing has resurfaced in decolonial discourses in Southern Africa including Namibia.

INTRODUCTION

The notion of zone of nonbeing has been shown in the decolonial discourses in Southern Africa notable and Namibia included where we see scholars and Pan-Africanist using both diplomacy and violence to gain independence from former colonial masters and to make possible the end of zones. These zones comprise of zone of being and zone of nonbeing, in the zone of being are white people considered to be human and in the zone of nonbeing are black people considered to be inhuman, objects in fact. Notwithstanding that this classification of people into zones does not only include the race issue, it goes to the depths of social status, tribal differences or even just not being from the same family which can be said in simpler terms as nepotism. The zone of none being has been depicted in Namibia in both pre and post-independence eras. The following essay will further elaborate on this issue bringing out evidence to pivot the ideas that will be raised where there is a depiction of the zone of nonbeing.

THE ZONE OF NONBEING

 The zone where the natives live is not complementary to the zone inhabited by the settlers. The two zones are opposed, but not in the service of a higher unity. Obedient to the rules of pure Aristotelian logic, they both follow the principle of reciprocal exclusivity. No conciliation is possible, for of the two terms, one is superfluous. The settlers' town is a strongly built town, all made of stone and steel. It is a brightly lit town; the streets are covered with asphalt, and the garbage cans swallow all the leavings, unseen, unknown and hardly thought about. Fanon (1963). This is clearly a description of the reserve system which was introduced by the German colonial state and perfected by the Union of South Africa rule in the then South West Africa as Du Pisani (2010) postulate. Black man were removed from the old location to infertile, dry and hot Kalahari and the white settlers got the best suitable places in the country like at Swakopmund. This culmination of events explicitly show that the zone of nonbeing is a reality that led to the dismemberment of the black man from his humanity, his land, his property, his feelings.

THE ZONE OF NONBEING IN NAMIBIA-CASE 1  

This case with look at what took place in Pre-colonial Namibia in general exhibiting the notion of zone of nonbeing and how it affected those who were dehumanized. What happened at the Shark Island was symbolic of a zone of nonbeing during 1904 to 1907. There was a concentration camp set up by the German Colonial State and this led to the massacre of more than 100 000 Hereros and Namas, in what was termed the genocide of the 20^th century, some were beheaded and their heads taken to museums in German and some where used for experiments to really see if the black man was a human of which the whites then did not accept such a reality that both black and white man are at par, socially, economically and politically. The Germans did this to advance their theories of racial supremacy (Williams, 2010). So by seeing the black man as racially inferior just because of his skin colour shows dehumanization at its climax, the genocide itself imbeds the ideas of black man as an object that is meant to suffer. It has been said the Negro is the link  between monkey and the man- of course the white man (Fanon, 1952) stresses Fanon this is a clear depiction of the black man as equally to an animal as he is put below the level of the white man, he is called a link between an animal and a man, then what is a black man?. The zone of nonbeing has alienated the black man from his society at large. And to this end it can be concluded that the notion of the zone of nonbeing is applicable to Namibia.

During the Apartheid state, the notion of the zone of nonbeing comes to picture. This state fractured the ranks of the ruled along a double divide; ethnic on the other hand, rural/urban on the other. (Du Pisani, 2010). This culminated in restrictions of mobility and ethnic zoning of rural and urban space to create distance between tribes and to weaken uprisings. This shows that the Apartheid was fractured and hegemonic as it divided the society along ethnic lines to ensure White minority hegemony. Introduction of the Vagrancy Proclamation Act of 1920 which was complemented by the Native Passes Proclamation 1930 (Labour Resource and Research Institute, 2009) was a clear indication of putting the black man into zones physically and it had psychological effects of alienation and being subjected into the poor, arid Kalahari Desert. Thus from this analysis it can be noted that therefore the applicability of the notion of the zone of nonbeing is overwhelming in Namibia as it started in the colonial Namibia in both phases of colonisation, German colonisation at first and Apartheid State at the end.

THE ZONE OF NONBEING IN NAMIBIA-CASE 2

Coming into the Independent Namibia, we have a lot of cases that exhibit the notion of zone of nonbeing and its applicability. Under this chapter will look at the cultural practices that have been taking place here in Namibia that have an effect on dehumanization of a particular group of people. This has been notable in Zambezi Region through harmful cultural practices that affect the girl child. The first practice is locally known as sikenge in the Zambezi region were a girl is cut on her back with an unsterilized razor blade and with no pain killers. This process is also called kupaza , it is a form of scarification. Some girls undertook this process freely some do not have a choice, and the process last a month which affects girl’s education and mostly leads to dropping out. These harmful cultural practices were not reserved for a girl’s menarche alone; the trauma and violation follow them in all stages of their lives.(Titus, 2017, P. 6)  Showing a zone of nonbeing as a girl is being a sacrificial lamb of barbaric cultural practises that bring more harm than good in their lives, it shows how girls are being disadvantaged while their counterparts are progressing, the boys, so here it is quite clear that the zones are gender based and girls seem to fall on the disadvantageous side. From this analysis it is crystal clear that the notion of the zone of nonbeing is applicable to Namibia.

In Post-Independent Namibia it has been noted that there is a notion when it comes to occupying public offices. Preference is not on merit rather it is on if someone has been to exile during the colonial era, and being a comrade. This issue has connotations of the notion of the zone of nonbeing as it is classifying people in an unfair manner. This has been noted with the struggle kids (kids of those who went to exile) given first preferences when it comes to vacant posts in the government. The question is also what is left for other, perhaps even more qualified, young job seekers when preference is given to the 'struggle kids'? And what will this mean for the promise of increased productivity in the public service, when the 'struggle kids', on their own admission, have only basic education? (Lister, 2009, p.1) asks the Namibian reporter, this is an indication of grouping people into zones, and a zone of nonbeing comprise of the youths who were born in their motherland Namibia which they did not choose to. This notion of preferring struggle kids over qualified Namibian youth have had a backlash in what President Hage Geingob calls bloated government (Kahiurika, 2017, p.3). Thus to this end the zone of nonbeing is causing national problems as it leads to maladministration on the government’s part.

 THE ZONE OF NONBEING IN NAMIBIA-CASE 3

The land issue has been one of the factors where undertones of the notion of the zone of nonbeing have been envisaged in Namibia. This has been largely caused by the slower process of the willing buyer willing seller criteria the government adapted which has led to creation of informal settlements around main towns in Namibia particularly Windhoek. This was noted with the recent actions by the city of Windhoek police department repeating what happened during the Apartheid era, when the colonial Windhoek municipality forcefully removed and killed black residents from the Old Location in order to pave way for the whites only plush suburbs Hochland Park and Pioneers Park. Now the current City of Windhoek has done it again at 7de Laan informal settlement in Otjomuise (Kamwanyah, 2017, p.10). On this notion it can be noted that what only have changed is the skin colour of the enforcers and this critically brings how changing the issue of zone of nonbeing from racial matters to an issue between one black man and his fellow, this brings the idea which Fanon expounds in his works which he called colonial hauntology (A. Du Pisani, personal communication, April 26, 2017), there is alienation of a black man by another black man which shows the effects of colonisation on the black man. This is quite ironical because this state institution must protect the citizens as the Namibian constitution alludes and they left Namibian citizens to sleep in open cold which shows they even dehumanised these families to animals which shows the applicability of the notion of the zone of nonbeing in Namibia.

Under economical cases where the notion of the zone of nonbeing is brought out is the case of Security Guards in Namibia, they have been the topic of thought among people in social spheres dehumanizing them just because of their occupation and the society’s hollow belief that they are uneducated. Security guards have faced a lot of problems in their field of speciality, from lack of respect from their employees to lack of respect from people they protect. These security guards are taken for granted by their companies who are making billions around the world only to pay them peanuts, this prompted one of the guards here in Namibia plying her trade in Rundu she said that “being a security guard is not good, the money for work is too little, we are not even able to pay for bread.” (Titus, 2017, p.3). This is an indication of putting people into zones just because of their social and economic status and the output they bring contributes to tranquillity in the society. It is in this sense that we see the mistreatment of guards by the companies that employ them by not providing them warm clothing during night shifts. Thus from this analysis it can be noted that the notion of zone of none being is applicable in Namibia as this practice is similar to that of Apartheid state where people were put into reserves to provide cheap labour for white owned mines and factories.

THE ZONE OF NONBEING IN NAMIBIA-CASE 4

This last case will look at social cases notably those that the state is depriving people of their rights. Prostitution is one of the main examples In normative terms, Namibian society throughout the variety of its traditional and Christian cultures – regards prostitution as socially and legally un acceptable and undesirable. Accordingly, public perception sometimes even tends to deny its existence (Horner 2006:2). However, scientific examination allows only one inference: prostitution is deeply institutionalised in Namibian society. The current research found prostitution in Windhoek a clearly visible, 24-hour activity (Kiremire, 2007). Nonetheless it remains a crime to practise prostitution in Namibia which is ironical in the sense that the Namibian constitution is hailed as one of the transparent constitution’s on the African continent to date as the bill of rights is entrenched therein. There is need to grant prostitutes their dignity for they suffer society stigmatization as they are often poked as immoral while their customers do not carry such a label on their back which brings us to a conclusion that there is a zone of nonbeing in this issue as women are on pointed to in this chauvinistic and patriarchal society that hide behind the veil of ignorance.

CONCLUSION

The zone of nonbeing continue to haunt modern day South African States particularly Namibia is a remnant of the colonial forces that affected the black man to an extend of following actions of his colonial master on his neighbour as depicted on the City of Windhoek saga, issues to do with individual rights and a lot more discussed in the above well-articulated assessment. The assessment went on to the roots of the causes of the zone of nonbeing in post-colonial discourse in Southern Africa when it all started with events that took place at the Shark Island concentration camps where Hereros and Namas were beheaded for experiments in German and for tourism purposes in Museums and Galleries which  shows how close to an animal Europeans thought Africans where just because of the fact they were afriaid to admit to the reality that there was a better being than them. This led them to come up with a colonial education that aimed at advancing their superiority on Africans which is a clear indication of fear on the Europeans part. Thus they came up with two zones, the zone of being which they belonged to and a zone of nonbeing they placed the African man.

References

1.      Du Pisani, A (2010). State and Society under South African rule. In Keulder, C (ed) State, Society and Democracy: A Reader in Namibian Politics. Windhoek: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.

2.      Fanon, F (1963). The Wretched of the Earth. New York: Groove Press

3.      Horner, Hayden. 2006. “Namibia: Govt and NGO launch joint assault against HIV/AIDS”. Integrated Regional Information Networks PlusNews. www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=6379&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa11/18/2006; last accessed 06 May 2017.

4.      Kahiurika, N. (2017, February 28). Reconciliation to blame for bloated Govt- Geingob. The Namibian, p. 3

5.      Kamwanyah, N. (2017, April 7).Windhoek City Needs a Heart Too. The Namibian, p. 10

6.      Kiremire , M. (2007, p.13) Prostitution in Windhoek, Namibia: An Exploration of Poverty. Institute of Democracy. Volume 4 (2007)2

7.      Lister, G. (2009, November 13) Political Perspectives. The Namibian, p. 1

8.      Titus, H. (2017, February 22). Suffering in the name of culture. The Namibian, p. 6

9.      Titus, H. (2017, March 7). The Tough Life of a Security Guard. The Namibian, p. 3

10.  Williams, M. (2010, September 23). Hitler's Holocaust blueprint: A new book reveals how the Kaiser's Germany used concentration camps in Africa to advance their theories of racial supremacy. Mail online, (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1314399/Hitlers-Holocaust-blueprint-Africa-concentration-camps-used-advance-racial-theories.html#ixzz4gHAyMNp8) last accessed 6 May 2017