Justus //Garoeb talked on Tuesday about his adventures in Zambia with Sam Nujoma, who was the first president of Namibia.
At a special meeting to remember Nujoma, who died recently, someone read //Garoeb's words. //Garoeb remembered meeting Nujoma when he was young in a place called Walvis Bay.
"I was just a young man in Walvis Bay when I first met Nujoma," //Garoeb said. "We lived next to a friend named Nathaniel Muxulili. Later, we met many times at big meetings in different countries during the fight for freedom."
//Garoeb wrote that he went to a city called Lusaka with a group called Damara Raad. They wanted to help fight against unfair rules that kept people apart because of their skin color. "I traveled there with the leaders of Damara Raad, and we lived in Lusaka for about two weeks," //Garoeb wrote.
"When I met Nujoma in Lusaka, I could tell he was smart and brave. He had a big dream to make his country free from unfair rules and outside control."
//Garoeb remembered that he, Nujoma, and a man named Kenneth Kaunda were called the "Three Friends." They had important talks at Kaunda's house in Zambia. Another man named Hage Geingob asked //Garoeb to convince Nujoma to stop fighting and talk about peace with the United Nations.
"Nujoma did not like talking to people who wanted to control his country," the speech said. "He worried that having elections might make it seem like his army had lost."
After a week of secret talks, Nujoma agreed to the plan. The UN was planning a big meeting at the same time. This became the Lusaka Meeting from March 11 to 13, 1984.
"At the Lusaka Meeting, the Damara Raad sat with friends from other groups, church leaders, and people from groups called DTA and Swapo," //Garoeb said.
The talks were hard, but finally, all groups agreed to stop fighting. They also allowed the UN to monitor voting, which helped Namibia become a free country in 1990.
At a special meeting to remember Nujoma, who died recently, someone read //Garoeb's words. //Garoeb remembered meeting Nujoma when he was young in a place called Walvis Bay.
"I was just a young man in Walvis Bay when I first met Nujoma," //Garoeb said. "We lived next to a friend named Nathaniel Muxulili. Later, we met many times at big meetings in different countries during the fight for freedom."
//Garoeb wrote that he went to a city called Lusaka with a group called Damara Raad. They wanted to help fight against unfair rules that kept people apart because of their skin color. "I traveled there with the leaders of Damara Raad, and we lived in Lusaka for about two weeks," //Garoeb wrote.
"When I met Nujoma in Lusaka, I could tell he was smart and brave. He had a big dream to make his country free from unfair rules and outside control."
//Garoeb remembered that he, Nujoma, and a man named Kenneth Kaunda were called the "Three Friends." They had important talks at Kaunda's house in Zambia. Another man named Hage Geingob asked //Garoeb to convince Nujoma to stop fighting and talk about peace with the United Nations.
"Nujoma did not like talking to people who wanted to control his country," the speech said. "He worried that having elections might make it seem like his army had lost."
After a week of secret talks, Nujoma agreed to the plan. The UN was planning a big meeting at the same time. This became the Lusaka Meeting from March 11 to 13, 1984.
"At the Lusaka Meeting, the Damara Raad sat with friends from other groups, church leaders, and people from groups called DTA and Swapo," //Garoeb said.
The talks were hard, but finally, all groups agreed to stop fighting. They also allowed the UN to monitor voting, which helped Namibia become a free country in 1990.
