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Patience Masua
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Meet Patience Masua,The 23-Year-Old Member of The Namibian Parliament

At 23 years old, Hon. Patience Masua  is Namibia’s youngest Member of Parliament. She was appointed as a Member of Parliament by President Hage Geingob in April 2021 following Defence Minister Peter Vilho’s resignation, making her Namibia’s and one of Africa’s youngest MP.

With a history of serving as the Secretary-General of Namibia National Students Organization (NANSO) and as the Speaker of the University of Namibia (UNAM) Student Representative Council (SRC), Hon. Masua holds a Bachelor of Laws( LLB) from the University of Namibia ( UNAM) and previously served as the Head Girl of Delta Secondary School in Windhoek.

Apart from her work in politics, Patience is very passionate about empowering young people through education and currently serves as the Namibian Country Director of the Southern Africa Youth Forum (SAYOF).

Early life

Masua was born in Gobabis, Omaheke, on 7 January 1999 after which her family moved to Windhoek. She attended pre and primary school at Kleine Professor College. However, she finished primary school at Suiderhof Primary School and proceeded to complete her high school at Delta Secondary School Windhoek where she served as Deputy Head Girl in the Learners Representative Council.

Student politics and activism

Patience entered mainstream student politics and activism in university, primarily through her newspaper opinion pieces and then serving in the student union as Faculty Representative for the University of Namibia Faculty of Law. Later she ran for the position of Speaker of Student Parliament of the UNAM SRC and won it in 2019. Thereafter she served as Secretary-General for the Namibia National Students Organisation (NANSO). In 2022, Masua inspired women leaders at Women Leaders Expo in Dubai. She shared her story as a politician and lawyer, fighting for equality and justice in Namibia.

Community Work

In 2021, Masua founded the Patience Masua Foundation Africa (PMF Africa). PMF Africa was established with the mission to empower young Namibians in the areas of education, entrepreneurial development, capacity-building and research.

 

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Himba Culture: Meet The African Tribe That Offers Sex To Guests

With a population of over 50,000, the Himba are a polygamous people where Himba girls are married off to male partners selected by their fathers once they attain puberty.

Most of their cultures have been upheld despite western influence and agitation.

Among these is the “Man comes first” tradition. The woman has little or no opinion in the decision making. Submission to her husband’s demands come first.

According to the Guardian, “When a visitor comes knocking, a man shows his approval and pleasure of seeing his guest by giving him the Okujepisa Omukazendu treatment — the wife is given to his guest to spend the night while the husband sleeps in another room. In a case where there is no available room, her husband will sleep outside.”

This, apparently, reduces jealousy and fosters relationships.

Another tradition that has stood the test of time is the “bathing is forbidden” rule. Rather than take their baths, the women take a smoke bath and apply aromatic resins on their skin. They are also guided by the belief that the colour red signifies “Earth and blood”. Their red skin is one of the things that make them extremely unique. The red colour is from the otjize paste (a combination of butterfat, omuzumba scrub and ochre) and its function is to protect their skin from the harsh desert sun and insect bites.

Himba Influence in African Literature

The Himba people haven’t been represented a lot in Literature. However, in Nnedi Okorafor Binti, the lead character ‘Binti’ is of the Himba poeple. Okorafor describes the tribe as a “tribe in Namibia who use ‘sweet smelling otjize’, a mixture of ochre and butterfat over their skin, rolling it into their hair as protection against the desert sun”. In the novella, the Himba don’t travel, which directly contrasts the real Himba people who are nomads.

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