NPH Official Company Launch

A big "Thank You!" to all who made time to join us on a Monday night, 19 August, at Hotel Thulé as we officially launched Namibia Publishing House. 

Minister Mutorwa launching
Farming in Namibia

Amongst the invited guests there was Ambassador of People's Republic of China with the Chancellor and Secretary. Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, John Mutorwa, made a special appearance and officially launched a book entitled Farming in Namibia Agricultural Development and Practical Technology in Africa by Jeanne Zheng.

The book, written by a Chinese student researching agricultural practices in Namibia, inspired the Chinese Government to donate 2 million Namibia Dollars for the country's drought relief, with the promise of drilling 170 boreholes throughout Namibia.

Ambassador of China , Minister Mutorwa and 
NPH Management Team

Some of the esteemed guests who were present at the launch:

Gisela Siririka with husband

Pedro Vorster and Wilma de Waal

Marietjie Burger and Amanda Hornimann

Freddy Nafuka, Mutaleni Nadimi, Jo Auala and Marietjie Burger

Laimi Gideon taking a photo with Minister Mutorwa

New Literature Titles from NPH

Having in mind instilling a reading culture in the Namibian youth and understanding that "Education is a shared responsibility", NPH presents to you a few of our recent publications that will hopefully capture the attention of the young readers.

1. STARE AT DAGGERS is the debut novel by Mary M. Manyando, a young Namibian Nurse/Midwife. It is a fantasy based on African soil, hinting at Namibia through the use of nature.

As a nine-year-old girl, Stare at Daggers witnesses the brutal killing of her parents and the River clan people by the ruthless King Brutus. He burned her entire village in search for a special dagger that has been entrusted to her. She then sets out on a journey to avenge her parents and restore what has been taken away from her clan. Little does she know that she herself is special.

Themes of revenge, sacrifice, personal happiness and responsibility towards your people make STARE AT DAGGERS not only a good read, but also a great basis for intriguing class discussions on personal growth and difficult choices so relevant to the Namibian youth.

"A captivating, magical story coming from a young Namibian author. It's intriguing and fresh."                                                                                                                      - Nerina Strijdom, EO, NIED 

STARE AT DAGGERS was approved by NIED at the beginning of this year for use in English Second Language class at Grade 10 level and is placed on NIED Textbook Catalogue.

Mary M. Manyando is one of NPH's latest discoveries. This exciting new author delivers an irresistible combination of romance and suspense in a fantasy setting. Her debut novel evolved effortlessly into a trilogy with FACES OF MAN, HEARTS OF ANIMALS and RISE, CHOSEN ONE completing the series. The whole trilogy is available at NPH bookshop.



2. ON THE PATH TO FREEDOM: THE FORGOTTEN YEARS AND HEROES by Helmut Lauschke is a soul-stirring story, based on experiences about courage and caring for helpless, neglected, injured and disabled people. The story presents the lives and devotion of a few doctors at a neglected hospital in the far north  of Namibia, where they cared for the sick and injured people during the turmoil and dangers of war. Despite risking their own lives, these doctors did the hard work under extreme conditions, often having to improvise due to lack of basic equipment. 

The story challenges the reader to value the character of people and to reassess the honesty in regards to their social commitments. It has a great historical value and is recommended to English First Language class at Grade 12 level. 

ON THE PATH TO FREEDOM is available at NPH bookshop.

Minister Launches the New Era Reading Campaign

The Minister of Education has launched the New Era Reading Campaign together with The Dogg’s Autobiography on Friday, 2 August 2013, in Windhoek.  In his speech, the Minister praised the initiative by New Era and the Mshasho for sharing the responsibility in educating the nation..

Dr Namwandi emphasised that this initiative will encourage the growth of the reading culture in  Namibia, stressing that it is only through reading that a country like Namibia can produce the knowledge and ideas necessary for the development of the country. 

The Dogg, who was accompanied by Kristian Hamutenya – the co-writer of the book, gave a brief background and an overview of the book. He admitted that the Autobiography was aimed at inspiring young people through his life experiences and encouraging them to work hard to achieve their goals in life.

The Dogg: Untold Story is available at Edumeds in Windhoek and selected bookshops countrywide.

Kristian Hamutenya, Minister of Education
Dr Namwandi and The Dogg at the launch
of The Dogg's Autobiography
Photo courtesy of New Era

Introducing: A True Me in Words: An Anthology of Poems by Anneli Nghikembua

Macmillan Education Namibia Publishers, now Namibia Publishing House, have a long history of cooperating with the National Arts Council and supporting young Namibian authors.

It is reassuring to know that poetry, as a genre, is no longer read by just a few “chosen” who are able to understand it. It is also practised on many levels by young and old in Namibia, especially now that Ministry of Education holds regular writing competitions in which poetry takes central stage, and National Arts Council sponsors poetry publications of poets such as Thaniseb, Kahengua and Nghikembua.

In her recently launched poetry anthology, Anneli Nghikembua speaks of life as it is. The poem “Pride of an African Woman” or “Cry not” touches us deeply with images of hardships women go through every day.

In the light of gender violence, inequality and all other social illnesses, it is hard to be a woman in Africa. In her poems, Anneli bears her soul. She gives us a glimpse into her complex nature. Her dreams, fears, disappointments and wishes for simple things like love, safety and stability could be any woman’s dreams and fears. They are all laid out before us so effortlessly and every woman is able to find something there for herself. 

But it’s not all negative.

In “My Grandmother’s Hat”, she honours the elderly woman with all her wisdom and quirkiness; in “Ain’t I”, she gives praise to those who courageously “stand for their future”, “ leave the bad behind and stay focused”, just as she did.  She speaks with confidence and courage, qualities she pleads all women must have.

Although very personal and sad at times, these poems celebrate women. They may be young students, or single mothers, or victims of abuse, but they are women who, despite being vulnerable, are proud of who they are today.

I would recommend this anthology to all women who need encouragement in their lives and to all men who would benefit from understanding the struggles women go through in today’s world.

A True Me in Words is available at Book Den in Windhoek. 

Anneli with Mike Mukete of the Bank of Namibia and another guest
at the launch of her book at the National Archives on 5 July 2013