The Youth Manifesto

Episode 8: Utaara Mootu

Utaara Mootu is an MP representing the Landless People’s Movement in the National Assembly. Utaara has been an unmistakable voice since 2020, after making an unexpected debut in the National Assembly at the age of 24. We had a great conversation about the intersection of art and politics, and the pressures of being one of the youngest voices in the halls of power.

Episode 7: Suzie Shefeni

Suzie works at the intersection of Politics and International Relations. She loves stories - a woman after my own heart - and uses them to advocate for a more sustainable and inclusive Namibia. Suzie advocate for the use digital media as a form of civic education – something we love to do at Sister Namibia!

Episode 6: Rosa Visolela Namises

Rosa Visolela Namises has been championing human rights for all since before independence. Since then, she has been an activist, lobbyist, mP and is now an independent presidential candidate. We talked about how important it is that our leaders represent young voters, which often means actually listening when they speak.

Episode 5: Johanna Hipangelwa

Today we’re talking to Johanna Hipangelwa, and it’s such a pleasure to speak to a young voter! Johanna studied political science at the University of Namibia, and she’s really interested in prioritising young people in decision-making processes, and bridging generational divides. And considering the average age of our elected leadership and those running for office, that’s a pretty urgent conversation we need to have.

Episode 4: Ally Angula

This week’s episode features an interview with independent presidential candidate Ally Angula. Ally is a chartered accountant, the former Accountant General of Namibia, and previously headed the National Treasury. We took this opportunity to ask some of the questions we hope all candidates will address in the coming months. We didn’t agree, but a frank conversation is a good first step.

Episode 3: Emma Theofelus

Emma Theofelus is our current Minister of Information and Communication Technology. When she was appointed to the National Assembly in 2020, she was the youngest women Minister in Namibia – and in Africa! – years old. We had a great conversation about her journey to the National Assembly, and why she is so passionate about changing our understanding of political participation - it’s so much more than voting.

Episode 2: Tuli Kamati

Tuli Kamati is the Director at Reproductive Justice Namibia - you may know her from her work in abortion reform since the launch of the petition to legalise abortion in 2020. Tuli has so much knowledge and experience to draw from, and we could have talked for hours!

Episode 1: James Itana

James Itana has more than 15 years of experience in civil society. You may know him for amazing work with Regain Trust and Men Engage - when people ask ‘what about the boy child’, the work they do around the country in partnership with other organisations comes to mind. Creating spaces for conversations about masculinity for men and by men is something we urgently need more of.