By Sue Gower and Dale Gash NAMIBIAN women who are fighting to free their country from South African rule are demands which guerilla wars.
They want nurseries and child-care centres to free women for training and education. And they have asked for bulk consignments of sanitary towels, tampons, and contraceptives.
In the camps set up in Zambia and Angola acal wiln Ine exoous refugees the white tyranny in Namibla, Kon er emphasis is on communal here are Commur al kitchens, people take it in turns to cook.
There shared responare unusual in sibility for child-care, collective cultivation, and communally-organised health services.
All this Is a far cry Ninety , per cent of black Namibians are contined to 'home lands', which occupy a third ot the country - the least economically viable land, needless to say Men al c sent off to work in the white-owned factories and KULCS, tarms. This how Nahambo describes life in the 'home Jands': 'Mothers have to stay at home doing everylooking after the children and even doing the work men usea to do.
have to ask yourself "Why Dv vC WUlC I left alone with my children, working on the lan ca ale by musing after 'The answer,' she adds, 'is the contract labour system. The women are really suffering while their husbands are used as cheap labour.
To maintain such gross injustice, 80,000 South African troops are based Namibia, imposing martial Icasi among the interests they defending the Western investments southern Africa, , including those of companies.
As one woman activist in the South- West Atricar Organisation •We believe that puls ll. the gun is the only thing that will bring liberation to southern Africa.' Namibian women have played a leading part in the resistance to the occupaOrel cull y 1959 they vere in the forefront protest against the forced evacuation of a black township in the capital, Windhoek.
During the national strike 1971-2, they played a key part in implementing the boycott of services run by the apartheid regime Netumbo Nandi, member of the SWAPO women's council. DullILs to the increasing involveof women Ilicall metings and demonstrations during the 1970s. gomeliucs. she says women were in the majoriAs result, women LV.
CAMPAIGNS: CANUC, MEDICAL AID, POLITICAL PRISONERS Cttee, 188 North Gower St, London NW1. began to join men in the jails.
"Today', Netumbo explains,' 'you Will find women at every level of our movement's structure.
'But whatever has been achieved so far must be seen not only as a victory against the existing social and economic structure walch discriminates against women in employment and education. SWAPO, REAGAN/HAIG, INTERNAL SETTLEMENT, Price 40p plus påp, from: Namibia Support women's traditional role that the women acuvist. aim to aid the liberation struggle and to shape the society which takes over from apartheid visits to Britain members of the womens Culacu linked women's struggle •nere lo unal or Namibian women.
They point out that the government WICS undermining the gạins of wolieu , struggle in Britain is reinforcing the op-