Tears Over the Deserts

UK: New Namibia Books, Namibia, 1994. Soft cover. Very Good/No Jacket. p/b 124 pages, condition is very good. Tears over the Deserts is the story of the young Jackson Kaujeua - poet, singer, footballer, would-be priest. Jackson tells of his rural childhood herding goats and drinking omaere; of traditional Herero life and the ceremonies of circumcision and transition to adulthood; of his worlds of school and work; and the call of music that has charted his adult career. Brought up by his grandmother outside Keetmanshoop, Jackson and his family were forced to move in the 1960s to an area designated for Hereros under the Odendaal Commission. His life was coloured by the deprivations and discrimination of South African rule but his story is not one of defeat. Mischievous as a boy and always landing in trouble, he fell foul of the security police as a young man through his refusal to accept the role of colonial subservience. Eventually this forced him to flee his home and go into exile. At once both touching and humolurous, Tears over the Deserts captures the lively character of Namibia's foremost singer. It is a telling reflection of the spirit of Namibians even in times of great adversity.