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leaders in the historie Turnhalle
asscmbly building (named after a
Gcrman assembly hall). Mr. Arm–
strong was the first "non-South–
Wester·· to be invited to speak to the
Turnhalle conference. (Mr. Arm–
strong's appearance at the Turnhalle
was covered in the June 1977 issue of
The Plain Truth.)
Mr. Armstrong reviewed befare
the delegates the entire span of
human history: How that first Satan,
and subsequently the vast majority of
mankind, has rejected God's govern–
mcnt and the laws of God. These
laws are based upon love-outgoing
concern for the good and welfare of
others. The law of God is, said Mr.
Armstrong, "the way of serving, the
way of helping, the way of sharing,
the way of caring for others.'' This
law will be the very corncrstone of
the soon-coming Kingdom of God.
Mr. Armstrong then told the
delegates they had the unique
opportunity to form a government
more nearly bascd on God's way of
life. "God help you to do the best
job that can be done and to form
the finest govcrnment that has ever
been formcd in thc history of
mankind on this earth." A govern–
ment, he added, that would be fair
and just for every person in the
country, without regard for racc or
any other consideration.
Mr. Armstrong's words hit home.
Thc Turnhalle delegates listencd in–
tently. Mr. Armstrong said after-
wards that he had never spoken to
such an attentive audience.
Later that same month, the Turn–
halleconference produced a draft of its
constitution based upon the division of
powers anda unique three-level system
of government. The constitution guar–
anteed the rights of all of Namibia's
diverse population groups.
Tragically, however, the Turnhalle
conference, as a governmental form,
carne to naught (although it subse–
quently spawned, under the direction
of Mr. Di rk Mudge, a multi-ethnic
political party, the " Democratic
Turnhalle Alliance"). This world–
Satan·s world- was speeding too
rapidly in the wrong direction.
Other forces dcdicated to violence
and revolution were gaining ground.
More of this later.
Diverse and Complex Land
Despite the storm clouds gathering
over Namibia, the outside world
knows little about the uniquc geo–
graphic featurcs and intriguing soci–
ological complexities of this remark–
able land. Perhaps this is the reason
why the news media inevitably over–
simplify the real issues involved.
Namibia is approximately four
times the size of Great Britain (or
roughly the area of thc three Ameri–
can states of California, Oregon and
Washington combined). Yet it has
only one-third the annual water
supply of tiny Israel.
So arid is most of the countryside
t
Jason Laurtt t979-Wood6n Camp
&
Auoc
COLORFULLY CLAO Herero women
(left, opposite page) cast their ba/lots
in South West Africa 's first universal
suffrage election in December 1978.
Campaign poster urges voters to sup·
port the " DTA " (Democratic Turnhal/e
Al/iance), a party representing a cross
section of the territory's many ethnic
groups. Center photo: Supporters of
the South West African People's Orga·
nization (SWAPO) demonstrate in Wind·
hoek. SWAPO has both a recognized
political organization inside Namibia
and an external/y based guerrilla com·
mand. Above: DTA supporters enthu·
siastically endorse their party, which
won a majority of seats in the new as·
sembly. Below, opposite page: The
most prominent politica/ /eader inside
South West Africa is Dirk Mudge, head
of the DTA, who has worked tirelessly
to forge a political alliance between
SWA 's many diverse cultures and eth·
nic groups.
that the Bushrnen, the region's first
inhabitants, called it "the land God
made in anger." The name
Namibia
is derived from thc coastal Namib
Desert, which contains the largest
sand dunes of any desert in thc
world.
With water such a limit ing factor,
Namibia's total population-just un–
der one million people- is very small.
But though sparsely populated, the
territory has an extraordinary human
matrix, which, in turn, seriously com–
plicates its política! picture. Narnibia
contains no less than twelve distinct
ethnic-linguistic groups, with many
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