Namibia: Fit for purpose, attending G20 social summit
By Ndiilokelwa Nthengwe, Executive Director - VCRC Namibia
Attending the G20 Social Summit, hosted for the first time on African soil, marked a profound moment of political, personal, and historical alignment for me. As a Namibian activist, author, and tech entrepreneur whose work has consistently straddled national and global spaces, stepping into this arena felt both familiar and entirely new. My journey into the Summit was prefaced by my participation at the inaugural Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting, where I represented Namibian Grantee Partners under the EU–Marang Fund. That meeting set the tone. It reminded me that this level of representation carries weight; it demands seriousness of purpose, and it affirms that when Namibia shows up, it must be with clarity, integrity, and intention.
The Summit week unfolded with layers of political symbolism and personal awakening. At the Women 20 Side Event (attended by UN Women delegates WOSSO Fellows, Marang PSC representatives and stakeholders from all over), my film ‘Wrong Generation’ (Co-Funded by the EU-Marang Grant), was included in a display by African activists. Seeing a story I executive-produced, rooted deeply in Namibian protest culture, screened at such a high-level global convening reminded me that impact scales when it is intentional, not forced. The film’s presence was not performative; it was a testament to years of work shaped by grief, resistance, and community-building. In that moment, I realized that African feminist storytelling belongs on these stages; not as an afterthought but as a deliberate, dignified offering.
The Opening of the G20 Social Summit itself was a turning point in my internal landscape. I expected to feel overwhelmed or out of place. Instead, I felt aligned. I was not out of kilter; I was fit for purpose. I paid attention, allowed the opening celebrations to settle into my body, and permitted myself to reflect more deeply on what it means to be Black, Queer, Young, and present in this historic space. I thought about Namibia – my Namibia – where so many of us lack orientation on the global stage. And yet here I was: one of only a few Namibians in attendance. Our President, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, was invited merely as a “Special Guest.” And here stood an award-winning activist from the same country, participating because of years of consistent, grounded advocacy. That juxtaposition stayed with me. It raised questions about nationhood, identity politics, and our own understanding of global presence and legitimacy.
Thursday’s “We, The 99” People’s Summit was electrifying. The drumming in the opening session transported me instantly to the streets of Windhoek during #ShutItAllDown in 2020. Those same rhythms had awakened me politically once, and now they awakened something again…something deeper. Chanting “Palestine will be free!” and “Congo will be free!” forced me to confront my knowledge gaps about the wars on the continent and beyond. It made me ask myself a painful but necessary question: How long will this carry on? How long will liberation be a chant instead of a reality?
On Friday, we stood in solidarity with Women For Change during South Africa’s nationwide shutdown demanding action against GBVF. That same day, GBV and femicide were declared a national crisis (though many rightfully pushed for it to be declared a national disaster). The tension between progress and reluctance mirrored so much of what we face in Namibia. I felt a familiar ache: there is still so much work to do back home. The week’s activism reminded me that feminist advocacy requires endurance, consistency, and an understanding that victories often come slowly and begrudgingly.
By the end of the G20 week, one truth crystallized for me: impact requires intentionality. Not spectacle. Not force. Intention. The kind of intention that has guided my work at Autono-Me (my tech company), the VCRC Health and Research Institute, and as a Marang Fund Grantee; the intention that shaped my books and my film; the intention that grounds my current journey in Intellectual Property Law and as recently, being the recipient of a Mandela Rhodes Scholarship. Being at the G20 Social Summit affirmed not only my readiness but my responsibility. It reminded me that as a Namibian, a feminist, a queer Black creative, and a leader, I must continue moving with purpose even if the effect of that purpose takes years to materialize.
The G20 Social Summit did not simply give me a global stage; it mirrored back to me the fullness of who I am, who I have become, and who I am still evolving into.
And I left knowing, without hesitation, that I am fit for purpose.
