Barriers on the Path to Freedom. Helmut Lauschke

The story gives insight into the everyday conflicts caused by psychological and physical sufferings of the people in regard to helplessness, poverty and starvation on the one side, and ignorance and apathy on the other side. The story goes beyond the colour bar during the apartheid era, it goes deep down to the roots of culture and traditions to reveal the causes of ignorance and malpractices and their consequences. The story is based on personal experiences about courage, commitment and caring for neglected, injured and disabled people. It is a story about life and devotion of a few doctors at the hospital in the far north of Namibia close to the Angolan border, inside the war zone where the war for independence was escalating. The story challenges the reader to value the people's character and to re-evaluate the honesty in regard to their social commitments. The story, with its various conflicts, is a confrontation between truth and the permanent temptation of untruth. Freedom with responsibility should become the foundation of life and education, with providing reason, reasonableness and strength to overcome the weaknesses of disrespect, prejudice and opportunism, from where come the evils of unsocial behaviours like dishonesty, arrogance, nepotism and corruption associated with bribery and self-enrichment, which leads to discrimination, segregation and exploitation. All these aspects of inhumanity and irresponsibility cause the social imbalances with loss of trust among the people resulting in insecurity, increase of poverty and unrest.
Die Geschichte gibt Einblick in die Alltagskonflikte, verursacht durch die seelischen und körperlichen Leiden der Menschen in ihrer Hilflosigkeit, Armut und Verzehrung auf der einen Seite und der Ignoranz und Gleichgültigkeit auf der anderen Seite. Die Geschichte geht über die Farbschranke während der Apartheid hinaus und reicht tief zu den Wurzeln der Kultur und Traditionen.