The Passing of a Great Man

Here's a letter I sent to The Namibian this week after hearing of the death of one of the architects of that country's constitution.

Editor:

Reports of the death of Niko Bessinger brought back vivid memories of a night I spent with this great man in 2001. I was a visiting journalist in Namibia and a mutual colleague brought us together in her garden.

It was early in the meeting that I became aware I was sitting with giants. Mr. Bessinger was not well that evening. We sat in the warm night air and he was wrapped in a thick coat, along with a long woolen scarf. He complained about the flu which he fought off with extensive shots of brandy.

We both drank far too much that night but I revelled in our discussions about his helping in the writing of Namibia's constitution.

I was aware I sat and argued with a man who was Namibia's equivalent of Thomas Jefferson. He touched me with his towering intelligence and his ribald sense of humor.

Namibia is fortunate to have been touched by this architect of your society. I was fortunate to have sat in his shadow that night.

Robert S. Mellis
Palmetto, Florida, USA