Reflecting on the Legacy of Dr Sam Nujoma
I join the rest of the country as we mourn and pay homage to our founding president, Dr Sam Nujoma, who died on 8 February 2025 at the age of 95.
My memories of Dr Nujoma are clouded by time and my youthfulness during his terms of office but, like so many Namibians, I feel a fondness and gratitude towards the man who not only did much to guarantee our independence but also steered the Namibian ship commendably during his time in office.
In 1988 I was nine years old and politically still very naïve. I remember a friend, whose mother was a lot more politically aware than my parents were, telling us all about a thing called “Resolution 435” and how it could soon free Namibia. I did not really understand the situation of the government and how Namibia, while supposedly an independent country, was being ruled by South Africa, but that did not stop me from getting caught up in the excitement, especially after April 1989 when the implementation of the resolution began in earnest and the arrival of, what would eventually be, thousands of blue bereted UNTAG troops.
It was a long time ago, but I remember it was around this time that I first started hearing the name Sam Nujoma spoken about widely. His face also started appearing more frequently on news bulletins and later in the year on T-shirts and election posters. One of our neighbours was somehow involved in the transition and election process and through him I was able to collect posters and T-shirts of all the major political parties, as well as much of the UNTAG-sponsored “Your Vote is Your Secret” paraphernalia, which I wish I still had today.
As a 10-year-old, I had no “dog in the fight” and, as such, no allegiance to any of the parties contesting the elections in 1989. However, on 21 March 1990, I remember feeling exceptionally proud about the fact that my country was now free and that it was no longer South West Africa but Namibia – a feeling I maintain to this day!
I also remember feeling proud of our president, who had a warm friendly smile, was said to get up early every morning to exercise, and who, seemingly being happy to be known as “Sam”, seemed open and accessible to all.
There were undoubtedly some missteps during Dr Sam Nujoma’s fifteen years in power and some “entertaining” off-script moments, but given the fear and mistrust that existed in 1990, I think that we can all be grateful that we had a leader like him to oversee our formative years.
I am often shocked when I travel to South Africa at how divided people there sometimes still seem to be, and the way some are prepared to talk about those from other racial groups. While I am not naïve enough to believe that we live in a state of complete racial harmony in Namibia and that there are not still people who harbour racial biases, I do believe that the policy of “national reconciliation” as proclaimed by Sam Nujoma is largely to thank for our smooth transition. While some, perhaps justifiably, feel it let a lot of people “off the hook” and that a South African-style Truth and Reconciliation Commission would have been better so that people could be held accountable for their actions, doing so may have led to us perpetuating a sense of otherness rather than allowing us to come together as, in the words of Jackson Kaujeua and The Swapo Singers, “One Namibia One Nation”.
Until next time, enjoy the journey which Dr Sam Nujoma’s sacrifices have afforded us.
David Bishop
