The giant, which formed the national identity of Namibia, leaves a void that can be hoped to fill.
Namibia, which previously called South -Western Africa, suffered decades of robbery and colonial violence in the hands of Europeans who flocked into the country at the turn of the 20th century.
Starting in 1904, German colonizers killed tens of thousands of Namibians in what was called the world “Forgotten Genocide”. German officers used black Africans as guinea pigs for horrific crimes that the Nazis repeated during the Holocaust.
Namibia was under occupation from 1884 to 1915, when Germany lost the colony in the First World War.
Namibia then came under the control of the White South Africa, which expanded its racist laws into the country, denying the Black Namibians any political rights, as well as restricting social and economic freedoms.
The introduction of strong legislation of the apartheid led to the guerrilla warfare in 1966.
At this stage, Nujoma has already participated in the fight against the White Minority rule.
The self -defense “eldest son of a peasant family” from the northern village of Etunda had a humble start in life, with elementary school education.
He was married to Kavamba Theopaldin Katzhimun, with whom he had four children and worked on the railway, he greatly captured politics and wanted to see how his people are free from the injustice and the spatility of colonialism.
Inspiration came in the history of early Namib resistance leaders such as Hendrick Witbois, who fought with the Germans in the 1880s.
Until 1959, Noujam became the head of the Owamboland People’s Organization, the independence movement, which was the predecessor of Swapo.
A year later, 30 years, Nujoma was forced to exile. Not having a passport he used his trick to adopt different persons and made his way to trains and planes. external – It ends in Zambia and Tanzania before heading to West Africa.
With the help of the Liberian authorities, who were early supporters of pressing the independence of the Black Namibians, the bored flew to New York and asked for the help of Namibia’s independence – but South Africa refused.
The knife was named “Marxist terrorist” with white leaders of South Africa for leading forces who fought together with anti -porticular motion, creating a formidable problem for oppressing regimes in several South African countries.
With the support of the Cuban troops fighting in neighboring Angola, the Swapo guerrillas were able to attack South African bases in Namibia.
Returning from the exile, the bored was quickly canceled by the South African authorities and deported to Zambia six years later.
“We knew that only military force and mass political mobilization, supported by the support of people, will force South Africa from Namibia,” said Noujam in his autobiography, where others hesitated, published in 2001.
He led the Swapo forces from exile before returning to the country in 1989, a year after South Africa agreed to Namibia’s independence.
South Africa has become more isolated internationally, and the cost of military intervention increased. Namibia finally gained independence in 1990 after almost 25 years of war.
