Nujoma was the leader of Namibia’s fight for independence from apartheid South Africa.
Sam Nujoma, the activist who led Namibia to independence and became its first president, has died at age 95.
Namibia’s current president, Nangolo Mbumba, announced Nujoma’s death on Feb. 9. Mbumba stated that Nujoma died the night prior following his hospitalization in the nation’s capital city of Windhoek.
“The foundations of the Republic of Namibia have been shaken,” shared Mbumba. “Over the past three weeks, the Founding President of the Republic of Namibia and Founding Father of the Namibian Nation was hospitalized for medical treatment and medical observation due to ill health… Unfortunately, this time, the most gallant son of our land could not recover from his illness.”
While Nujoma championed national-healing and reconciliation within its countrymen, the man many branded a Marxist also gained support from North Korea, Cuba, Russia, and China for his liberation movement. Despite this, and his fierce push against the West, Nujoma also built relations with Western democratic powers. He became the first African leader to stay at the White House, hosted by former President Bill Clinton. Clinton described him as the “George Washington” of Namibia and a “genuine hero” for global democracy.
Nujoma’s legacy, while esteemed, has faced its own criticisms as well. He called AIDS a “man-made biological weapon” while also calling homosexuality a “foreign and corrupt ideology.” Despite his controversial views, he still shaped the democratic structure of Namibia through its constitution and relations with other countries.
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Source: Black Enterprise
