Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Just Taste It
The region of South Africa that the Himba cultural group resides, in the Namibian region, has had their government completely changed since the Independence of Namibia in 1990. It was not until that point that their region had become a republic and free from other countries oppression. Founded by a German merchant-explorer Adolf Luederitz. The task then arose to turn the recently purchased land into a German colony. It took until the end of the First World War before coalitions began to rise up and took until 1966 before South Africa rebelled and led to military struggle.
Previously known as German Southwest Africa and South-West Africa, the country gained their independence and received their current name, Namibia. However, it took some time and military struggle between South Africa and South Western African People’s Organization (SWAPO) before any such freedom would happen. On February 9th 1990, a constitution was ratified and put into effect approximately one month later on March 12th 1990. Yet, their official independence and own way of government did not take effect until nine days later, March 21st 1990, their Independence Day.
Their first visible signs of independence were shown when free elections where held to
for a president elect. For the first time, thanks to SWAPO, the black majority were allowed to vote making SWAPO the largest and most powerful political organization. Sam Nujoma was elected, quite unanimously, as the state’s president and took office to proclaim freedom on March 21st, their independence day.
Similarly to the United States, the Namibian government consists of the same three branches; executive, legislative, and judicial. Presidential elections are held every five years, where the only suffrage applied is an age limit set at eighteen years, for a term lasting that amount of time to appoint a chief of state. Next is a another elected official in head of state, the Prime Minister. Completing the executive branch there is a cabinet appointed by the elected president, much like that of the USA.
Next, the legislative branch is comprised of a bicameral legislature composed of the National Council and the National Assembly. The National Council, primary an advisory board, consists of appointed members from each of the thirteen Namibian regions to serve a six year term, much like the Senate. The National Assembly consists of seventy-two seats where members are elected by popular vote to serve a five year term.
Lastly, the judicial committee, is simply the Supreme Court. The judges are appointed by the president based on recommendations given by the Judicial Service Commission.
The government officials reside in Tintenpalast, Namibian for “Ink Palace”, located in the of the Namibian capital city of Windhoek. While Windhoek is the capital city, the aforementioned thirteen administrative divisions are Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena, Okavango, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Osikoto, and Otjozondjupa..
Currently presiding over all of those thirteen administrative regions is Dr Sam Nujoma, the first and only president for Namibia. Born in 1929 into a poverty stricken village and after attending school graduated and began to launch his political career. In 1959 he became the leader of the Owambo People’s Organization which is currently known as SWAPO. It was then that he and fellow OPO members began holding demonstrations until they gained their independence and allowed to elect their own free leader. In 1990, it was Dr Sam Nujoma himself who was nominated and elected to be the first president. He was again reelected in 1994 and 1999, he is up for reelection this year.
At Dr Sam’s side is his prime minister Dr Theo-Ben Gurirab. He first attended Augustineum Training College where he recieved his teacher’s diploma. However, while studying there, something else interested him more. Politics, which interested Dr Theo-Ben enough for him to continue studying them at the University of Pennsylvania where he got his Master’s Degree in Political Science, became his way of life. While studying at U Penn he was also the SWAPO representative at the United Nations. In 1989 he returned to Namibia where he contributed quite significantly into the drafting of the first Namibian Constitution. It was for those efforts that he was elected to be the first Prime Minister of the newly democratic Namibia.
Namibia, more specifically members of the Himba tribe which reside in that region, have been through dramatic changes in their government policies over the last 20 years just to become a peaceful democratic nation. With the policies of their new constitution they seem to be well on their way to having the peaceful nation that SWAPO desperately fought for in its forty-five years of existence as OPO and then SWAPO.
Previously known as German Southwest Africa and South-West Africa, the country gained their independence and received their current name, Namibia. However, it took some time and military struggle between South Africa and South Western African People’s Organization (SWAPO) before any such freedom would happen. On February 9th 1990, a constitution was ratified and put into effect approximately one month later on March 12th 1990. Yet, their official independence and own way of government did not take effect until nine days later, March 21st 1990, their Independence Day.
Their first visible signs of independence were shown when free elections where held to
for a president elect. For the first time, thanks to SWAPO, the black majority were allowed to vote making SWAPO the largest and most powerful political organization. Sam Nujoma was elected, quite unanimously, as the state’s president and took office to proclaim freedom on March 21st, their independence day.
Similarly to the United States, the Namibian government consists of the same three branches; executive, legislative, and judicial. Presidential elections are held every five years, where the only suffrage applied is an age limit set at eighteen years, for a term lasting that amount of time to appoint a chief of state. Next is a another elected official in head of state, the Prime Minister. Completing the executive branch there is a cabinet appointed by the elected president, much like that of the USA.
Next, the legislative branch is comprised of a bicameral legislature composed of the National Council and the National Assembly. The National Council, primary an advisory board, consists of appointed members from each of the thirteen Namibian regions to serve a six year term, much like the Senate. The National Assembly consists of seventy-two seats where members are elected by popular vote to serve a five year term.
Lastly, the judicial committee, is simply the Supreme Court. The judges are appointed by the president based on recommendations given by the Judicial Service Commission.
The government officials reside in Tintenpalast, Namibian for “Ink Palace”, located in the of the Namibian capital city of Windhoek. While Windhoek is the capital city, the aforementioned thirteen administrative divisions are Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena, Okavango, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Osikoto, and Otjozondjupa..
Currently presiding over all of those thirteen administrative regions is Dr Sam Nujoma, the first and only president for Namibia. Born in 1929 into a poverty stricken village and after attending school graduated and began to launch his political career. In 1959 he became the leader of the Owambo People’s Organization which is currently known as SWAPO. It was then that he and fellow OPO members began holding demonstrations until they gained their independence and allowed to elect their own free leader. In 1990, it was Dr Sam Nujoma himself who was nominated and elected to be the first president. He was again reelected in 1994 and 1999, he is up for reelection this year.
At Dr Sam’s side is his prime minister Dr Theo-Ben Gurirab. He first attended Augustineum Training College where he recieved his teacher’s diploma. However, while studying there, something else interested him more. Politics, which interested Dr Theo-Ben enough for him to continue studying them at the University of Pennsylvania where he got his Master’s Degree in Political Science, became his way of life. While studying at U Penn he was also the SWAPO representative at the United Nations. In 1989 he returned to Namibia where he contributed quite significantly into the drafting of the first Namibian Constitution. It was for those efforts that he was elected to be the first Prime Minister of the newly democratic Namibia.
Namibia, more specifically members of the Himba tribe which reside in that region, have been through dramatic changes in their government policies over the last 20 years just to become a peaceful democratic nation. With the policies of their new constitution they seem to be well on their way to having the peaceful nation that SWAPO desperately fought for in its forty-five years of existence as OPO and then SWAPO.
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