**1. Introduction**

#### **1.1. Introduction to the Republic of Namibia and Nama people**

Namibia, formerly known as Sűd West Africa, is situated in the South Western corner of Africa, in sub-Saharan Africa. This young vibrant nation gained independence on 21st March 1990, following decades of colonial rule under the Germans and subsequently South African apartheid regime.

According to ILO [1], the Nama language is the only surviving Khoe language in Northern South Africa and Southern Namibia. The word "Khoe" means a person. In their own language the Nama people refer to themselves as Khoenkhoen (people's person). It is interesting to note that up until 1994, the Government of South Africa was not aware of the presence of people who were Nama speaking. From a historical perspective the Nama communities managed to maintain communal land for grazing, which extended into Richtersveld National Park with limited hunting and planting. Nama's were in constant conflict with the white settlers, and Basters. The Basters maintained their identity and moved from Cape Town to Namibia. The primary purpose was to find safer land. Namibian Nama people spoke Nama and Afrikaans and practiced pastoralism. The Nama people in Southern Namibia on which this chapter is based is subdivided into the following clans namely (see **Table 1** below):

During the colonial period, the Nama people were thought and seen as a threat and barbaric in nature. The colonizers were constantly seeking new ways and efforts to ensure that they are completely wiped out. This attempt was also done to ensure that they convert to Christianity or die. Under the apartheid law, Nama people that were not already assimilated into other native groups were forced to be registered as colored. Failure to comply with this rule was unavoidable and illegal. Nama elders were forced to hide their identities or misinterpret them


**Table 1.** The Nama clans.

from their neighbors and sometimes even their children. This use of indigenous language bibles, including Nama was prohibited in Namibia.

Jacobs [2] narrated the pre-dominance of this tribe (Nama) in socio-economics and politics of South West Africa, today known as Namibia. The Nama people conquered, discovered, marauder and fierce resistance to colonial occupation of their land. The colonial forces reacted to fierce opposition from this tribe with mounted reprisal. The colonizers had strong weapons and ammunition and they killed, raped, maimed, drowned, fed to sharks, beheaded, departed and more than half of the Nama people were lost. Precious lives were lost including land, possessions and property in the hands of the German occupation forces. These latter mentioned painful experiences were told by the ancestors to their children. The Nama's were the most feared tribe by the Germans, not because of their military strengths, but because of their intellectual intelligence. This fear that the Germans had led to the establishment and foundation of concentration camps on which Drechsler [3] narrated as the "transfer of the Witbooi and the Bethanie people to Shark Island marked the beginning of a harrowing ordeal on what was referred to as the Death Island". The Nama's could not cope with the humidity and chilling prevailing climate and most of them died like flies. Although many Nama people lost their lives, their persistence, perseverance and determination can still be seen among todays' generation in the twenty-first century.

This chapter comes at a very crucial and critical time in the Namibia history of the Nama people as the underperformance of the people impact the positive economy of Namibia as a nation. In addition the Nama young people in Namibia started the *"Landless Peoples' Movement"* recently. The Nama people in the Southern//Kharas region constitutes approximately 11,226 poor people, meaning that they are unable to access basic needs. The poorest areas in//Kharas are Berseba, Keetmanshoop rural and Karasburg.
