State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2016 - Namibia

Events of 2015

In March 2015, Namibia celebrated 25 years of independence. Besides Ovambo, who make up around half of the population, its diverse communities include around 10 language groups and a range of peoples with different lifestyles, including nomadic pastoralists, hunter-gatherers and others. Yet much of the country's resources remain concentrated in the hands of its white population and a small political elite, while other communities, such as indigenous San, live in abject poverty.

This is in part due to the country's traumatic past during the colonial era, first under German and then South African rule. Between 1904 and 1908, German authorities undertook a systematic campaign against Nama and Herero tribespeople that saw more than 65,000 people killed. While Germany apologized formally in 2004, it has yet to acknowledge its actions as genocide or provide compensation, though progress in ongoing negotiations for formal reparations to the descendants of the victims was made during the year when Norbert Lammert, President of Germany's parliament, acknowledged that the massacres would today be classified as genocide.

Another area where colonial abuses continue to affect communities today is ancestral land rights. Hai//om San, for example, were forcibly removed from Etosha National Park six decades ago and have not benefited economically from the tourist activities now taking place there. In 2015, the community launched a legal claim to access the park and control operations within it, as well as to receive a share of its revenue; eight members applied to the High Court to have their class action suit heard. Land rights remain a contested issue for the country's indigenous communities today in the face of development programmes, such as the construction of a controversial hydroelectric power station and a dam in the Kunene River. Ovahimba pastoralists in the region have condemned the lack of prior consultation over the development and claim it will lead to the loss of irreplaceable cultural heritage as ancestral graves will have to be exhumed to make way for the scheme. It will also deny them and their livestock access to important grazing land vital to the continuation of their traditional livelihoods.

Though political representation of indigenous communities remains limited, some positive steps have nevertheless been taken, including efforts to establish a national organization as an advocacy platform. The ///Ana-Jeh San Trust, set up in 2014 by San tertiary students with the aim of promoting education within the community, was formalized in 2015 along with the National San Council (NSC). The NSC has been active at an informal level since 2004 and is made up of different San communities with the shared aim of supporting San social and economic development.

These community organizations have an important role to play in addressing the specific issues of discrimination facing particular communities. While the creation of a new Ministry of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare in 2015 is promising, it is important that its initiatives are appropriately designed to also reach the most marginalized communities, such as San, who face exploitation, hunger and poverty due to their physical isolation and persistent discrimination against them. Women and children are especially vulnerable due to sexual abuse and lack of access to essential services such as health or schooling; those engaged in domestic work and farm labour are particularly at risk. It is hoped that the Child Care and Protection Act, passed in 2015, will strengthen educational access for indigenous children, many of whom are unable to attend schools due to their remote locations.