A great tree has fallen. The ground has been shaken. The founding father of the Namibian republic is no more. A nation is in mourning, and the world is in shock.
A world without Founding President Sam Nujoma, which was unimaginable to many across this vast land, now stares us dead in the eye.
His stoic figure and firm but fair rule over Namibia resonated with many.
His gallant fight against colonial occupation and his effort to forge a united country painted a picture larger than life. A picture of an immortal being.
Like in many sectors, the death of the founding president has left gaping holes—both literally and figuratively—amongst those practising in such industries. The media sector is no different.
Namibia has been consistently ranked amongst the top media-friendly countries.
A country where media practitioners are free to carry out their mandate without State duress or State interference. This foundation was laid at independence, as in his wisdom Nujoma and fellow leaders saw it fit to advance media freedom.
A newly-independent Namibia needed to tell her story. The age-old adage tells us that the story of the hunt will always glorify the hunter, lest the lion get to share his side of the story. It was, therefore, imperative that the government set the pace for credible, trustworthy information-sharing and education through the media.
Barely a year after independence—under Nujoma’s rule—the Namibian parliament gazetted the Namibian Broadcasting Act 9 of 1991, which provided for the establishment of a broadcasting corporation for Namibia. This gave birth to the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC).
The following year, the same Parliament enacted Act 1 of 1992, which saw the establishment of the New Era Publication Corporation. The corporation would publish its flagship newspaper, the New Era, to provide citizens with timely news.
The same year, the country’s only news agency, Namibia Press Agency, came into existence through Act 3 of 1992 to bolster the country’s media fraternity. As a young republic, Namibia had, in the first two years of its existence, already positioned itself as a symbol of democracy by further allowing for a pluralistic media sector.
Both public and private media were allowed to set up shop and practice freely without intimidation, harassment or censorship from the State or government. Namibia’s popularity as a media-friendly country continues to grow.
At a seminar in Windhoek in 1991, ideas exchanged by various African journalists and media practitioners gave birth to one of journalism’s most revered declarations—the Windhoek Declaration.
The Windhoek Declaration is considered a benchmark for ensuring press freedom around the world. It acts as a catalyst to encourage press freedom, independence and pluralism in Africa and in other parts of the world.
For a country that was emerging fresh from the tentacles of colonial rule, Namibia’s media sector had firmly positioned itself to be amongst the best in attracting confidence from its readers—all thanks to the independence it enjoys.
Nujoma’s legacy in the media sector stands as strong and historic as any other sector. And for that, the media will continue paying tribute to him.
He may be gone, but his legacy will continue to set pace in the media sector across both private and public media.
We salute you, Nujoma the Great.