Former President Nangolo Mbumba officially launched a pictorial book commemorating the late Founding President Sam Nujoma in Windhoek on Tuesday.

The launch was attended by high-ranking government officials, former dignitaries, and members of the Nujoma family, among others.

The book largely draws on the archives of the New Era Publication Corporation (New Era), with additional photographs contributed by the Office of the Founding President.

Businesswoman Martha Namundjebo-Tilahun also played a key role in bringing the project to fruition, having committed funding for the book’s printing.

Proceeds from the book will be shared by New Era and the Office of the Founding President.
In his keynote address, Mbumba said the book serves as a valuable tool for honouring and preserving the legacy of the late statesman, enabling future generations to learn from his remarkable life.

“It is therefore fitting that through this book, with its poignant pictures, we are all able to celebrate, preserve, and honour the monumental legacy of our founding father, so that generations of the present and generations of the future will continue to draw lessons from his exceptional life and be inspired by his courageous feats,” Mbumba said.
He noted that the photographs provide the nation, and international audiences, with a vivid sense of the kind of leader Nujoma was.

“It is imperative that we safeguard our history, especially through literature, and that means through written records, in order to expand our knowledge and maintain our sense of identity,” Mbumba said.

Speaking on behalf of the Nujoma family, former Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation, and son of Sam Nujoma, Utoni Nujoma, called for the continued documentation of Nujoma’s experiences and personal contributions to Swapo and Namibia’s liberation history as a means of preserving his legacy.

“I therefore wish to thank all those photographers, authors, editors, and sponsors who helped to make this book possible,” Utoni Nujoma said, expressing appreciation for the initiative’s contributors.

The book was launched under the theme ‘Celebrating a Life of a Revolutionary and an African Icon.’
Founding President Sam Nujoma died in February this year, aged 95. -Nampa