Sam Nujoma, ¡presente!

Dr. Sam Nujoma, leader of the South West African People’s Organization (SWAPO), died on Feb. 8 at the age of 95 in Windhoek, Namibia. 

SWAPO, founded on April 19, 1960, began as a political party. It then created an armed wing — the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) — in 1966 to fight for the liberation of South West Africa, occupied by the racist apartheid regime of South Africa. Dr. Nujoma became the commander-in-chief of PLAN. 

A former German colony, South West Africa won its independence during U.N.-supervised elections in September 1989 and formally changed its name to Namibia. After spending 30 years in forced exile, Dr. Nujoma was elected the first president of Namibia on March 21, 1990, the day of Namibia’s independence, and remained in office until 2005. 

In a speech given in Harlem, New York, at the Harriet Tubman School on May 6, 1988, one year before Namibia’s independence, Dr. Nujoma stated: “We believe that until Namibia and South Africa are liberated, the forces of imperialism and capitalism will always undermine us all — people of African descent — whether at home or abroad. Therefore we consider, brothers and sisters, that your struggle is our struggle. Your victory is our victory. And our victory is your victory!” (Workers World, May 15, 1988)

The late Pat Chin contributed to this report.