Recently the national day of Namibia was held at the A.C.P. house in Brussels. Let’s discover this country a bit.

Namibia is a southern African country overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered with Botswana, South Africa, Angola and Zambia. It was inhabitated since early times from local ethnic groups (Bantu, San, Damara and Namaqua) but most of the territory became a German Imperial protectorate in 1884 and remained a German colony until the end of World War I. In 1920, the League of Nations mandated the country to South Africa, which imposed its laws and, from 1948, its apartheid policy.

Uprisings and demands by African leaders led the UN to assume direct responsibility over the territory. Namibia obtained full independence from South Africa in 1990.

Nowadays Namibia has a population of 2.1 million people and a stable multi-party parliamentary democracy. Agriculture, herding, tourism and the mining industry form the backbone of Namibia’s economy. It is one of few countries in the world to specifically address conservation and protection of natural resources in its constitution.

The colors on the national flag symbolize important natural and human characteristics of Namibia: sunlight and the desert (yellow), rain and the ocean (blue), crops and vegetation (green), the blood shed in war (red), and peace and reconciliation (white). Before independence, European-influenced arts were relatively well-funded by private and governmental sources. Since independence, research and promotion of indigenous music, dance, oral literature, and other artistic forms have increased greatly with government support.

Endless horizons, clear skies and a population density that ranks among the lowest in
the world, it all combines to give visitors a true sense of freedom. Whether your interest is in wildlife, landscape, adventure, people, culture, your days here will be filled with plenty of sunshine, beautiful sights and unforgettable experiences found nowhere else on earth !

Claudio SANNA