In this Post, I have shared some of the most memorable Sam Nujoma quotes.
Sam Nujoma was born on May 12, 1929. His is a Namibian revolutionary, anti-apartheid activist, and politician who served as Namibia’s first President for three terms, from 1990 to 2005.
Nujoma was a leading figure in the national liberation movement’s struggle for Namibia’s political independence from South African rule. During the 1950s, he became active in anti-colonial activities.
He co-founded and was the first president of the Ovamboland People’s Movement (OPO), a nationalist organization campaigning for an independent Namibia, in 1959. He was captured and deported to Ovamboland after organizing the 1958 Old Location resistance. In 1960, he escaped and went to Tanzania where he was welcomed by Julius Nyerere.
While in exile, he formed the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) in 1962 and began a guerrilla war against South Africa’s apartheid regime in August 1966, when the United Nations revoked South Africa’s authority to rule the Nambia. Nujoma was the leader of SWAPO throughout Namibia’s war of independence, which lasted from 1966 to 1989.
Namibia gained independence from South Africa in 1990, when it held its first democratic elections. On March 21, 1990. Nujoma was elected as the country’s first President.
Also Read – PLO Lumumba quotes
10 Sam Nujoma Quotes
- “Our efforts to promote continental integration must place education of our people at the top of our priorities, as key elements in addressing development challenges.”
2. “What our people want is to be involved in the decision-making process and to actively participate in decisions, which will ultimately affect them,.. They then will take ownership of these decisions and ensure that they are successfully implemented.”
3. “If Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi continue with their aggression and occupation of Congo, we demand that economic sanctions should be imposed on the aggressors so that peace can be restored in this country.”
4. “A nation without culture lacks the dynamism that can enable it to face the future with confidence.”
5. “To the Namibian people, I would like to state, on this solemn occasion, that our nation blazed the trail to freedom. It has arisen to its’ feet. As from today, we are masters of this vast land of our ancestors. The destiny of this country is now fully in our own hands. We should, therefore, look forward to the future with confidence and hope.”
6. “Namibia doesn’t belong to us alone. Namibia belongs to the African continent. It belongs to Zambia, Angola, Algeria.”
7. “We must make (the cease-fire) work. We cannot have stability and development and guarantee the future of our people without peace.”
8. “There cannot be democracy in an unstable political environment . Neither can there be development in an undemocratic environment where citizens are deprived of taking initiatives in the private sector in the interest of their country.”
9. “I want to see a united and prosperous Namibia.”
10. “This is a moment for all SWAPO Party’s rank and file to unite and speak with one voice and map the way forward for both the Party and the country.”
My favorite Sam Nujoma quotes are, “Our efforts to promote continental integration must place education of our people at the top of our priorities, as key elements in addressing development challenges.” and “A nation without culture lacks the dynamism that can enable it to face the future with confidence.”