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| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner | Free Press of Namibia |
| Editor-in-chief | Tangeni Amupadhi |
| Founded | 30 August 1985 |
| Language | English,Oshiwambo |
| Headquarters | Windhoek West,Windhoek |
| Website | www |
The Namibian is the largest daily newspaper inNamibia.[1] It is published inEnglish andOshiwambo.
The newspaper was established in 1985 by journalistGwen Lister as a weekly newspaper reliant on support of donors, which aimed to promoteNamibian independence fromSouth Africa. Its first edition appeared on 30 August of that year with a print run of 10,000.[2]The Namibian became a daily newspaper on 1 April 1989.[3] It is owned by theprivate trust Free Press of Namibia, managed by its founding editor.[4]
On the 15th anniversary of its foundation,United Nations Secretary-GeneralKofi Annan praised the newspaper: "The Namibian worked courageously in difficult and often dangerous conditions. Since then, it has contributed immeasurably to press freedom and nation-building in Namibia. Throughout, it has maintained its integrity and independent stance."[5]
The newspaper exposed human rights violations by South Africa's occupying forces and was thus perceived as overly critical and pro-SWAPO by the South African government. Even the name of the newspaper irritated the South African administration as they preferred the land to be calledSouth West Africa, whereasNamibia was a notion closely related to the independence movement.[6]
There were several incidents of violence againstThe Namibian's offices, leased from anti-apartheid activist and architectKerry McNamara,[7] in the months after its foundation. Shooting at the building necessitated the installation of bullet-proof glass, and there were several firebombing and teargassing attacks.[8] The newspaper offices were attacked by theAfrikanerwhite supremacistWit Wolwe (Afrikaans:White Wolves) vigilante group in October 1988. The newspaper's offices were almost burned down.[9] South Africa'sCivil Cooperation Bureau planned to poison editor Lister,[10] the newspaper was boycotted by the white business community, and "journalists and sympathisers" ofThe Namibian were denied entry in shops all over the country.[6]
The offices of the newspaper were again devastated by a phosphorus grenade attack shortly afterNamibian independence in 1990 by a right-wing counterrevolutionary group whose plot to unseat SWAPO was covered byThe Namibian.[8] However, the critical approach of the newspaper was also disliked by the SWAPO government.[6]Dirk Mudge, head of theSouth African-controlled government from1978 to1989 wrote at the occasion of the newspaper's 10th anniversary:[11]
"During the past ten years [...]The Namibian [...] did not show particular understanding nor sympathy towards me personally and my political views. Cognisance must however, be taken of the fact thatThe Namibian is also prepared to take the present government and its leaders to task whenever necessary."
The unpopularity of the newspaper within government led to a boycott on 5 December 2000 which was overturned only on 30 August 2011, the newspaper's 26th anniversary. In the more than ten years in between, government offices were not allowed to advertise in the newspaper, and it was forbidden to buy copies ofThe Namibian with government funds.[12]
A noteworthy feature ofThe Namibian are the SMS pages called "What you're saying!". These pages dedicated to "short messages to the editor" allow citizens from all over Namibia to comment on and raise topics, since mobile phones are widespread and cheaper and easier than mail or internet. According to former editor Gwen Lister,The Namibian was the first newspaper to offer such an open forum for discussion via text message, since similar programmes at other media (e.g. in South Africa) only allowed comment on chosen articles.[6]
The newspaper has offices inWindhoek,Swakopmund,Keetmanshoop,Rundu andOshakati.[6] The current editor of the newspaper isTangeni Amupadhi. Until March 2011, the newspaper was headed by its founder Gwen Lister.[13] Its circulation in 2010 was 40,000.[2]
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