A festive message from the President: honouring our past, cherishing our present, and inspiring a brighter tomorrow

Dear Reader

The Festive season is a time for serenity, joy and fellowship with family and
friends. It is also a season of sharing laughter and life with our beloved ones,
as well as gifting those who are less fortunate with what we have been blessed
throughout the year 2024.

As a country, we had gone through a lot this year: without warning we were
compelled to say farewell to our beloved President Dr. Hage G. Geingob; A new
leadership was constituted, guiding us through an emotional moment in our
nation’s history.

Now, as we find ourselves at the doorstep of the Festive season, I pause and take
a moment to reflect on the journey we have traverse as a nation. With much
anticipation many of us are looking forward to the unfolding of our personal
prospects and the collective future of our great nation.

Some of us, including myself will be reminiscing on the year that was and the
events which have shaped our lives and the trajectory of our country in ways not envisaged previously. Others, including me will be reflecting on the impacts of these events and what the future hold for us and for the Land of the Brave. The Namibia of March 21, 2025 will be vastly different from the Namibia of March 21, 1990.

With the passing of each year, with each Christmas and New Year, Namibia is transforming from its terrible political past when the game of “rolling stones” we played, where I grew up was the mainstay together with the love songs of Percy Sledge and the revolutionary melodies of Bob Marley; into a united nation of the Brave Young Warriors.

If like myself, you are of the age where you can recall our “rolling stones” era, then you are a living testament to Namibia’s glorious history of self-determination. Your sacrifices have set foundations of democracy, peace, stability, justice and unity of our nation, and for that, we remain forever grateful. For this Festive Season, whether your items are ticked off on Santa Claus’ list or not, like me, the responsibility to guide and protect our beloved country still rests with all of us. I trust that you will continue to be a responsible citizen or even a visitor and treat each other with utmost hospitality to continue building the Namibian House, where all belong, and no one feels left out. To all those who have noticed that your knees don’t move quite well as they used to be, and the grey silver linings have replaced the hair which used to be all black or brown, and hence nostalgia and quietness have become your permanent companions, I want to thank you for your commitment to Namibia and her people. You have given your all and your very best. Your legacy will remain immortalized in the annals of Namibian history.

And to those born in the era of freedom, electricity and telecommunications, and rap and hip hop tunes, in the day of the Young Brave Warriors, I ask that you too, take care of yourselves and our country. The future is Youth, and I have faith that you will guide, push and direct Namibia towards even greater heights.

I wish you all a Blessed Christmas. Please travel safely and have fun responsibly.

Merry Christmas