Okahao - TOY-finalist 2018

Frank Steffen

Any economist will tell you that development is spurred on as soon as infrastructure, such as electricity, roads and telecommunication, make an area accessible. While some visitors may argue, that asphalted roads are the surest way to commercialize a destiny, thereby taking away that special African experience, which many tourists hunger for, the inverse is true, in that areas such as Okahao cannot survive on the odd tourist, who prefers the rough and tough of camping out in the wild.

It therefore makes sense, if small towns such as Okahao have actively and more or less successfully pursued growth in this area. Many have already seized the opportunity to invest in this beautiful town, which lies on the route linking Oshakati to Kamanjab, Opuwo and Ruacana. Previously visitors of this area had to approach Okahao from the north after having driven all the way via either Kamanjab and Ruacana or approaching the traditional way from Tsumeb to Ondangwa and Oshakati, which lies north-east of Okahao. These days another shorter route may be choosing the turn-off towards the east, where one also turns off to Opuwo on the Kamanjab-Ruacana road.

“Okahao is one of the emerging towns in the north,” says the Chief Executive Officer of the Town Council, Timoteus Namwandi. “Especially thanks to our strategic location on the national road infrastructure network, namely the C41 road, we have gained major competitive advantages.” The town has clearly become more accessible and lies a mere 25 km south-east of Tsandi, which in turn is situated a little more than 20 km east of Omugulugwombashe, where a war memorial commemorates the first clash between PLAN freedom fighters and members of the South African forces, which is recorded as the official beginning of the military conflict on 26 August 1966.

Okahao is the traditional home of the Ongandjera kings and their families. The town has birthed many prominent Namibians, most notably Founding President Sam Nujoma, who still maintains a residence near the town. The town’s name was derived from the Ongandjera’s tradition in determining the royal successor. The name refers to a small clay pot or also “Okaiga” in the Oshi-Ngandjera dialect.

Whenever it became time to determine a successor to the throne, the Ongandjera followed a tradition, whereby such a small clay pot containing royal ornaments was hidden in a close-by pond. Potential candidates would have to swim and dive after the pot with the successful candidate determined as successor to the ruling King of Ongandjera. That pond is still regarded as being sacred to this day.

Proclaimed as a town in 1997, Okahao is according to Namwandi determined to follow through on its strategic plan, which aims at an economic improvement derived from business, agriculture and tourism: “The cultural history of- and attachment to Okahao are so rich. That is why it is a key part of our strategic plan to develop our tourism infrastructure and to market our town and its heritage. We believe by capturing more of the tourist market, we will greatly stimulate our local economy.”

The huge Okahao Baobab Tree in the centre of Okahao is one of the more conspicuous attractions. According to passed down history South African military used this general area as a base and in its shade would often commit violent acts against local folk. After independence, the baobab tree was declared a national heritage site by the National Heritage Council of Namibia and has in the meantime been renovated and turned into a tourist recreation area. Not so much to disregard its painful past, than to build a better future based on its sad history and in honour of the dead.