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| Notable German Namibians: Adolph Jentsch Monica Dahl • Klaus Dierks • Erik Hoffmann • Jörg Lindemeier • Anton Lubowski • Oliver Risser • Friedhelm Sack
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| Total population |
|---|
| German Namibians ca. 30,000 |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Central and South Namibia |
| Languages |
| Religion |
German Namibians (German: Deutschnamibier) are a community of people descended from ethnic German colonists who settled in present-day Namibia. In 1883, a German trader, Adolf Lüderitz, bought (from a local chief) what would become the southern coast of Namibia and founded the city of Lüderitz. The German government, eager to gain overseas possessions, annexed the territory soon after, naming it German South-West Africa (German: Deutsch-Südwestafrika). Small numbers of Germans subsequently immigrated there, many coming as soldiers (Schutztruppe), traders, diamond miners, or colonial officials. In 1915, during the course of World War I, Germany lost South West Africa (see History of Namibia); after the war, the former colony became a South African mandate. The German settlers were allowed to remain and, until independence in 1990, German remained an official language of the territory.
Today, English is the country's sole official language, but about 30,000 Namibians of German descent[citation needed] (around 2% of the country's overall population) and possibly 15,000 black Namibians (many of whom returned from East Germany after Namibian independence) still speak German or Namibian Black German, respectively[citation needed][1]. However, the numbers of German Namibians, rather than of Namibian speakers of German, are uncertain, for many Namibians of German descent no longer speak German or prefer classification as Afrikaners.
Most German-speakers live in the capital, Windhoek (Windhuk in German), and in smaller towns such as Swakopmund and Lüderitz, where German architecture, too, is highly visible. Many German Namibians are prominent in the business, farming, and tourism or as governmental officials. For example, the first post-independence mayor of Windhoek was a German Namibian. The interests of the community are usually voiced through Africa's only German-speaking daily, "Die Allgemeine Zeitung". The legacy of German colonialization in Namibia can also be seen in the Lutheran Church, which is the largest religious denomination in the country.
Many place names in Namibia carry names of German origin. The main road in the capital city, Windhoek, before independence had retained the name Kaiserstrasse.
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Recently, there has been a decline in the percentage of Germans in Namibia, and also speculation that the overall population is decreasing. This is mainly due to their low birth rates (still above replacement rate) and to other Namibian ethnic groups' (especially blacks') having higher birth rates and bigger families. Unlike other southern African white groups, emigration to First World countries is not common, and many German Namibians tend to emigrate instead to South Africa.
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   | German Website of some German Namibians in Europe/Germany - Kockis Homepage - www.Namibier.de |
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