Culture and Customs of Namibia

Arts, Crafts, and Architecture

Arts

Crafts

Architecture

Museums

Customs and Traditions

Local Traditions

Etiquette

Dress and Behavior

Sensitive or Taboo Topics

Languages

While English is the sole official language of Namibia, many others are spoken by the population, to the extent that the country recognizes a total of 13 languages with "national value."

Somewhat paradoxically, English has never been the mother tongue of the vast majority of Namibians and is far from being spoken by everyone. In fact, it became the country's only official language more for "political" reasons than anything else, following Namibia's independence from South Africa in 1990. Before that, Afrikaans and German were also official languages in what was then called South-West Africa. The choice was made for convenience—"English as a universal language"—but also to break away from the languages of the former German and South African colonizers. Today, English is particularly used in the tourism sector.

That said, Afrikaans and German are still widely spoken by the white population, at 60% and 33% respectively. Often, Afrikaans also serves as a link between different communities, regardless of their origins. Among other European languages, Portuguese has 4 to 5% speakers (Angola is nearby). French, however, is almost unknown.

Among indigenous languages, the country has about ten of some importance. They are either of Bantu origin or Khoisan languages. Of these, Oshivambo is the most widely spoken and used by half of the Black population.