Okahandja (A 7)

Name: Okahandja

Okahandja is a city located about 70 kilometers north from Windhoek. The small town of Okahandja north of Windhoek has an interesting history. The town is locally known as the garden town of Namibia. The town serves as a stop over for those travelling north and want to miss the city’s hustle and bustle. The town was the location for battles between the Herero & Nama tribes. The town was founded in the 19th century by two local peoples the Nama and the Herero. The town is the burial place for prominent members of these communities, and thus important in their history.

The history of the Herero people started around 1750, when the first parties of Herero met with members of the Khoi-khoin in the vicinity of the Swakop River. Since then Okahandja was the central town for their meetings and gatherings. In 1850, Jonker broke the peace Treaty in Okahandja, where many people died in the attack. During the year of 1861, the Herero chief, Tjamuaha died and was succeeded by his son, Maharero. Samuel Maharero succeeded his father after he died in 1890. Samuel Maharero died during his self-imposed exile in Botswana and was buried in Okahandja on the 26th of August 1923. These three Chiefs were buried next to each other in the Royal cemetery in Okahandja. Every year in August, on the anniversary of this event, the Herero people from far North and wide (of all over Namibia) gather in Okahandja to conduct memorial ceremony (Herero festival in Okahandja) in honor of their past leaders.

Read more on the "Herero Genocide" : http://elenatravelservicesnamibia.com/hererohol.htm


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