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Heroes' Day (, ) is a national
public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, federal holiday, statutory holiday, bank holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Types Civic holiday A ''civic holiday'', also k ...
in
Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...
. It is recognized by the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
as Namibia Day. Celebrated annually on 26 August, the day commemorates the
Namibian War of Independence The South African Border War, also known as the Namibian War of Independence, and sometimes denoted in South Africa as the Angolan Bush War, was a largely asymmetric conflict that occurred in Namibia (then South West Africa), Zambia, and Angol ...
which began on 26 August 1966 at
Omugulugwombashe Omugulugwombashe (also: ''Ongulumbashe'', official: ''Omugulu gwOombashe''; Otjiherero: ''giraffe leg'') is a List of villages and settlements in Namibia, settlement in the Tsandi Constituency, Tsandi electoral constituency in the Omusati Region o ...
.


Origin

In 1966, the
United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...
revoked South Africa's mandate to govern
South West Africa South West Africa was a territory under Union of South Africa, South African administration from 1915 to 1990. Renamed ''Namibia'' by the United Nations in 1968, Independence of Namibia, it became independent under this name on 21 March 1990. ...
n territory and placed it under direct UN administration. South Africa refused to recognize this resolution. The
South West Africa People's Organization The South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO ; , SWAVO; , SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former independence movement in Namibia (formerly South West Africa). Founded in 1960, it has been ...
(SWAPO) at that time prepared for armed resistance and founded its armed wing, the
People's Liberation Army of Namibia The People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) was the military wing of the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO). It fought against the South African Defence Force (SADF) and South West Africa Territorial Force (SWATF) during the S ...
(PLAN) in 1962. Many of its erstwhile commanders were in exile, but PLAN began to infiltrate the north of Namibia to establish training camps. Omugulugwombashe was one such training camp, established in June 1966 by PLAN commander
John Ya Otto Nankudhu John ya Otto Nankudhu (1933–2011, Pseudonym#Nom de guerre, nom de guerre: ''Koshiwanda'', the surname is sometimes also spelled Nankugu) was a Namibian guerrilla, army officer and politician. He was the commander of the forces of the People' ...
. The group under Nankudhu had just started to build defensive structures1923 in Namibia
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and planned to train about 90 soldiers there. On 26 August 1966, eight helicopters of the
South African Defence Force The South African Defence Force (SADF) (Afrikaans: ''Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag'') comprised the armed forces of South Africa from 1957 until 1994. Shortly before the state reconstituted itself as a republic in 1961, the former Union Defence Fo ...
attacked the
guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...
fighters at Omugulugwombashe. At the time of the attack, there were only 17 soldiers in the camp. It was the first armed battle of the War. Omugulugwombashe is declared as one of the Heroes Acre in Namibia, and it is a settlement in the Tsandi electoral constituency in the Omusati Region of northern Namibia. In commemoration of the day, 26 August is a public holiday in Namibia. While recognized by the United Nations as ''Namibia Day'', the day is celebrated as Heroes' Day in Namibia. It is normally celebrated in different regions, and this year (26 August 2024) was celebrated at Omuthiya in the Oshikoto region under the theme of honoring our Martyrs.


Proceedings

National celebrations take place annually at different places, usually in the north of Namibia, near important battle zones. Hundreds of people gather annually to watch leaders officially commemorate veterans of the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN). Likewise, honours, such as military medals, are handed out on this day. Heroes' Acre, a war memorial outside of
Windhoek Windhoek (; ; ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek, which ...
, was opened on Heroes' Day in 2002. It is also the same day that the
United Nations Institute for Namibia The United Nations Institute for Namibia (UNIN) was an educational body set up by the United Nations Council for Namibia from 1976 to 1990. Based in Zambia's capital of Lusaka, UNIN was the brainchild of United Nations Commissioner for Namibia Se� ...
, a tertiary educational body in
Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...
under the auspices of the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
and a forerunner to the
University of Namibia The University of Namibia (UNAM) is a multi-campus public research university in Namibia, and the largest university in the country. It was established by an act of Parliament on 31 August 1992. Background UNAM comprises the following fac ...
, was inaugurated in 1976.


Herero Day

The
Battle of Waterberg The Battle of Waterberg (Battle of Ohamakari) took place on August 11, 1904, at the Waterberg, German South West Africa (modern day Namibia), and was the decisive battle in the German campaign against the Herero. Armies The German Imperial F ...
on 11 August 1904 was the final battle of the
Herero Wars The Herero Wars were a series of colonial wars between the German Empire and the Herero people of German South West Africa (present-day Namibia). They took place between 1904 and 1908. Background Pre-colonial South-West Africa The Hereros we ...
. Following the defeat of the Herero force, the surviving Hereros fled under the leadership of
Samuel Maharero Samuel Maharero (1856 – 14 March 1923) was a Paramount Chief of the Herero people in German South West Africa (today Namibia) during their revolts and in connection with the events surrounding the Herero and Nama genocide. Today he is con ...
, who died in exile in the
Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name ''Transvaal''. * South African Republic (1856–1902; ...
. After his death on 14 March 1923, the South African administration of
South West Africa South West Africa was a territory under Union of South Africa, South African administration from 1915 to 1990. Renamed ''Namibia'' by the United Nations in 1968, Independence of Namibia, it became independent under this name on 21 March 1990. ...
granted permission for his reburial at
Okahandja Okahandja is a city of 45,159 inhabitants in Otjozondjupa Region, central Namibia, and the district capital of the Okahandja electoral constituency. It is known as the ''Garden Town of Namibia''. It is located 70 km north of Windhoek on the B1 r ...
, unaware of the role it would play as a commemoration of anti-colonialisation and a symbol of nationalism. The reburial ceremony on 26 August 1923 was attended by 3,000 Hereros and 100 Whites, including high-ranking government officials. Since then,
Herero Day Herero Day (also known as Red Flag Day and Red Flag Heroes' Day, ) is a gathering of the Herero people of Namibia to commemorate their deceased Tribal chief, chieftains. It is held in Okahandja in central Namibia annually on August 26, the day ...
is held annually as a gesture of resistance, unity and loyalty, as well as defiance against colonisation, particularly by the
Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...
.


Postage Stamps

On August 26, 1975,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
issued stamps titled "Namibia Day".


References

{{Use British English, date=August 2015 Public holidays in Namibia August observances Heroes