INFORMATION CENTER

Namibia has a strong cultural character of its own and the people have retained their distinctive identities even though most of their original traditions now only survive in remote rural areas. The history of Namibia from the foundation of the United Nations in 1945 to Namibian independence in 1990 was dominated by the repeated refusal of the South African government to convert their League of Nations mandate to administer the country (which was granted after the First World War) into a UN trusteeship, or indeed to recognise that the UN, or any other organisation, had a legitimate interest in the region. In 1977 the five Western members of the Security Council began negotiations aimed at bringing about the implementation of Resolution 435, providing for UN supervised elections. Progress was very slow, but in 1988, the South Africans and Cubans agreed to withdraw their troops from Angola (see Angola entry) as an essential preparatory step before a Namibia settlement, which quickly followed. Despite some initial problems with the demobilisation of SWAPO and the South African forces in Namibia, the peace process developed more or less as planned. Elections were held in November 1989, with SWAPO taking 57% of the votes, sufficient for an overall majority but less than the two-thirds for which the party was hoping to enable them to rewrite the UN-sponsored constitution. The main rival to SWAPO, the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance led by Dirk Mudge, made a strong showing amongst whites and in areas populated by groups nervous of the Ovambo dominance of SWAPO. Although there have been some complaints about alleged inefficiency and corruption, SWAPO has clearly jettisoned its revolutionary rhetoric, knowing that NamibiaÕs future prosperity depends on overcoming the former divisions between different elements in the country. For that reason, as much as anything else, social transformation has been slow: in particular, the economy has remained largely in the hands of its previous white ownership. The continuing weakness of the opposition means, however, that SWAPOs position is not under threat. That, ad the popularity of land reforms introduced by the government guaranteed a large SWAPO majority at the presidential and legisltiave elections held during December 1994. Nujoma began his second term of office the folowing March, while SWAPO holds 53 of the 78 national Assembly seats. As much else, Namibias foreign relations are dominated by South Africa. The outstanding post-independence territorial issue between the two countries was the status of Walvis Bay, which South Africa maintained posession of. Following negotiations with Pretoria over the port was returned to Namibian jurisdiction on February 28, 1993. Similarly, the dozen offshore islands which Namibia also claimed have been ceded.