Languages of Namibia

Languages Of Namibia

Namibia, despite its scarce population, is home to a wide diversity of languages, from three language families: Indo-European, Bantu and Khoisan. During Apartheid Afrikaans, German and English held the position of official language; however, after independence from South Africa, the new government made English the sole official language in the constitution of Namibia. German and Afrikaans were stigmatised as having colonial overtones, while the rising of Mandela's Youth League and the 1951 Defiance Campaign spread English among the masses as the language of the liberation struggle.