Namibia Culture and Etiquette Guide

Namibia is one of the least densely populated countries on earth and one of the most linguistically layered. Both facts show up in how people deal with a stranger, and both are worth understanding before you arrive.

The language decision

At independence in 1990 Namibia made English its sole official language. Almost nobody spoke it as a first language. Afrikaans was the lingua franca and German had colonial weight, and the choice of English was a deliberate move away from both, and away from the administration being left behind.

What that means in practice is that you can travel the country in English while speaking to people in their third or fourth language. Oshiwambo languages are what roughly half the country speaks at home. Otjiherero, Damara Nama, Afrikaans, Rukwangali and German are all in daily use.

The Damara Nama language uses click consonants, which is why place names here carry characters that look unfamiliar written down. Twyfelfontein’s inscribed name is Twyfelfontein or /Ui-//aes; the second half is the older one.

Greetings and pace

Greet before you ask. Shake hands, ask how somebody is, and wait for the answer. The multi stage handshake used in parts of the region turns up here too; follow rather than lead.

Namibians are generally reserved with strangers and warm once the ice is broken, and the transition is faster if you are unhurried. Age is respected in conversation, and the eldest person present is greeted first.

Photography, which matters more here than most places

Ask before photographing anybody. That is a courtesy everywhere and it is a live issue here, because Himba and Herero people are among the most photographed communities in Africa and a great deal of that photography was taken rather than given.

If a village welcomes visitors, go through the arrangement it has set up, pay what is asked, and accept a refusal. Do not photograph children without a parent’s agreement. Do not photograph government buildings or secure areas: police have detained people for photographing the President’s official residence.

Dress, and one legal note

Dress is practical rather than formal, and more conservative in the north and in rural areas than in Windhoek or Swakopmund.

Same sex relationships are not illegal in Namibia. Certain same sex sexual acts remain illegal but are generally not prosecuted, there is no legal protection against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, and attitudes are more conservative in rural regions. Public affection may attract unwanted attention.