For booking, Call Mr. Kleopas Nghikefelwa at Cell: 0812755616 or Email:kleopas@gmail.
com
By Mr. Kleopas Nghikefelwa
20 September 2023
Background
According to UNESCO definition, Cultural heritage is the
heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets (like
Museums and monuments) of a group or society that is
inherited from past generations. Cultural heritage is a
product of selection by society and reflects the values and
identity of a community. Northern Cultural Heritage
1. Welcome to Onandjokwe Medical Museum
Visit the only Medical museum that we have in Northern
Namibia. Here is the place whereby the medical mission
activities were born in Northern Namibia. When the first
hospital ‘clay’ building established (by the Finnish Missionary
Society) in Onandjokwe in Oniipa town opened its first door on
9 July 1911. The Museum is displaying some photos, images,
pictures and objects (with Onandjokwe and Namibia medical
historical significance). On 22nd March 2013, the museum was
officially opened by Hon. Dr. Richard Kamwe, former Namibia
Minister of Health and Social services. Like Florence
Nightingale in Europe, Dr. Selma Rainio (21 March 1873-5
January 1939)) is honored in Onandjokwe Medical Museum.
She is the first Finnish female medical doctors, who started
Medical services in Northern Namibia, where she arrived in on
14 December 1908. The Museum is located in Onandjokwe
hospital, where we have also a Private Ward known as Dr.
Selma Rainio Medical Centre.
[Pick the date]
Adventure, offers a cultural tour guiding visitors, who would
explore Namibia Cultural heritage‘s landscape. Our aim is to
promote cultural tourism in Northern Namibia, where it can
help our communities to generate income and improve the
livelihood and prosperity of local communities. You’re well
come to call and book for a short cultural guided tour. With
us you will experience and share happiness, wherever you
go.
2. Welcome to ELOC Printing Press and Book
Shop (1901).
This is the oldest church printing press house in Northern part of
Namibia, where the History of Namibia literacy and book
printing started, when a small printing press established at
Oniipa in October 1901. While the invention of the movable
metal type printer in Europe is usually credited to the German
printer Johannes Gutenberg. In Northern Namibia the
invention of printing press technology is credited to the Finnish
missionary, Albin Savola, who bought a small printing machine
in London. In the early 1960’s the printing house moved from
old Oniipa to near Onandjokwe Hospital. During the War of
Independence, this printing press at Oniipa was bombed
twice by the South African army in1980s. Here visitors can buy
bibles, hymns books and any local story books written in
English or Owambo (native languages), that may not be
available in other book shops in Namibia.
 EXPLORING NORTHERN N AMIBI A CULTURAL HERI TAGE

3. Welcome to Oniipa Parish (1872).

4. Welcome to Oniipa FELM House (1890).

If you want to enjoy Finnish sauna in Namibia. Then book for

accommodation in the big classic house called the “Finnish
Evangelical Lutheran Mission (FELM) Hotel”, because this
house has been a home for many generations of the Finnish
missionaries, who lived and worked in Oniipa town. The
building indoor environment is nice warm in winter and cools in
summer, because it was made from natural raw materials,
such as earth clay bricks and natural woods materials. Many
Finnish tourists love this place because it makes them to feel
more at home.

Oniipa Parish is one of the oldest Lutheran Parish in Namibia.

In 14th September 2017, Jan Hallberg, a Finnish music
Here a group of visitors can make arrangement to attend a
researcher and Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission (FELM)
special evening devotion/prayer and enjoy some beautiful
volunteer, who visited the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
protestant Music and songs (dating from 1500 to1600
Namibia (ELCIN) share his personal memories on line as follow;
centuries) through the old pipe organ. This is the only
“In the side building, there is a sauna (Of course! How could
Cathedral Church with such music instrument – in the northern
any Finn do without one anywhere in the world?) And even a
Namibia. According to Jan Hallberg, Finnish music researcher
small swimming pool”.
and Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission (FELM) volunteer, who
visited the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN)
According to memories of tatekulu Mr.Olle Erickson (2023), the
September 19th to December 14th, 2017. Oniipa church music
construction of this house took place around 1890, so the
organ was constructed by the invited Danish organ builders,
building is about 133 years old. Main architect and builder was
who had built it in 1990 for the company Bruno Christensen &
missionary Albin Savola. Most of the building materials were
Sønner.
local.

5. Welcome to Auala Community Library (1986).

The Great Library of Alexandria (in Alexandria, Egypt) was one

of the largest and most historical significant libraries of the
ancient world. In Oniipa town, Auala community Library is one
of the oldest Libraries in Northern Namibia. Here one can find
some books about Namibia history, Medical and cultures,
which may not be available in some new Libraries in Namibia.
This Library is named after, the first Bishop of ELCIN, late
Leonard Auala who was born on 25. 09. 1908 in Iiyale Village,
Oniipa. He schooled together with the children of Missionaries
at Oniipa in 1919. Behind the Auala library is Oniipa ELCIN
Archive, which attract students, researchers and scholars.
 EXPLORING NORTHERN N AMIBI A CULTURAL HERI TAGE
6. Welcome to Nakambale Museum (1845) and
Oshindonga Cultural Village.
Nakambale Museum was opened as a National Monument in
May 1995 and the museum is a member of the Museums
Association of Namibia. The museum is called Nakambale, in
honors of the Finnish missionary, Dr.Martti Rautanen
(Nakambale) 1845 – 1926. He is one of the first Finnish
Missionary that lived in Olukonda village for many years.
Among other things, Dr Rautanen translated the local Bible
into the Oshindonga language. In 1889, Rev. Rautanen
erected the first church building of Northern Namibia at
Olukonda and a mission house was built in 1893. Both buildings
still exist, and in 1992 the Government of Namibia proclaimed
them National Monuments of Namibia and maintained by
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN).
Visit Eudafano Women Marula centre, Ondangwa.
7. Visit a Eudafano Women Marula centre, near
Oniipa.
Here you can see some valuable cultural products of local
women are at Work, not at Shopping. Eudafano Women
Marula Manufacturing supports the livelihoods of over 2500
women in Central-Northern Namibia. Women are organized in
associations and work throughout the value chain, which
includes picking fruit, processing, and packaging. Eudafano
Women Marula project aim is to mobilize local rural women, to
use their heritage skills and produce marula oil for selling and
earn income to improve their livelihood
7. Wellcome to Oshigambo high school and
“Omukwiyuwenya” natural heritage site.
Oshigambo High School, is a school in Oshigambo in the
Oshikoto Region of northern Namibia. It is situated
approximately 15 km east of Ondangwa. Oshigambo High
School is surrounded by some of the special features which
make it a tourist attraction. The school buildings sandwich a
river which flows from Angola to the Kunene River. On its
shores there is the well-known old big sycamore fig tree called
by the local people ‘omukwiyu gwemanya”, which means it
grew on a rock.
Oshigambo High School is one of the oldest schools in the
northern part of Namibia. It first came into existence in 1960
and was in good management of its first principal Toivo
Tirronen, a Finnish national. Oshigambo High School is a
missionary and church school of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Namibia. In the 1960s, this old mission school is one
of the first mission schools, that enlightened so many Namibian
young scholars, who later fought for Namibia independence
and Nationalism.
Many Finnish women missionaries worked here as teachers.
One of them is Kuku Marjatta Elonheimo (1933-2013) and Lahja
Anna-Maija Lehtonen. Lahja Hahtinen (1933-2016) played a
big role in the development of the school. She was known as
the long-time English teacher of the Oshigambo High School,
which she co-founded together with Toivo Tirronen in 1960.
8. Welcome to Ongula Village Homestead lodge.
In Africa we have time. In Europe they have watches. If time is
on our side. We can visit Ongula Homestead lodges. This place
is situated about 3o km from Oniipa town and about 20 km
from Oshigambo. Here the visitors are invited to experience
local traditions. The lodge has Rondawels (African-style round
huts) that can accommodates 8 guests offering exclusivity
and the luxury of home, while participating in local chores,
delighting in local culinary dishes and drinks and learning local
arts and crafts.