Damara Council
Encyclopedia
The Damara Council was a political party in Damaraland
, a Bantustan
in South West Africa
(now Namibia
). In 1989, the DC was one of 8 political parties which formed the United Democratic Front
. 6 of the 8 parties were ethnically affiliated, as they had taken part in the government's of various Bantustans. Since 1989, the UDF has maintained a presence in the National Assembly of Namibia
, with Damara-speaking Namibians forming the core of the party.
and Justus Garoëb
, both of whom ran other political parties as of the 2009 general election in Namibia.
Damaraland
Damaraland was a name given to the north-central part of what later became Namibia, inhabited by the Damaras. It was bounded roughly by Ovamboland in the north, the Namib Desert in the west, the Kalahari Desert in the east, and Windhoek in the south....
, a Bantustan
Bantustan
A bantustan was a territory set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South West Africa , as part of the policy of apartheid...
in South West Africa
South West Africa
South-West Africa was the name that was used for the modern day Republic of Namibia during the earlier eras when the territory was controlled by the German Empire and later by South Africa....
(now Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
). In 1989, the DC was one of 8 political parties which formed the United Democratic Front
United Democratic Front (Namibia)
The United Democratic Front is a political party in Namibia. Justus Garoëb is the party's leader.-1989:The UDF received 37,874 votes in the 1989 election, which elected members to the Constituent Assembly of Namibia. The Constituent Assembly elected the first President and wrote Namibia's...
. 6 of the 8 parties were ethnically affiliated, as they had taken part in the government's of various Bantustans. Since 1989, the UDF has maintained a presence in the National Assembly of Namibia
National Assembly of Namibia
The National Assembly of Namibia is the lower chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. It has a total of 78 members. 72 members are directly elected through a system of party-list proportional representation and serve five-year terms. Six additional members are appointed by the President.The...
, with Damara-speaking Namibians forming the core of the party.
Prominent members
Prominent members included Frans Migub /GoagosebFrans Migub /Goagoseb
Chief Frans Migub /Goagoseb is a Namibian politician and Damara leader. He is the party leader of the Namibian Democratic Movement for Change and the party's candidate for President in the 2009 general election...
and Justus Garoëb
Justus Garoëb
Justus Garoëb is a Namibian traditional leader and politician. He became Chief of Damara in 1982 and founded the United Democratic Front in 1989. He was a staunch opponent of South African rule and led the oppositional Namibia National Front in the late 1970s.Garoëb was born in Omaruru, Erongo...
, both of whom ran other political parties as of the 2009 general election in Namibia.