One day, when the history of Namibia's literature in African languages is written, the name Hans Daniël Namuhuja will be one of those that will top the list.

Namuhuja, just like Damian Nakare for Rukwangali and many others who are still alive, kept the literary fire burning during the time the country was experiencing racist manoeuvres and colonial hardships.

For example, in his more that 30 years of writing career, Namuhuja would publish more than 10 books- books that were really inspiring, hilarious, educative and provoking.

Simply put, having published his first novel entitled Omahodhi Gaavali (Parental Tears) in 1959, makes Namuhuja one of the black Namibian pioneers in the field of literature, especially for Oshindonga language.

Before the Namuhuja era, African languages in northern Namibia were restricted to the bible, catechisms and to basic numerical and literacy content. And European missionaries, who arguably most often harboured a selective appreciation and dogmatic understanding of African cultures and languages, wrote most of these.

Thus, the emergence of Hans Namuhuja on the scene liberated many indigenous Namibians, not only those who used Oshindonga as a medium of communication but also those from other African languages â€" as his publishing record instilled them with a sense of pride in their own languages.

When Namuhuja was still alive, Mvula yaNangolo interviewed him and wrote a piece for New Era Newspaper edition of February 23- March 1, 1995 narrating the long road that he had walked in his career as a writer for Oshindonga.

Namuhuja told Mvula ya Nangolo that he felt his books, and those by other Namibian writers in whatever local languages, should be translated into various other languages so as to widen their readership, here and abroad.

This view provides an understanding that though Namuhuja was writing in Oshindonga, he harboured and envisioned a nationalist and international approach to literature where writers would be the main drivers of the nation's cultural exchange and sharing.

Thus, with the current moves to overhaul Namibia's education system, one can only hope that Namuhuja's dream will be one of those corrective steps that will be taken. Namuhuja, a former teacher, school inspector, subject advisor and most of all a famous writer of more than 10 books, was born on October 22, 1924 at Oniipa in the Oshikoto Region. William Mbangula (in New Era: Friday 15-17 December 2000) wrote that Namuhuja grew up at Epale in the palace of the late Queen Victoria Nashikwele Kadhikwa of Ondonga as one of the favourites of the royal family.

He started his primary education in Walvis Bay and Namuhuja recalled being taught by one of Namibia's early trained teachers, the late Daniël Mutumbulwa.

He later attended a Mission School at Oniipa. After completing his primary education, he went to Ongwediva Boys School, where he met his beloved teacher Gabriël Taapopi.

It was in the years 1941 to 1943, during his stay in Ongwediva, that he decided to become a teacher just like Gabriël Taapopi.
He attended Oniipa Training School from 1944 to 1946, where he was trained as a teacher.

After he completed the Lower Teaching Certificate in 1946, he taught Oshiwambo and other subjects at the Oniipa Training School.
In 1948, Mr. Namuhuja went to South Africa where he completed a Higher Teaching Diploma.

He came back in 1953 and taught for 10 more years at Oniipa Training School for Teachers. Namuhuja was the first examiner for Oshindonga for Standard VI, Standard VIII and Matric.

After 10 years of teaching, Namuhuja was appointed Inspector of Schools in the Oshiwambo-speaking northern regions.

In 1963, he decided to pursue his studies and enrolled at the University of the North (at that time, the University College of the North, under UNISA). While at UNISA, he used his spare time to write his second novel entitled: Egumbo lyaana elugo ( House without a kitchen). He graduated with a BA degree and later completed his BA Honours, part time.

Having obtained his BA Honours in 1965, Namuhuja became the first ever Namibian from the entire Oshiwambo-speaking northern regions to acquire a University degree.
Following his successful graduation he came back home in 1965 and wrote his third novel: Uuyuni uukwanampinyuka (The World does change.)

Mvula yaNangolo (in New Era: 1995) writes that this novel was so interesting and well-written that a Finnish Missionary translated it into Finnish and had it published in Finland where it is said to have had an enormous reception. According to contemporary accounts, this was, probably, the first African novel to be translated into the language. Namuhuja also wrote a biographical novel about King Nehale lyaMpingana, the Aandonga king who is famous for having destroyed the Boer Republic of Upingtonia in the mid 1880s and for engaging the Germans in a war at Onamutuni Fort in 1905 in response to the Ovaherero's call for support.

To his credit, Namuhuja also wrote a book in Oshindonga on "How to write letters."
And, perhaps more remarkable, is the fact that he translated the English playwright, William Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar, into Oshindonga, just like Julius Nyerere, translated the same play into Kiswahili. Mvula ya Nangolo (Ibid) writes that apart from the novels, Namuhuja also published a collection of poems entitled Ombago yomukongo (The Calabash of the hunter) which like most of his other books is used in Namibian schools.

In 1996, Namuhuja published a historical book entitled the Ondonga Royal Kingswhich narrates a story about the Ondonga Kings from the early days before colonialism, ending with the present Omukwaniilwa (King) Emmanuel Kauluma Elifas.

He was also for many years a Chairman of the Oshindonga Language Committee and examiner for Oshindonga in missionaries' schools. Though Namuhuja started teaching in 1947 and as an author of high repute, he never deserted the teaching profession. But, rather he stuck to it, rising from the classroom to become a circuit inspector and later an educational planner, a position he held until his retirement in 1979.
Namuhuja died in the Windhoek Central Hospital on July 23, 1998. Presiding at Namuhuja's funeral service, then Bishop of ELCIN, Kleopas Dumeni described Namuhuja as a pillar of society and someone who had set a good example which all could follow. And, in his message of condolence, read by the then Prime Minister, Hage Geingob, Founding Father, Dr. Sam Nujoma praised the many books written by Namuhuja and said as they had been written in Oshiwambo an effort would be made to translate them into English.

Today, a government school and a Literature Trust have been bestowed upon this son of the soil â€" the literary giant, Hans Daniël Namuhuja.