Local politician named Adolf Hitler Uunona poised for reelection in Namibia

Under German colonial rule from 1884 to 1915, Namibia adopted the use of some Germanic first names still used in the country today.

By Grace Gilson, JTA

As voters in a small Namibian constituency head to the polls on Wednesday, they are expected to reelect a local politician with a striking name: Adolf Hitler Uunona.

Uunona, 59, is a member of the South West Africa People’s Organization, the county’s left-leaning ruling party since it achieved independence from South Africa in 1990.

He was first elected as councillor for the Ompundja constituency, which is located in the Oshana Region of Namibia, in 2004, and won reelection bids in 2015 and 2020.

Following his election in 2020, which he won with 85% of the vote, Uunona told local outlet The Namibian distanced himself from his unfortunate namesake, saying he “didn’t have a choice” in his name.

“My father gave me this name Adolf Hitler, but it does not mean I have Adolf Hitler’s character or resemble that of Adolf Hitler of Germany,” Uunona told The Namibian.

“Hitler was a controversial person who captured and killed people across the globe. I am not like him.”

Under German colonial rule from 1884 to 1915, Namibia adopted the use of some Germanic first names still used in the country today.

From 1904 to 1908, the German empire committed a genocide against the country’s Ovaherero and Nama people, killing roughly 70,000.

Since Germany officially recognized the genocide in 2021, Namibian leaders have pushed for reparations, an effort that remains underway.

German influence was long felt in Namibia after the colonial period ended, with some areas of the country home to Nazis who fled Germany after World War II.

A 1976 New York Times article chronicled how some German-Namibians still greeted each other with “Heil Hitler.”

Uunona is expected to win his seat again this year, according to forecasts from the country’s electoral commission.