Omega Radio: A Personal Reflection on Listening to the Voice of Hope during Namibia’s Liberation Struggle

This article presents a personal memoir and scholarly reflection on the significance of Omega Radio during Namibia’s liberation struggle. Widely accessed in northern Namibia through short-wave transmission, Omega Radio served as a medium through which local communities followed both regional and international news. Of particular importance were the BBC Africa Service, the Voice of America, and the Voice of Namibia. The latter, operated by SWAPO from Lusaka and later Luanda, provided authentic accounts of the liberation movement and countered official state narratives. Drawing on personal experiences and existing literature, this study highlights how radio listening became an act of political awareness, conscientization, sensitization, reliance, and hope. The seemingly ordinary portable set, fondly known as “Omega Radio†(or ofunguna/okakwatamawi in Oshindonga), with its simple dials and well-worn speakers, was a source of empowerment. As a child, I recall my father listening to Omega Radio daily. I would sit beside him at the fireplace, listening to the voices that shaped our understanding of political developments—voices that slowly nurtured consciousness and conviction. This study examines the pivotal role of radio communication during Namibia’s liberation struggle, with emphasis on Omega Radio and other broadcasting stations that influenced political consciousness. Radios became lifelines of information, transmitting international, regional, and liberation messages to the indigenous population of then South West Africa. While Western outlets such as the BBC, Voice of America, and the South West Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SWABC) presented competing narratives, liberation movements relied on the Voice of Namibia and UNITA broadcasts from Jamba, Angola, to counter propaganda and mobilize support. This paper further explores the dual role of Omega Radio: as a channel of state propaganda and as a medium that inadvertently facilitated access to alternative broadcasts, which carried messages of hope to Namibians under apartheid. The study situates these experiences within broader scholarship on communication and resistance in Southern Africa, underscoring the enduring role of radio as both an instrument of propaganda and a vehicle of liberation.