An African fish eagle from south-western Africa

Namibia

(Map of Africa highlighting Namibia, from Wikipedia).

Painted stone plates discovered in the Ai-Ais Huns Mountains are amongst the oldest works of art globally, dating back to 25,000 B.C. By 6,000 years ago, the San (also known as the Bushmen) created some remarkable galleries of rock engravings (petroglyphs). The San were part of the stone-age hunter-gatherers of the Wilton stone-age culture. Wilton culture is a broad term given by archaeologists to an archaeological culture which was common to parts of south and east Africa around six thousand years ago, during the Stone Age period. The culture is characterized by a greater number of tool types, distinguishing it from its predecessors.

By the 14th – 16th century A.D., the Bantu or Ovaherero people began to arrive during their expansion from central Africa. They were followed in the 18th century A.D., by the Oorlam people.

The first known European explorer that landed in Namibia was the Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão, who came ashore north of Swakopmund at Cape Cross in 1484. Due to Namibia having one of the world’s most barren and inhospitable coastlines, it wasn’t until the middle of the nineteenth century that explorers, ivory hunters, prospectors and missionaries began to journey into its interior.

In 1884, while Germany was colonising parts of East Africa, a tobacco merchant bought up coastal land in Namibia and convinced Germany to colonise this area on the west coast as well. They called it German South-West Africa. Like other African colonisation during the “Scramble for Africa“, this was often bloody, resulting in the genocide of 65,000 Herero (Bantu) people and another 10,000 Nama (Oorlam) people by the early 1900s.

In 1915, South Africa took over territory in Namibia during WWI/ In 1920, the League of Nations (the predecessor of the UN), granted South Africa a mandate to govern South West Africa (SWA). Throughout the 20th century there were disagreements over South African control of South West Africa. The South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) was recognised by the UN as the sole representative of the people. In 1968, the UN General Assembly officially renamed SWA to Namibia. During the 1970s, the USSR supported Namibia militarily, and by 1988, South Africa agreed to Namibian Independence.

In 1990, independence was finalised, with Sam Nujoma becoming the country’s first president.

Currency

During South African rule, Namibia used the South African Rand. Following independence, Namibia took a series of meticulous steps to plan the introduction of a new currency. The Bank of Namibia was established in July 1990. In September 1990, the Technical Committee on the National Currency was formed. Representatives from the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Namibia collaborated to lay the groundwork. Following the Bank of Namibia Act, decisions were divided: the President determined the currency’s unit and symbols, while the Minister of Finance approved the currency’s denominations, composition, form, and design.

International tenders for currency note designs in October 1991 resulted in AB Tumba Bruk, Sweden being awarded the contract. Simultaneously, coin design competition led to the selection of designs for various denominations. An intensive awareness campaign followed, orchestrated by the National Currency Committee, with the Deputy Governor at its helm. The Namibian Dollar was formally launched on September 14, 1993. The currency was pegged to the South African Rand, which made the transition easier, while affirming Namibia’s national identity and sovereignity.

The 10, 50 and 100 Namibia dollar banknote denominations were introduced initially. The 20 and 200 Namibia dollar banknote denominations were introduced later in 1996 with additional security features. The other banknotes were subsequently upgraded to include these features as well.

In 1993, five denominations of coins were issued: 5 Cents, 10 Cents, 50 Cents, 1 Dollar, and 5 Dollars. In 2010, and to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Bank of Namibia, a new bimetallic 10 Dollar coin was introduced.

The 5, 10 and 50 cent coins are Nickel-Plated Steel. In 1999-2000 a Stainless Steel 5 Cent coin was issued featuring a Horse Mackerel to commemorate the FAO. The 1 and 5 dollar coins are aluminium-bronze. Each coin is slightly larger and heavier than the lower denominations. The 1 dollar is slightly smaller than the 50 cent coin, although thicker, and reeded where the 50 cent coin is alternate reeded and smooth.

Obverse

The obverse of the coin, as all circulating Namibian coins, features the “Coat of Arms of Namibia, State name in full, and year of issue”. The coat of arms contains the flag on a shield, supported by two Oryx, standing on a sand dune with a Welwitschia mirabilis plant. Below this, a banner reads “Unity, Liberty, Justice”. Above the shield, a fish eagle rises.

Reverse

The reverse depicts an African fish eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer) rising, as on the coat of arms. Around the top-left, six triangles point outward, perhaps representing the sun? The value, “5$” is between the eagle and the triangles.

African Fish Eagle

The African Fish Eagle is a large, distinctive, chestnut-and-white eagle found throughout much of eastern and southern africa, and throughout other parts of the continent as well. The bird sits prominently on perches near rivers, lakes, and other waterbodies. It catches fish with a graceful, shallow plunge to the water’s surface, but it will also eat birds, reptiles, and carrion. It tosses its head backwards while making a loud penetrating “wheeee-ah-kleeuw-kleeuw-kluuu” call; it is one of the most distinctive bird sounds of Africa.

(African Fish-Eagle, Icthyophaga vocifer. Image eBird.org)

I quite like the representation of this bird. What is your favourite bird on a coin?