Odibo is a village in the north of

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

close to the Angolan border known for its

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

mission ''St Mary''. It belongs to the Oshikango electoral constituency in the

Ohangwena Region Ohangwena is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, its capital is Eenhana. Major settlements in the region are the towns Eenhana and Helao Nafidi as well as the self-governed village of Okongo and the proclaimed settlements Ongha, Ongenga and O ...

. Odibo is also an

Archdeaconry An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that of mo ...

in the

Diocese of Namibia The Diocese of Namibia is part of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, which is itself part of the Anglican Communion. The diocese, which covers the whole country of Namibia, was originally known as the Diocese of Damaraland. Most of the Angl ...

. Odibo is situated on top of a large underground water reservoir. Cracks in the soil and in stone structures are attributed to this. The village Headman is

Charles Namoloh Major General Charles Dickson Ndaxu Phillip Namoloh (born 28 February 1950) is a Namibian diplomat, politician and military figure who served in the cabinet of Namibia as Minister of Safety and Security from March 2015 to March 2020. Namoloh has ...

, Namibia's Minister of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development.

History

St Mary's Mission in Odibo was established in August 1924 by

George Tobias George Tobias (July 14, 1901 – February 27, 1980) was an American theater, film and television actor. He had character parts and supporting roles in several major films of Hollywood's Golden Age. He is also known for his role as Abner ...

Nelson Fogarty Nelson Wellesley Fogarty (1871–1933) was the first Anglican Bishop of Damaraland (Namibia) from 1924 to 1933. Biography Nelson Wellesley Fogarty was born on 13 September 1871 in Canterbury, Kent, England, the son of John Evans Fogarty and his w ...

, and Reverend R White,

priest that had the task of setting up a mission in northern

Ovamboland Ovamboland, also referred to as Owamboland, was a Bantustan and later a non-geographic ethnic-based second-tier authority, the Representative Authority of the Ovambos, in South West Africa (present-day Namibia). The apartheid government stat ...

. The tree where they camped before starting their work is today known as ''Tobias' Tree''. The mission eventually comprised a church, a hospital, and the St Mary Mission School, a high school and seminary. St Mary Mission School operated until 1979 when it was closed by the South African colonial administration. Several notable people attended this school, including human rights activist and Bishop

James Kauluma James Hamupanda Kauluma (1 July 1933 – 4 April 2007) was a Namibian human rights activist and sixth bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Namibia. He was the first Namibian bishop of the Anglican diocese in the country. Biography Kauluma was born i ...

, National Council member

Michael Hishikushitja Michael Ndapamapedu Hishikushitja (22 November 1953 – 27 September 2001) was a Namibian parliamentarian. Hishikushitja was born and grew up in Onamunama, close to the Angolan border in the Ohangwena Region of Namibia. In the 1970s he attended ...

People's Liberation Army of Namibia The People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) was the military wing of the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO). It fought against the South African Defence Force (SADF) and South West Africa Territorial Force (SWATF) during the S ...

(PLAN) commander

Peter Mweshihange Peter Mweshihange (5 May 1930 – 20 March 1998) was a Namibian revolutionary and guerrilla leader, and after Namibian independence, a politician and diplomat. He was Namibia's first Minister of Defence from 1990 to 1995, and first ambassador t ...

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

member and Bishop of Ovamboland

Peter Kalangula Peter Tanyangenge Kalangula (12 March 1926 – 20 February 2008) was a Namibian political and religious leader. Bishop Kalangula had an interesting personal history that involved both politics and church. Biography Peter Kalangula was born at Omaf ...

and Minister of Foreign Affairs

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah Ndemupelila Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (born 29October 1952), nicknamed NNN, is a Namibian politician who is the fifth and current president of Namibia since 21 March 2025. She is the country's first female president. Previously, she served as the th ...

. During the

Namibian War of Independence The South African Border War, also known as the Namibian War of Independence, and sometimes denoted in South Africa as the Angolan Bush War, was a largely asymmetric conflict that occurred in Namibia (then South West Africa), Zambia, and Angol ...

the seminary was bombed in 1981 by the

South African Defence Force The South African Defence Force (SADF) (Afrikaans: ''Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag'') comprised the armed forces of South Africa from 1957 until 1994. Shortly before the state reconstituted itself as a republic in 1961, the former Union Defence Fo ...

Education

There are two schools at the village, St. Mary's Odibo High School, the successor of Saint Mary Mission School, and Odibo Combined School. There is also a ''Lutheran Centre for Arts and Crafts'' for artistic subjects, established by one of Namibia's most famous artists,

John Muafangejo John Ndevasia Muafangejo (5 October 1943 – 27 November 1987) was a Namibian artist who became internationally known as a maker of woodcut prints. He created linocuts, woodcuts and etchings. Biography Muafangejo was born in Etunda lo Nghadi, A ...

, in the early 1970s.

People

Sons and daughters of the village include: *

Hidipo Hamutenya Hidipo Livius Hamutenya (17 June 1939 – 6 October 2016) was a Namibian politician. He died aged 77 after a short illness. A long-time leading member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), Hamutenya was a member of the Cabinet ...

, former opposition leader *

, Minister of Safety and SecurityHopwood, Graham. Guide to Namibian Politics, 2007 edition. Namibia Institute for Democracy, Windhoek, 2007

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Odibo Populated places in the Ohangwena Region Anglican mission stations in Oukwanyama

History

Education

Further reading

People

References