FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION, INCLUDING FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AND OTHER MEDIA, ARE AMONG THE BASIC RIGHTS ENSHRINED IN THE NAMIBIAN CONSTITUTION. THE WORLD PRESS FREEDOM INDEX RANKED NAMIBIA AS NUMBER 17 IN TERMS OF MEDIA FREEDOM LAST YEAR.
MEDIA
The Namibia Press Agency (NAMPA) was established in 1991 as a national news agency responsible for the distribution of local, regional and international news.
In spite of its small population, Namibia has a varied and lively press with 13 newspapers. Five of them, including the state-owned New Era, are dailies with a national distribution, another five are independent weeklies; there is one biweekly, and there are about a dozen monthly magazines.
The country’s oldest newspaper is the Allgemeine Zeitung, published daily in German. The weekend edition has a cultural section and once a month a tourism supplement. Die Republikein for the Afrikaans speaking population is also published daily.
The most popular daily is The Namibian, published in English. It is appreciated for its well-balanced reporting and moderately critical commentary. The Windhoek Observer is a weekend tabloid style paper. The Namibia Economist is a weekly online publication.
There are more than 20 private and community radio stations and five commercial television stations (MultiChoice Namibia, Downlink Namibia, Paragon Investment Holdings, Channel 4, and Digital Cable TV), most of them based in Windhoek.
The state-owned Namibian Broadcasting Corporation NBC, with radio services in ten different languages plus three television channels, is the dominant player in the broadcasting sector. One Africa Television is a fully commercial, free-to-air station which receives no state subsidies.
Private broadcasters and independent newspapers usually operate without official interference.
There are numerous advertising agencies & services in Namibia, handling overall marketing and branding strategies and sales promotions for their clients. They offer advertising, media, brand consulting, design, corporate communication and digital services.
FILMMAKING
Namibia is a gem for those in search of the unexplored and the wilderness. The bizarre desert scenery and savannah are spectacular backdrops for filmmaking.
The filmmaking industry in Namibia has the potential to contribute to the country’s revenue in a major way, and if managed properly can create prosperity for all its participants in the future.
Film is the only art form that combines multiple disciplines for the creation of one end product. It requires creative people to write and develop concepts and story lines, technical crews during production, service providers to facilitate, performing artists like actors and musicians to implement the vision and create sound landscapes, as well as visual artists to design the backdrops for the stories to be told.
Film also fuels other sectors, e.g. the hospitality industry, catering, telecommunications, transport and tourism. Artists and related industries can thus benefit hugely from the film industry if they become fully aware of the opportunities presented by every product to be created.
The Namibia Film Commission (NFC) is a statutory body that was established by Parliament (Act 6 in 2000) to support, encourage and promote film productions as well as the development of the film industry in Namibia. Friendly and competent staff is dedicated to manage any kind of inquiries and helps to put ideas into action. The NFC liaises between foreign and local production companies and assists in obtaining permits from government agencies, i.e. work permits or permits for filming in national parks, or in hiring security services. As for production service providers, who supply local crews and technical services, location scouts, aviation services, transport, accommodation, catering or telecommunications, the Commission provides visiting producers with a list of experienced and reputable companies.
The NFC assists filmmakers to obtain the obligatory permits.
Any commercial filming or photography in Namibia requires the permission by the NFC. The application form for a “Namibia Filming Permit” needs to be submitted to the NFC three weeks before the planned arrival. An administrative fee of N$ 500 applies.
All foreign crews must have a valid temporary work permit to work on a film set in Namibia, even if it is for only one day. Application forms are available from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration.
VITAL CONTACTS
Editors Forum Of Namibia
P O Box 26463, Windhoek
Tel: +264 81 338 4610
Film Makers Association
P O Box 40731, Windhoek
Tel: +264 63 265 314
NAMPA – Namibia Press Agency
P O Box 26815
NBC – Namibia Broadcasting Corporation
P O Box 321, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 291 3111
NBCNewsMediaRelations@ nbcuni.com
Namibia Film Commission
P O Box 41807, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 381 900
Namibia Media Holdings
P O Box 3436, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 297 2000
republikein@republikein.com.na
Media Institute Of Southern Africa Regional Secretariat
Private Bag 13386, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 283 2665
NEWSPAPERS
Allgemeine Zeitung
P O Box 3436, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 297 2300
Informanté
P O Box 3436, Eros
Tel: +264 61 275 4363
www.informante.web.na
Kundana
Tel: +264 65 238 990
Namib Times
Walvis Bay
P O Box 706,Walvis Bay
Tel: +264 64 205 854
Swakopmund
Tel: +264 64 461 866
Namibia Economist
P O Box 49, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 221 925
New Era
Private Bag 13364, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 208 0800
Republikein
P O Box 3436, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 297 2000
www.republikein.com.na
The Confidente
P O Box 5033, Ausspannplatz
Tel: +264 61 246 136
loidemoses@confidentenamibia. com
The Namibian
P O Box 20783, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 279 600
The Namibian Sun
P O Box 86829, Eros
Tel: +264 61 297 2000
The Villager
Tel: +264 61 402 102/ 3
Windhoek Observer
P O Box 2255, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 411 800
RADIO STATIONS
99 FM
Tel: +264 61 383 450
Base FM
P O Box 70448, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 263 726
Caprivi News
Tel: +264 66 253 162
Channel 7/ Kanaal 7
P O Box 20500, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 420 850
Energy 100fm
P O Box 676, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 256 378
Fresh FM
Tel: +264 61 247 262
Hitradio Namibia
P O Box 11025, Windhoek
Tel: +264 85 344 4111
Katutura Community Radio
P O Box 74088, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 263 729
Kosmos 94.1
P O Box 9639, Eros
Tel: +264 61 255 985
Namibia Community Radio Network
Tel: +264 61 236 069
NBC Afrikaans Radio
P O Box 321, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 291 2007/8
NBC German Radio
P O Box 321, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 291 2330
NBC National Radio and Rukavango Radio
P O Box 321, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 291 2003
NBC Oshiwambo Radio and Damara/ Nama Radio
P O Box 321, Windhoek
Tel: +264 65 220 451
NBC Otjiherero Radio
P O Box 321, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 291 2457
NBC Tswana Radio and Lazi Radio
P O Box 321, Windhoek
Tel: +264 81 669 1668
Omulunga Radio
P O Box 40789, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 234 567
Radio Antenna Namibia
P O Box 11849, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 225 182
Ecclesia
P O Box 11525, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 259 639
Radio Kudu
P O Box 5369, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 242 350
Radio Live (Community Radio Rehoboth)
P O Box 1426, Rehoboth
Tel: +264 62 525 421
Radio Wave
Tel: +264 61 242 350
UNAM Radio
Private Bag 13301, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 206 3111
TELEVISION STATIONS
NBC Television (Namibia Broadcasting Corporation)
P O Box 321, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 291 3111
One Africa Television
P O Box 21593, Windhoek
Tel: +264 61 383 450