How Namibia responded to Trump inventing a country called ‘Nambia’
As President Trump spoke to African leaders at the United Nations on Wednesday, he made not one but two references to a country called Nambia.
Advertisement
“Nambia’s health system is increasingly self-sufficient,” Trump said approvingly at one point.
Unfortunately, there's a problem — good health care or not, Nambia doesn't exist. And so the U.S. president's laudatory comments about a nonexistent country swiftly invited ridicule online, with many suggesting that Trump had created an entirely new nation by combining two existing ones — Zambia and Namibia.
A White House transcript of Trump's comments corrected his error, making clear that the president had not intended to invent a new nation and had, in fact, been referring to the very real country of Namibia, which is in southern Africa.
So how did Namibians react to “Nambia”?
Let's talk #Namibia! ❤
— |C•NA|Ndapewoshali | (@Curate_Namibia) September 21, 2017
Not to be confused with Nambia - a fictional land probably somewhere between the borders of Namibia and Zambia ? pic.twitter.com/rHLLUYiGNX
Namibia isn't often the subject of Western attention. The country of just 2 million was granted independence in 1990 after a long war with neighboring South Africa, which had occupied the former German colony in 1915. It is perhaps best known internationally for its long-standing diamond mining industry.
Hage Geingob, Namibia's U.S.-educated president, was in the room with Trump as he made his speech. In public at least, he offered no reaction to the suggestion that he was the leader of “Nambia.”
Graham Hopwood, executive director of Namibia's independent Institute for Public Policy Research, said this might be because of diplomatic protocol, but he also suggested that the gaffe was likely to have been overlooked by Geingob anyway for the sake of good ties between Namibia and the United States.
Neither the Namibian Embassy in Washington nor Namibia's Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation responded when asked by WorldViews on Thursday about Trump's comments.
The talk of “Nambia” was also surprisingly absent from the websites of many major Namibian media outlets, including the newspaper the Namibian and the Namibian Broadcasting Corp.
On social media, the reaction wasn't so muted. Some poked fun; others were angry.
Hage: “great speech Trup”
Trump: “its TruMp, the M is not silent”
Hage: “oh like the ‘I’ in Namibia!#Namibia is not #Nambia pic.twitter.com/lKixAmOsLd— Melvin Hosea Angula (@MelvinAngula) September 21, 2017
The President of United States calls #Namibia ➡ #Nambia
— TANGI (@18opson) September 21, 2017
Me: pic.twitter.com/5P0XZdxTZo
My Pres and his large crew been in America for days and now we called Nambia, the disrespect.yall fly back home today.
— Ndina Smiley (@Ndina_Smiley) September 21, 2017
When you're leader of an African country but can't scold Trump on Nambia blunder because your people can't afford to loose out on USAID. pic.twitter.com/yOMoeUZM2m
— Benedick M Louw (@benedicklouw) September 21, 2017
S/O to @Curate_Namibia of the week and @HendrinaNel for making @TheWashintonPos online article on #NamBia ?? pic.twitter.com/9FD9PNKcOi
— #BLACKFELLOW FISHUR (@shaningwaF) September 22, 2017
Credit: The Washington Post