Historic church offers glimpse into Keetmanshoop’s past

Visitors to Keetmanshoop can explore the town’s history at the Keetmanshoop Museum, housed in the historic Old Rhenish Mission Church, which was built in 1895.

The church is regarded as the town’s first stone structure and is one of Keetmanshoop’s historic landmarks. “Construction was commissioned by Johan Keetman, who served as chairman of the Rhenish Mission Society in Germany. The land on which the church was built was donated to the Mission Society by Goab Hendrik Tseib, whose jurisdiction was ≠nu ≠gôas, now known as Keetmanshoop. A monument honouring Goab Tseib stands in the town’s Central Park,” explains museum curator Issa Brown Garises.

According to Garises, the Old Rhenish Mission Church played an important role in the establishment of Keetmanshoop. “Nama communities were encouraged to settle around the church so they could attend regular services. The building was repurposed as the Keetmanshoop Museum in 1978,” she said.

Among the museum’s notable features is a large tree on the church grounds that was incorporated into the building at the request of Goab Tseib. Part of the tree was carved into a pulpit, which remains part of the historic structure. The museum’s collection includes historical household items, technological appliances and industrial equipment, as well as gemstones, fossils and specimens of petrified wood.

An exhibition on the history and culture of the Nama people, including their military resistance against the German Schutztruppe, provides further insight into the region’s past. “The museum is more than just a collection of objects. It is a place where history comes alive, welcoming school groups, tourists and anyone interested in learning more about Keetmanshoop and its earlier inhabitants,” Garises said. The museum was declared a national monument by Namibia’s National Heritage Council in 1978.

Garises explained that the history of the town’s name was also linked to Johan Keetman. “The town was formerly known as ≠nu ≠gôas and was named Keetmanshoop after Keetman, whose hope was that the local people in the area would embrace Christianity. Keemanshoop is still referred to as #nu #gôas in the local Nama vernacular,” she said.

During church services, a Nama translator helped translate Dutch sermons into Nama. Garises said it was believed that the translator, Abraham Thomas, was buried in the church because of his role in helping the Nama congregation understand the Christian message.

In 2018, the Keetmanshoop branch of Die Namibiese Vroue Vereniging, through its Waag en Wen initiative, helped restore the building after it had been without a caretaker for an extended period. The organisation also introduced a geocaching app to guide tourists to the museum and promote it as a heritage site.