Leonard Nangolo Auala was a Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

n Lutheran Church leader.

Early life

Auala was born on 25 September, 1908 in Oniipa

Oniipa

Oniipa is a settlement in the Oshikoto Region of northern Namibia and the district capital of the Oniipa electoral constituency. It lies just outside of Ondangwa. It is the hometown of former Lutheran bishop and liberation leader Leonard Auala....

, Oshikoto Region

Oshikoto Region

Oshikoto is one of the thirteen regions of Namibia. The northern part of the region is agricultural, whereas the main economic activities in the southern part are cattle rearing and mining...

. He was raised by Lutheran missionaries from Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

. He went to primary school in Oniipa before going to Augustineum in Okahandja

Okahandja

Okahandja is a town of 14,000 inhabitants in Otjozondjupa Region, central Namibia, and the district capital of the Okahandja electoral constituency. It is known as the Garden Town of Namibia. It is located 70km north of Windhoek on the B1 road...

 and theological training in Elim, Namibia

Elim Constituency

Elim is a village in the north-east of the Republic of Namibia. It is the district capital of the Elim Constituency in the administrative Omusati Region. It is situated in a formerly forested area that has largely been converted into agricultural grassland....

 and Port Elizabeth, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

.

Career

He was the first Namibian bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia is a Lutheran denomination based in Namibia. It has a total membership of over 600,000, mainly in Northern Namibia. It played a significant role in opposition to Apartheid in Namibia and was part of the Namibian independence struggle.The church developed...

 (ELCIN), a member of the Lutheran World Federation

Lutheran World Federation

The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran churches headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of Lund in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1947 to coordinate the activities of the...

. Auala lived most of his life under South African rule

Namibia under South African occupation

The history of Namibia under South African occupation began with the entry of South African troops to German South West Africa on 9 July, 1915 as part of World War I...

. As a prominent religious leader for both the Ovambo people and other groups across Namibia, Auala met regularly with the South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

ns to discuss issues like contract labour and other facets of apartheid. A member of the South West Africa People's Organization, Auala received threats and harassment from the South African occupiers.