Brewing identity: beer and the establishment of the Namibian nation

Namibian beer is available in eighteen countries all over the world, continuously wins international awards and makes Namibians proud. Since the independence of Namibia in 1990, this alcoholic beverage has become one of the key characteristics of the newly constructed nation. But for decades the same brew was not available to the black population as a consequence of Apartheid politics and emerged as a national icon for white settlers. This paradox shows that the history of brewing in Namibia is far more than a simple story of beer: the beer market is an important political, economic and cultural factor that is intertwined with the general history of the country. The research question of this thesis is how European style beer was transformed from a settler's drink under Apartheid politics into a symbol of the independent Namibian nation.