Andimba Toivo ya Toivo played an important role in his country's development. He founded the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) in 1957. Sam Nujoma became the official leader of SWAPO and later President of Namibia, and is regarded as the official 'founding father' of Namibia. Andimba Toivo ya Toivo never became the official leader of SWAPO or President of Namibia, according to roape.net. He was born on August 22, 1924, in Omangundu in northern Namibia, was raised in a rural community, attended St. Mary’s Mission School in Odibo, and trained as a teacher in South Africa, according to namibiatoday.com. Anthropologist Heike Becker has written a biography of Andimba Toivo ya Toivo. Andimba Toivo ya Toivo remains unknown to many beyond Namibia. According to roape.net, he died at the age of 92 in June 2017. Thousands attended memorial services for him across Namibia after his death in 2017. roape.net reported that he was described by many as the most shining icon of the Namibian liberation struggle and made one of the most powerful speeches from the dock during the struggles against settler colonialism in southern Africa, according to theconversation.com. Some Namibians on social media claimed he would have been a more deserving recipient of the title 'Founding Father of the Namibian Nation' than Sam Nujoma, according to roape.net.