22/08/2026
Today, 22 August 2026, is Ndjinaa’s 79th birthday, according to her ID.
She was born on 22 August 1947.
Ndjinaa is her name. It means: “We know your mother, but who are you?”
For 20 years she was kept in chains after being accused of being a dangerous witch who brought misfortune, illness, and death.
Yes, she is living with a Major Neurocognitive Disorder — dementia.
But she is neither a witch nor dangerous. She is a friendly, loving grandmother, mother, and daughter of Munjomuhoro, the Chief who led the Himba people from 1935 to 1982.
Her brother, Chief Hikuminue Kapika, chained her for 20 years because the family believed she was a dangerous witch. They did not understand her strange behavior and confusion. After a traditional healer confirmed she was a witch, he warned Kapika not to let her die, saying he would follow her in death three days later.
Kapika chained her to a pole in a hut because one of her symptoms was wandering away from the village and disappearing. At ADN, we see this every day. It is a sign of damage to the hippocampus caused by Alzheimer’s disease and Frontotemporal Dementia.
Ndjinaa’s story touches hearts around the world. It has opened people’s eyes to the harmful practices that come from witchcraft beliefs and religious fear, rooted in ignorance about Major Neurocognitive Disorders.
At ADN, we call her the Nelson Mandela of all people living with dementia who are stigmatized and discriminated against because of a lack of knowledge about brain health and the 120+ diseases that affect the brain.
Today we celebrate Ndjinaa’s 14th birthday as a free woman.
May her life bring freedom to every person in Sub-Saharan Africa who is stigmatized and discriminated against because a Major Neurocognitive Disorder is mistaken for witchcraft or demon possession.
Happy birthday, Gogo/Kuku Ndjinaa.
With love,
Berrie and Sufrani
