Karl Emil Liljeblad (27 February 1876 – 27 July 1937) was a Finnish pastor, vicar, missionary and educator, and during his final years, a researcher in Folkloristics.
Jooseppi Mustakallio, the Director of the Finnish Missionary Society, who came to South-West Africa for an inspection trip.
Liljeblad had been stressing the necessity of training teachers in Ovamboland for years, and now, in spite of opposition from the head of the mission field, Rev.
Martti Rautanen, he was able to found a teachers' training seminary in Oniipa, and subsequently worked as its principal.
In this way, the men were able to participate in the work on their own fields outside the terms, and also they could avoid having to sit in the classroom during November and December, which were the hottest months.
At the end of 1918, Liljebald offered his resignation to the Board of the FMS, stating he was dissatisfied with the numbers of applicants to the seminary, and with the fact that the need for teachers in Ovamboland could not be met.
An English border guard, Major Fairlie had built a modest church building in a place called Omafo.
He demanded one pound per person, and when he turned out to be Catholic, Fairlie sent him away and asked Liljeblad to come and pay a visit to Oukwanyama.
In addition, he baptized children of those who already were Christians, married several couples and confirmed youngsters in the Lutheran faith.
The Ovambo folklore materials he collected a during this journey are kept by the Division of Manuscripts of the National Library of Finland in Helsinki.
Together with e.g. Anna Glad he represented a younger generation of missionaries, which considered it important to provide not only spiritual but also secular instruction to the Ovambos.
It was said that during World War I his sympathies lie with the English and not with the Germans, as was the case with many other Finnish missionaries, including Rautanen.