When Cultures of Remembrance Clash: Contesting Memorialization in Namibia’s Urban Spaces

Abstract

Roughly a year ago, an online petition brought down a German colonial statue in Windhoek. In November 2023, a privately initiated genocide museum is fighting for officialization in Swakopmund, a city still marked by colonial nostalgia and a memorialization dominated by German-speaking Namibians. This article looks at the current diverse decolonial activisms unfolding in a country which continues to grapple with the pervasive legacy of apartheid and colonialism. How can reconciliation look like and how can social cohesion be fostered after decades of racist oppression?