Genocide exhibition causes rift
The launch of an OvaHerero and Nama genocide exhibition titled 'Learning from the past' has been postponed for the second time amid claims from the two communities that their history is being distorted.
The mobile exhibition, which includes the launch of a teacher's handbook on genocide for Namibian schools, was initially scheduled to take place on 17 February, but was postponed to yesterday before again being put on ice indefinitely.
The launch is to be hosted by the Museums Association of Namibia (MAN) and is expected to travel to all 14 regions of the country.
“The public will be informed about the new date in due course,” said international relations minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Nama Traditional Leaders Association (NTLA) and the OvaHerero Traditional Authority (OTA) said government had not consulted them regarding the history of their communities.
They see this as an ongoing violation of their rights and demand an immediate review of the exhibition and handbook.
In a statement issued last week, they said they see this failure to consult them as “disrespectful” and accused government of wittingly or unwittingly interfering with their pursuit for genocide reparations from Germany.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said it is unfortunate that the NTLA and OTA have condemned the exhibition before seeing it. According to her, MAN sought to produce a professional exhibition and obtain agreement that the content reflected the perspectives of all those affected by the genocide.
She added that government hoped to use the exhibition to encourage dialogue within Namibia and emphasised the importance of mutual understanding about the past and the ways in which the genocide continues to impact the present.
“The creation of the exhibition was a response to concerns that many Namibians are ignorant of the events that took place during the genocide and that there are some who even deny that it took place. We feel that, as Namibians, we need to learn about the past, but also learn from the past. The exhibition is intended for a Namibian audience so that all Namibians can see the evidence about the genocide in a digestible form. But the exhibition also encourages young Namibians to combat prejudice and discrimination in Namibia today,” she added.
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JEMIMA BEUKES
The mobile exhibition, which includes the launch of a teacher's handbook on genocide for Namibian schools, was initially scheduled to take place on 17 February, but was postponed to yesterday before again being put on ice indefinitely.
The launch is to be hosted by the Museums Association of Namibia (MAN) and is expected to travel to all 14 regions of the country.
“The public will be informed about the new date in due course,” said international relations minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Nama Traditional Leaders Association (NTLA) and the OvaHerero Traditional Authority (OTA) said government had not consulted them regarding the history of their communities.
They see this as an ongoing violation of their rights and demand an immediate review of the exhibition and handbook.
In a statement issued last week, they said they see this failure to consult them as “disrespectful” and accused government of wittingly or unwittingly interfering with their pursuit for genocide reparations from Germany.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said it is unfortunate that the NTLA and OTA have condemned the exhibition before seeing it. According to her, MAN sought to produce a professional exhibition and obtain agreement that the content reflected the perspectives of all those affected by the genocide.
She added that government hoped to use the exhibition to encourage dialogue within Namibia and emphasised the importance of mutual understanding about the past and the ways in which the genocide continues to impact the present.
“The creation of the exhibition was a response to concerns that many Namibians are ignorant of the events that took place during the genocide and that there are some who even deny that it took place. We feel that, as Namibians, we need to learn about the past, but also learn from the past. The exhibition is intended for a Namibian audience so that all Namibians can see the evidence about the genocide in a digestible form. But the exhibition also encourages young Namibians to combat prejudice and discrimination in Namibia today,” she added.
[email protected]
JEMIMA BEUKES
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