Are street names part of history?
Namibia’s countryside is as harsh as it is picturesque, lush but inhospitable and the wildlife is magnificent even though they are in a constant fight for survival, confronted with droughts and floods. As diverse as the natural beauty is, is Namibia’s history. Unlike West Africa, North Africa, East Africa and the very Southern Tip of Africa, for centuries it was largely ignored by European and Asian Powers. The only resident tribes were the San, Nama and Damara. In the 14th century they were joined by the Bantu speaking tribes, who came south from central Africa. There were a few European and South African traders that travelled through present day Namibia, but the lack of natural ports and the desserts to East, West and South made it a very risky destination.
But the world took notice when diamonds were discovered, and soon afterwards a reluctant Germany send in troop to colonialize the country (partly as a countermeasure against the expanding British empire). The rule lasted only 30 years, because the end of the first World War marked the beginning of the South African rule. But then, finally in 1989, Namibia gained independence. For the first time was ruled by Namibians themselves. The history reflects the culture of Namibians, which is rich in diversity, built on strengths of individual backgrounds. There is no single cultural history, expect that the combination of all of them is the Namibian history.
Over the last few years, the government, in particular the Windhoek municipality has been going out of their way to attempt to re-write history. They seem to think that by removing statues and renaming existing streets, the reflection of history will change. It will not.
Statues, Monuments and Street names are there to remind us of where we came from. Some are reminders of how we overcame difficult periods, moved on and created a more inclusive future. Some are celebrations of achievements. Nations across Asia, Europe and America is full of such tributes, reminding everybody of the good times and the bad. But in Namibia we seem to want to erase the past and pretend another is the reality.
This leads us to the renaming of the Bismarck street. Otto von Bismarck was recently named as one of three most remarkable leaders of all times by the Economist Magazine. Even though he was not a king, he foresaw that the only way the Germanic European kingdoms could regain their powerful position as the Anker of Europe, was by combining all the kingdoms and forming one unified country, known now as Germany. As can be imagined, dealing with so many kings was no easy feat, especially since he was no king himself. His vision of a united Germany and a flourishing future was stronger than any of the individual battles. Bismarck then dedicated himself on keeping peace in Europe, which in prior centuries has been ravaged by endless and needless wars. It is this vision of a united, more prosperous and peaceful future, which Bismarck is applauded for.
To remove the memories of such a remarkable statesman clearly can’t be for ideological reasons. It seems more likely that the renaming is part of a wider removal of any association to the German history, even though Germany has been a close ally for years, and Namibians from German descent have been a major contributor to the economic development of Namibia. Even though their heritage originated in Germany, they are distinctly Namibians. Or are they? It seems like some in government are targeting minorities, especially the German speaking population, who’s history they would like to erase from the Namibian history. But it is the multi-culturism that makes everybody Namibian. There is no single tribe called the Namibian, but as a collective we are all Namibians. Therefore, all of our histories should be respected, because that is our identity. It is foolish to target one minority. Such actions have never ended well.
It is off course understandable that the current government would like to honor struggle heroes from their own ranks and modern-day leaders. To name a street after them, seems to be a good remembrance. But that is best done by naming streets or buildings that the current government has built. It would reflect the accomplishments of what is possible because of the dedication of those remembered.