Partnership as a Learning Process
A conversation with Berliner Entwicklungspolitischer Ratschlag about the Stakeholdermeeting in Windhoek, our experiences, challenges in collaboration, and the traces of colonialism.
In November 2026, Berliner Entwicklungspolitischer Ratschlag had a conversation with Rosa López (overall coordination) and Carola von der Dick (Berlin-Jakarta Tandem) about the Stakeholdermeeting in Windhoek and asked to reflect on our visit, our experiences, challenges in collaboration, and the traces of colonialism.
BER: One pillar of the model project Sister Cities in Action are regular in-person meetings. You recently met in Windhoek, Namibia. What is the purpose of these joint working meetings, and how was the local response?
Rosa López: A key goal is to build long-term relationships. Personal encounters allow for an exchange that is nearly impossible online, especially across multiple time zones. You get to know each other, develop ideas, and reflect on the past collaboration. This time, it was particularly significant to create spaces for South-South encounters. Many participants from Windhoek emphasized how valuable the direct exchange with colleagues from Jakarta and Mexico City was. There’s great interest in independent cooperation among partners from the Global South, which doesn’t always have to go through Berlin.
Another focus was to gain knowledge about Windhoek, especially in the context of colonial history. We also had many discussions with local organizations about potential collaborations. Our partners in Windhoek organized an impressive program for this.
Carola von der Dick: The local civil society expressed clear expectations, especially concerning unequal access to visas. Since it is often not even possible to get an appointment at the German embassy in Namibia for a visa application, a massive imbalance arises in shaping the partnership. Equal collaboration also means equal opportunities for mobility.
BER: In Germany, there is currently a lot of discussion about the restitution of the German genocide against the Herero and Nama and about reparations. How visible is this history in Windhoek?
Rosa López: The colonial past is omnipresent. For me, it’s unimaginable not to perceive it —unless you move within purely white tourism structures that obscure much. The moment people realized that part of our group is from Germany, the topic was immediately brought up: Many people talked about their origins, the genocide, or addressed Germany’s role directly. The historical consciousness is strong, and the expectation that German visitors engage with this history is equally strong.
Carola von der Dick: The many German street names, like Bergstraße and Hügelstraße, are particularly striking, even though several streets have already been renamed. The debates sometimes resemble those in Berlin: some argue that renaming would make historical references invisible, while others strongly advocate renaming. However, the contexts in which these discussions occur are of course different. More exchange between initiatives in Berlin and Windhoek would be beneficial. Many people in Germany don’t even know the country Namibia or its capital, Windhoek. And there is still too little in Berlin that reminds us of this colonial past.
BER: Where are colonial continuities particularly evident in everyday life today?
Rosa López: A central example is tourism, where colonial power structures persist. Among other things, due to historical land distribution, around 90 percent of tourist infrastructure is currently in white hands. Tourist offers from Black Namibians are hardly visible—you have to actively search for them. Those who want to travel consciously should pay attention to where they book, from whom they rent a car, and whom they support.
Carola von der Dick: In all of Namibia, about 70 percent of agricultural land belongs to white commercial farms, even though people of German descent make up only around one to two percent of the population. This shows how extremely unequal power and resources are distributed. Additionally, there’s the historical “Red Line,” which economically and socially divides Namibia to this day: the predominantly white south and the predominantly Black north have very different access to land, markets, and income. These colonial border demarcations continue to resonate today.
Rosa López: This separation is also visible in Windhoek itself. The inner-city areas are predominantly white, while Black people predominantly work there. Many live in outlying districts that were historically segregated. The continuity from German colonialism to the apartheid system is palpable and independence in 1990 is not far behind. Structural changes take time.
Carola von der Dick: There are movements addressing the land issue. At the same time, it’s a sensitive topic, especially because negative experiences have been made in neighboring countries, such as with international sanctions following land redistributions.
BER: During your trip, Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner was also in Windhoek. He spoke about combating youth unemployment in Namibia through training programs for the German job market. How do you assess this approach from a civil society perspective?
Carola von der Dick: This can also be seen as a colonial continuity. As far as we know, the training project in question does not aim to create jobs in Namibia that would benefit the country itself. Instead, it seeks to train young people for the German job market and bring them to Berlin.
Rosa López: Of course, one must differentiate: for some, staying in Germany is an opportunity. But the problem begins with the lack of local prospects. If the only option lies abroad, it is an expression of existing global inequalities, not a solution. Solutions need to be sought elsewhere.
Youth unemployment in Namibia stands at around 45 percent. Some young people are very engaged, politically interested, and articulate clear demands to the government, yet they lack the opportunities to include these demands directly in political processes. A major issue is the strengthening of political education: many do not know what rights they have or in which political spaces they could engage. Before young people can become politically active, existential questions often take precedence.
BER: What collaborations will you be pursuing next?
Carola von der Dick: To support youth in both countries, we have planned a sports exchange with the youth organization Physically Active Youth (PAY).
Rosa López: Next year, we will focus on the theme of commemoration culture—taking impulses from Windhoek and expanding the dialogue around this with all three partner cities. Additionally, to address the structural exclusion of LGBTIQ individuals in Namibia and Germany, there will soon be a stronger exchange with Equal Namibia, an organization that works on LGBTIQ rights.
