Tuesday, April 28, 6–8 PM at MotionLab Berlin(Bouchéstraße 12, Hall 20, 12435 Berlin)
What connects Kottbusser Tor—beloved by some and avoided by others—with Jakarta, a lively metropolis of 42 million people?
What does contemporary music by Namibian artists tell us about the city partnership between Berlin and Windhoek?
How do we experience remembrance culture in Mexico City when visiting a mural in Haus Schwarzenberg on Rosenthaler Str.?
The new Sister Cities Audiowalks take an unusual perspective through the streets and neighborhoods of Berlin, uncovering surprising connections between the sister cities. During the launch, we will provide insights into the development process of the three audio tours and listen together to selected excerpts. Afterwards, we invite you to an open discussion and networking.
The project was developed in cooperation with the Berlin Project Center and is part of “Sister Cities in Action.” Its aim is to make city partnerships tangible, to highlight global challenges and initiatives that adress these within the urban context.
We warmly invite you to discover the audiowalks, join the discussion, and explore Berlin from new perspectives.
In English, no registration required.
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Vier Städte, drei Spaziergänge, ein Berlin
Dienstag, 28. April, 18 – 20 Uhr im MotionLab Berlin (Bouchéstrasse 12, Halle 20, 12435 Berlin)
Was verbindet das Kottbusser Tor – von manchen geliebt und von anderen gemieden – mit Jakarta, einer lebhaften Metropole von 42 Millionen Menschen?
Was verrät uns zeitgenössische Musik namibischer Künstler*innen über die Städtepartnerschaft zwischen Berlin und Windhoek?
Wie erleben wir Erinnerungskultur in Mexiko-Stadt, wenn wir ein Wandgemälde im Haus Schwarzenberg in der Rosenthaler Str. besuchen?
Die neuen Sister Cities Audiowalks führen mit einer ungewöhnten Perspektive durch Straßen und Kieze Berlins und spüren dabei überraschenden Verbindungen zwischen den Partnerstädten nach. Beim Launch geben wir Einblicke in den Entwicklungsprozess der drei Audiotouren und hören gemeinsam in ausgewählte Ausschnitte hinein. Im Anschluss laden wir zu einer offenen Diskussion und zum Networking ein.
Das Projekt wurde in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Berlin Project Center entwickelt und ist Teil von „Sister Cities in Action.“ Ziel ist es, Städtepartnerschaften greifbar zu machen und globale Herausforderungen sowie Initiativen, die diese im städtischen Kontext adressieren, hervorzuheben.
Wir laden Sie herzlich ein, die Audiowalks zu entdecken, an der Diskussion teilzunehmen und Berlin aus neuen Perspektiven zu erkunden.
Following the path of chili peppers from Mesoamerica through the Sister Cities
Why is Mexican and Indonesian food so spicy? In both countries, many people love to cook with chili. But why is this, and why do we find chili plants being cultivated all across the globe? In planning for our chili cooking event, the Berlin-Jakarta and Berlin-Mexico City tandem researched the history of the chili plant. We were surprised: Chili was unheard of in Asia before it traveled there abroad Portuguese ships during the early phase of colonization. It reached Goa, India, around 1520, and from there, it rapidly spread across Asia. Chilies are much easier to cultivate than black pepper, for example. Unexpected connections can bring new things to life: People adopted the spicy ingredient and experimented with it in gardens and kitchens from India through Thailand to the Philippines, leading to the creation of many new dishes.
Chili peppers originated in Mesoamerica, a cultural region that includes Mexico and several Central American countries. Its name derives from the Nahuatl word “chilli,” and its cultivation began over 6,000 years ago. Even in pre-Hispanic times, chili peppers were not only a food source, but also a medicinal plant and a symbolic cultural heritage.
How chili is prepared and enjoyed can express a sense of identity and belonging. Our tandem-partners shared some insight into the role of chili in their cities:
While learning how to cook four Indonesian sambals (Sambal Bawang, Sambal Tuk-Tuk, Sambal Pecak and Sambal Matah) and three Mexican salsas (Salsa Macha, Salsa Verde, Salsa Roja), we invited participants to reflect on relationships between taste, memory, and belonging.
Here are some reflections participants shared on the night:
“I think chili is like sort of my way of life, like chili is just something I grew up with.”
“I am actually not that good with chilli, but it brings cultures together.
“As an Indian, chili is part of our everyday food and usually when we go to get groceries, we get chili for free. But when I go to any Indian store here, I have to pay for it – so I am like, why am I paying for this I usually get it for free?!”
“I would say I associate chili with punishments, not for me but for my friends. They told me how their parents would punish them with putting chili in their mouths to punish them for something they did.”
“Tonight, I learnt that you can eat kaffir lime leaves! I always thought of them as something that you just use as seaoning and then you take it out, like bay leaves. But in the sambal that we made, sambal matah, you cut them up really thin and then you just add them to the sambal and then you eat it – and it was delicious!”
The chili cooking event was hosted by Watch Indonesia! and Mexico Via Berlin as part of the sister city initiative „Sister Cities in Action“, funded by the State Office for Development Cooperation (LEZ).
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Eine Veranstaltung von Watch Indonesia! und Mexico Via Berlin im Rahmen des Städtepartnerschaftprojekts „Sister Cities in Action“, gefördert von der Landesstelle für Entwicklungszusammenarbeit (LEZ) Berlin.
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.
The Sister Cities in Action Team meets Dina Graf and Ndelitunga Shikongeni, the ambassadors of the 25th Year Twin Cities Berlin-Windhoek celebration. Foto credits: @Willem Vrey
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.
On Monday, 20 October 2025, our third and final public event in Windhoek took place at the Village Garden.
On Monday, 20 October 2025, our third and final public event ind Windhoek took place at the Village Garden. It was a networking gathering where we invited various organisations from Windhoek to exchange experiences, present their work, and explore opportunities to learn from one another.
We began by introducing our Sister Cities on Action Project, the tandem structure, along with the different formats we use in our collaborative process in Windhoek, Jakarta, Mexico-City and Berlin. Afterwards, several Windhoek-based organisations took the floor to share their work with the plenary. We focused on initiatives working in the following areas:
● Group A: Migration & Inclusive Communities ● Group B: Culture of Remembrance (in public spaces) ● Group C: Climate Crisis and Urban Adaptation Strategies
Among them, the Namibian Museums Association presented their work connecting museums across the country and developing alternative approaches inspired by the concept of “living archives – we are all living archives.”
The Umbrella Initiative also presented its activities. They connect NGOs from different sectors and run several community projects, including a pre-loved exchange programme that collects and distributes items to people in need.
Lastly, Youth4Can, a youth-led organisation that advocates for radical action on climate change and aims to build local resilience and sustainable just transition across all 14 regions of Namibia shared its initiatives and ongoing efforts.
In the second part of the event, we facilitated three thematic discussion rooms where representatives from different civil society organisations in Windhoek explored the topics more deeply. Together, they identified points of intersection, shared challenges, and developed ideas for future collaboration.
Many promising insights emerged from these conversations — but so did meaningful reflections. They reminded us that we are more connected, more resourceful, and far stronger together than we often realise. The desire to nurture and strengthen a South–South cooperation became especially visible, grounded in solidarity, mutual learning, and a shared vision for more just and resilient urban futures.
Moments like these reaffirm the importance of building multilateral networks that transcend borders, disciplines and perspectives. When communities come together with openness and curiosity, new and exciting possibilities for the future of our cities emerge — possibilities that none of us could have imagined alone.
Many thanks to everyone who took part in this meeting, and to those who contributed to making it possible. We’re really excited about what’s to come and look forward to continuing to build bridges of understanding, diversity and action with you all!
As part of the ongoing Sister Cities in Action initiative, Windhoek recently hosted an insightful event focused on Memory in Public Spaces, bringing together creatives, community voices, historians, and city stakeholders to reflect on how our urban landscape tells — and sometimes fails to tell — our collective story.
What if our cities truly reflected who we are? This question guided the discussion as participants explored how Windhoek can honour all its cultures, histories, and futures. The goal is not simply to replace what exists, but to complete what is missing, ensuring every Namibian can walk tall, knowing their identity and dignity are represented in the spaces around them.
Key reflections from the session included:
Honest engagement with existing monuments, buildings, and symbols, and what they communicate about our past.
Recognizing stories that have been erased, overlooked, or ignored, and the importance of restoring them to public memory.
Empowering communities and creatives to tell histories with dignity through art, design, storytelling, and cultural expression.
Imagining beyond the present, using creativity, public art, and film to inspire what Windhoek could become.
A clear message emerged: we need more open discourse and thoughtful debate around memory, representation, and identity in public space. To shape a future that reflects us all, we must define our values, establish guiding principles, and understand why we are building and transforming our city in the ways we choose.
This event marks another meaningful step in strengthening dialogue between Windhoek and Berlin and in building a cityscape that honours the past while inspiring a shared and inclusive future.
On Thursday, 16th of October from 8AM – 4 PM the joint network meeting on “Past, Present and Partnership” took place.
On October 16, the Sister Cities in Action coordinators had the honor of presenting our pilot project during the 25th City Partnership Anniversary between Berlin and Windhoek, organized in collaboration with the Namibia Institute for Democracy at the Windhoek Country Club. The event, held under the theme Past Present Partnership, brought together representatives from civil society, city officials, and a visiting delegation from Berlin, which included members of the Berlin Senat and the Senator for Culture and Social Cohesion herself, who delivered the closing remarks.
During the event, the Sister Cities in Action team had the unique opportunity to introduce the concept of sister cities, share a brief history of the partnership, and present the mission and activities of the initiative—highlighting who we are, what we do, and how we collaborate to address global challenges together.
At the second part of the Full-Day-Workshop we worked and discussed together in three breakout sessions on the following topics:
Group A: Memory, spaces, and urban identities
The First Group discussed the central role that creatives play in shaping memory, space and urban identity. This is why the discussion focused on securing sustainable creative funding…
Building long-term structures for artists requires resources that enable continuity rather than short-term initiatives. To support this, the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg should introduce a German–Namibian international coproduction fund, modeled on the German–Polish and German–Turkish funds. The latter is based on the Berlin–Istanbul city partnership. Such a fund would deepen cultural exchange and collaborative production. Additionally, the idea of an Arts Expo in Windhoek emerged as a key platform to connect artists and creatives, strengthen networks, and foreground the shared evolution of memory and urban identity across both regions.
Group B: Equal and strategic partnership models
The second group focused on future partnership models and what is important for achieving genuine equality. The discussion revealed the following important characteristics…
Reciprocal Mobility Equal partnerships require the ability to meet in each other’s cities; without mutual mobility, the relationship remains unbalanced.
Local Employment Institutions should employ people from the countries where they operate, ensuring local knowledge, lived experience, and skills shape the work.
Intersectional Inclusion This goes beyond representation—true partnership integrates diverse perspectives, experiences, and expertise at every level (intersectionality)
Transparent Finances Open and accessible financial structures build trust and create a foundation for genuinely equal relationships.
Process-Based Funding Funding long-term processes instead of short, activity-focused projects enables sustainable change and strategic development
Group C: Youth and participatory governance
The last group took a look at Namibia’s youth and the role they play, or should play, in governance and democratic processes…
In Namibia, where unemployment is high (at 44.4% among young people in 2023), many young people struggle to meet their basic needs and often feel that political participation is out of their reach. Politics can be intimidating, and structural barriers make it difficult for young people to engage meaningfully with decision-makers. Many also feel that politics is far removed from their daily lives and that older generations rarely consider their views. Consequently, young people are often unaware that they are permitted to participate in political spaces, or these spaces are inaccessible to them. Strengthening political education and sharing accessible information are crucial steps towards inclusion. As one participant said: ‘If we always see the same people in the room, we have to change the room!’
Summary and Closing Remarks
There were many young, highly committed people there with clear ideas and demands about what kind of future they envision. One of them was encouraged by the Berlin Senator for Culture during her closing remarks to enter politics after the participant gave a passionate speech about the importance of young people’s participation in politics.
On September 10th 2025, a binational online meeting brought together activists, civil society organizations, and refugees from Mexico and Germany to exchange experiences, perspectives, and challenges related to migration.
The conversation focused on how political contexts and public perceptions of migration have changed in both countries. Participants also shared insights into collective and solidarity-based networks that support and empower migrants and refugees, as well as self-organized spaces created by migrants and asylum seekers to connect, exchange ideas, and develop collective approaches to action.
We extend our gratitude to all participants and for the contributions of:
Gabriela de Lourdes Hernández Chalte – Director of Casa Tochan (Mexico)
Gerardo Talavera Cervantes – Specialist in Humanitarian Response and Local Integration Coordinator at CAFEMIN (Mexico)
Josué Castañeda – Human Rights Advocate, Refugee, and Collaborator at CHIRLA (Mexico)
Marlene Pernalete – Human Rights Lawyer, Refugee, and Migration Consultant at SFR e.V. (Germany)
Sara Bellezza – Migration and Border Studies Researcher and Activist focused on Germany, Europe an the Americas at the Freie Universität Berlin (Germany)
On Thursday, 3rd of July from 2-8 PM a network meeting on new municipalism and other approaches to grassroots democracy took place.
At the network meeting, the sister cities in action project provided a forum for discussion on the following question: How can Berlin’s international connections and (city) partnerships be used as a platform for the democratic participation (e.g. new municipalism) of diasporic perspectives and voices from the Global South?
As the group comprised participants involved in different areas, it was important to first clarify the core concepts of new municipalism, diaspora and city partnerships within the question. This exchange was made all the more exciting by the group’s diversity. The participants’ varied knowledge and experiences revealed connections and intersections between all the concepts, and above all emphasised the importance of diasporic community participation.
What is the goal? New municipalism & other forms of grassroots democratic participation
Our group understood new municipalism to be a form of democracy that enables and ensures the participation of all members of society, i.e. a democracy that is determined and lived from the bottom up. Based on this understanding, we established and discussed connections to other concepts. For instance, one participant highlighted parallels between new municipalism and cooperativism in their contribution to the workshop. Both are organisational structures that facilitate new avenues for democratic decision-making and collective action. The latter is particularly relevant in the context of trade relations. In cooperativism, every cooperative has one vote and is equally involved in decisions, regardless of its size. This was also discussed in the context of international cooperation, where cooperatives trade not only locally, but also between the Global North and Global South.
How can this goal be achieved? (City)Partnerships – a platform for democratic participation
Civil society (city) partnerships are an instrument of democratic participation because they are usually closer to municipal structures than other civil society actors. This makes them a more accessible point of contact than traditional forms of participation at the municipal level. At the same time, city partnerships can open up a different scope for action at the international level than would be possible through international cooperation at the national level, especially with regard to foreign policy issues. In one example a participant talked about a city partnership, where important projects supporting local self-organisation are being implemented that would not have been possible at the national level between the two nations states involved. Ultimately, city partnerships, as well as other forms of civil society partnerships, facilitate meeting places centred around specific issues, bringing together people, initiatives, and organisations from different locations who are working on the same or similar global challenges. Where encounters take place, exchange takes place; where exchange takes place, people can learn from each other, and new solutions can be developed.
With whom can this be achieved? Diasporic communities & voices from the Global South
It was clear from the contributions of Dêrik and Bahia, and the subsequent discussion, that the active participation of civil society and diasporic communities in democratic decision-making lends legitimacy and a long-term perspective to these processes. In our discussion forum, we emphasised the importance of diasporic community participation in making the perspectives of the Global South more visible. Participation brings individuals to the forefront, showcasing their unique stories, interests, needs, ideas, and abilities.
If we understand city partnerships as a platform for democratic participation, the active involvement of respective diaspora communities in these partnerships at a civil society level offers an opportunity to shed new light on partnerships and, above all, on the people in partner cities. This helps to avoid purely deficit-oriented perspectives. This is because state perspectives tend to be very one-sided, focusing on the interests and needs of the state rather than the partner cities. Diaspora communities can actively contribute to highlighting imbalances, thus making partnerships more equitable and solidarity-based. This is because they often (though not always) facilitate understanding between the two cities on linguistic, cultural and political levels.
To enable diasporic communities to participate in local democratic decision-making processes, such as civil society-based city partnerships, it is important to create safe, linguistically accessible spaces where everyone feels welcome. If we take this serious, this could lead to new perspectives and strategies in various socially relevant areas, such as development policy, migration, the economy and trade, education, and culture. It could also lead to alternative forms of cooperation, such as cooperativism.
Conclusion
“City partnerships based in civil society that enable the active participation of diasporic communities can provide a platform for democratic participation by diverse social groups. At the same time, they can serve as a space for global solidarity where mutual learning is possible. And that is crucial for democratic processes in a society.”
