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.
Investigating the Evolving Role of Public Spaces in Windhoek: From Colonial Legacies to Inclusive Urban Futures. Public spaces shape how we meet, connect, celebrate, and belong. In Windhoek, these spaces carry complex histories, yet they also hold potential for more inclusive futures.
Join us for a dynamic conversation where panelists reflect on: Colonial planning and its lasting spatial legacies Efforts toward naming and renaming public spaces How we can design cities that reflect all communities What inclusive, accessible, people-centered public space can look like
This event brings together experts and the public for meaningful dialogue and shared learning.
🗓️14th November 🕒 6pm 📍 Creative Industry Institute Africa, 3 Hügel Street 🎟️ Free & open to the public
Let’s imagine and shape the future of our city together
The Sister Cities in Action project coordinators from Berlin, Mexico City, and Jakarta arrived in Windhoek and was warmly welcomed to the offices of Creative Industry Institute Africa (CIIA) for the very first time.
This visit marks the beginning of two weeks of stakeholder engagements and internal sessions, as we meet in person to strengthen collaboration and chart the next phase of the Sister Cities in Action Project.
To celebrate this milestone, CIIA hosted a welcoming braai and networking event in true Namibian style! The gathering offered us an opportunity to ease into the busy weeks ahead, while also connecting with the CIIA team and members of Namibia’s vibrant civil society sector.
The event brought together representatives from organizations including the Umbrella Initiative, Physically Active Namibia, Goethe-Institut Namibia, Equal Namibia, Namibia Institute for Democracy, The Namibia Craft Centre, as well as officials from the City of Windhoek and City of Berlin, among others.
The evening was a great success, serving as both an ice-breaker and a celebration of collaboration, creativity, and cultural exchange. It set an inspiring tone for the days ahead, as our coordinators embark on a journey of learning, partnership, and shared purpose.
Stay tuned for updates from the upcoming sessions and engagements as we continue building stronger creative bridges between Berlin, Windhoek, Mexico City, and Jakarta under the Sister Cities in Action initiative.
A documentary film on immigration, belonging, and creative activism.
Set in Berlin and New York, FROM HERE is a hopeful story of four young artists and activists from immigrant families redefining belonging in an era of rising nationalism globally.The protagonists move from their 20s into their 30s and face major turning points in their lives: fighting for citizenship, starting families, and finding room for creative expression.
The film screening will be followed by a discussion with:
Canan Turan, ideologiy-critical film scholar & creative producer of the films (Berlin) Victoria Kumala Sakti, sozial and cultur anthropologist (Jakarta) Karl Ehlers, artist and journalist (Windhoek) Liz Soto Rivas, activist and founder of Latinas en Alemania (Mexiko-City).
25 Years of Creative Ties: Celebrating Windhoek–Berlin Partnership and Reflecting on Opportunities and Challenges
The Sister Cities in Action anniversary event marked a significant milestone—celebrating 25 years of creative collaboration between Windhoek and Berlin. The event opened with a powerful screening of the documentary “Confronting Colonial Pasts – Envisioning Creative Futures”, produced by Joe Vision Production in collaboration with the Museums Association of Namibia, Ethnographic Museum of Berlin and other stakeholders. The film focused on the historic repatriation of 23 cultural artifacts returned to Namibia, a poignant reminder of the complex and often painful shared history between the two countries.
Following the screening, a panel discussion was moderated by Patric Sam and featured key voices of panelists included:
Naita Hishoono, Director at the Namibia Institute for Democracy, with extensive experience in collaborations between Namibia and Germany.
Maria Caley, a fashion designer and lecturer at the University of Namibia, bringing insights from the creative and academic sectors.
Tuli Mekondjo, a renowned multidisciplinary artist who has exhibited in various countries across the world including Germany
The discussion explored the creative ties forged over the past quarter-century, as well as the challenges and opportunities shaping this cross-cultural partnership.
It was acknowledged that the dark and complicated history linking Namibia and Germany remains a critical backdrop to all collaborative efforts. This shared past cannot be overlooked; however, much progress has been made in building meaningful and successful partnerships during the past 25 years.
A significant challenge highlighted by the panel is the absence of a formal framework in Namibia to govern partnerships and collaborations with foreign entities, particularly those from Germany. This gap often leads to unbalanced and non-transparent arrangements. For example, differences in labor regulations mean that German workers may be paid according to German standards, while Namibian counterparts, lacking a comparable framework, receive considerably lower remuneration. This lack of clarity also extends to local Namibian collaborators who find it difficult to negotiate fair terms without established guidelines.
The panel emphasized the critical need for transparency on both sides to foster trust and equity. It was also noted that Namibian collaborators must clearly define their objectives and expectations in partnerships, especially when funding originates from external sources, where funders often hold greater influence.
Access to information—including budgets and decision-making processes, is essential to leveling the playing field and ensuring fair collaboration.
Equally important was a deep urge for Namibians to clearly understand what they want and need before entering collaborations. Knowing and articulating clear objectives is key to ensuring fair and equitable partnerships.
Creatives at the event expressed hope for more inclusivity and open sharing of information regarding collaborative projects, noting that many events tend to circulate within the same groups and are not always accessible to the broader creative community. This is an area identified for improvement moving forward.
The event was attended by over 70 people, including a delegation from the City of Windhoek and representatives from the House of Parliament of Berlin. Additionally, various local stakeholders, creatives and the general public also participated, underscoring the wide interest and investment in the continued partnership between the two cities.
Overall, the event served as both a celebration of 25 years of creative exchange and a call to action for more equitable, transparent, and structured partnerships moving forward between Windhoek and Berlin.
