Windhoek Meeting – Workshop: “Past, Present and Partnership”
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.
