Ballotti meets pupils behind blackface incident, urges empathy over anger

Deputy minister of education, innovation, youth, sport, arts and culture Dino Ballotti says he has met two school pupils involved in a recent racist blackface incident, and described the meeting as a “difficult yet necessary conversation”.

Ballotti on Wednesday said the meeting was aimed at learning rather than condemnation.

The blackface incident, which drew public outrage, came to light earlier this week after one of the boys involved posted a photo of himself and a fellow pupil painted black at a Halloween party and with the racist tags “kffr 1 and kffr 2 attached to their clothing.

The photo has drawn wide condemnation. The pupil has since removed it from social media.

The pupils, who are from two different schools in Windhoek, were attending a party at a private property in the city on Friday last week when the photo was taken.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Ballotti said he and education minister Sanet Steenkamp were among those deeply disappointed by the act, which he said “understandably caused deep hurt and disappointment among many Namibians”.

He recounted about his meeting with the two pupils: “It was a difficult yet necessary conversation, without passing judgement, and in the spirit of learning, I listened to their accounts, their remorse and their sincere understanding of the gravity of their actions.”

He added that the pupils expressed responsibility and openness to grow from the experience, calling it “a moment of stupidity”.

“What stood out most was their willingness to take responsibility and their openness to grow from this experience,” he said.

Ballotti said while the act could not be condoned, the country should focus on guidance and understanding when dealing with young people who make mistakes.

“As a nation, we must continue to confront the legacies of our past and the prejudices that sometimes linger, knowingly or unknowingly. But in doing so, we must also extend the hand of guidance and not just condemnation,” Ballotti said.

He urged Namibians to choose “empathy over anger”, saying nation-building requires both introspection and compassion.

The blackface incident, which surfaced on social media last week, showed the two pupils having darkened their faces in what appeared to mimic black people. The images drew sharp criticism from the public, with many describing the act as racially insensitive and reflective of lingering ignorance about Namibia’s colonial past and racial history.

A school attended by one of the pupils later apologised, calling the act unacceptable and reiterating its commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Ballotti’s comments come amid broader public debate about racism and education, with many calling for stronger lessons on Namibia’s history, identity and social cohesion within schools.

“Nation-building remains a work in progress and is not complete,” Ballotti said. “How we shape the hearts and minds of our youth matters.”

The education ministry earlier on Wednesday said both pupils have been suspended, although they will write their year-end examinations

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