I want to air my views regarding the Reiterdenkmal (statue of the man on a horse).
I, as an Otjiherero speaking Namibian, think that the statue should stay put as it is part of our history and will always be. This doesn’t mean I am happy with what happened to the Hereros and Namas but given the fact that our history is barely taught in schools, nor being written in the history books; it is essential that the statue remains.
I don’t think anyone out there will agree with me on this one but I think the issue of the Reiterdenkmal removal has more to do with the elimination of our history (Hereros and Namas) than what has been stated by the President.
I can point out certain facts to support my understanding here: At first it was the veterans act, which only includes the events (battles) that took place from 1959 onwards. Secondly, while we have been asking the government of our republic to build a statue at Ozombuzovindimba in honour of our heroes and heroines who died there, the government kept on putting it on hold. Yet they have recently erected a statue in honour of former President Sam Nujoma and now want to remove the Reiterdenkmal and replace it with another statue of Nujoma.
I want to remind my fellow Namibians that, if it was not for our forefathers (Hosea Kutako, Mandume Ndemufayo, Hendrik Witbooi and many more), there wouldn’t be a country called Namibia today.
I’m therefore of the opinion that our government is working very hard to make sure that only what happened in the Swapo era should be remembered and thus honoured.
Yes, Swapo liberated Namibia but what we should also take into consideration is that, if it wasn’t for the brave men and women who fought against the Germans back in 1904-08 then Swapo wouldn’t have had anything to fight for.
If the Reiterdenkmal is removed and sent back to Germany, as our President was quoted as saying recently, then there will be nothing to show to our generation as to what happened in 1904-1908 other than mere stories.
Let us not try to remember some heroes and, in the meantime, neglect others. I urge our President and all the parties involved to put on hold, the idea of removing the Reiterdenkmal. Yes, the statue is part of the bad and sad history, but on the other hand, it is reminding us of where we are coming from.
I welcome any opinion on this topic and hope that the mother bodies will take this issue into consideration.
-Dre K Ndjai
Windhoek
