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Pharmacy ordered to remove Bismarck sign

Pharmacy ordered to remove Bismarck sign

SWAKOPMUND- A Swakopmund pharmacy has been ordered to remove a sign featuring Otto von Bismarck that was erected on their building.

This follows a complaint by the Namibian Genocide Association against the pharmacy – Bismarck Medical Centre – for displaying an image of the first German Chancellor Von Bismarck at the corner of Bismarck Street and Sam Nujoma Avenue in Swakopmund.

Otto von Bismarck organised the Berlin Conference of 1884 in Germany, known as the “Scramble for Africa”, to divide the African continent among European countries. He served as the chancellor of Germany from 1871 to 1890, and was instrumental in the establishment of the German Empire, including the acquisition of territories in Africa. At the beginning of the 1904 genocide, Bismarck had already been out of power for over a decade.

The Ovaherero and Nama genocide, which occurred between 1904 and 1908, was one of the earliest genocides of the 20th century, carried out by the German colonial forces in what is now Namibia. This brutal campaign led to the systematic extermination of the Ovaherero and Nama people, following their uprising against oppressive German colonial rule. 

Swakopmund played a significant role in this dark chapter of history, as it was one of the sites where concentration camps were established. These camps were notorious for their inhumane conditions, with many prisoners subjected to forced labour, starvation and disease, leading to a high mortality rate.

“Erecting and parading Bismarck’s image is an insult to all African people, especially in Namibia, where the Germans killed our ancestors. It is painful for us who inherited that generational trauma caused by the Germans to our ancestors,” Laidlow Peringanda told New Era. 

He runs the Namibian Genocide Association, and has been instrumental in advocating against the atrocities committed during the genocide.

Peringanda also vowed not to stop until all monuments that are reminders of the brutal past are removed from public spaces.

Namibians do not need such constant reminders; hence, all similar monuments and street names should be removed and kept in a museum instead.

“I will continue with my mission to have all of them removed. We do not need them,” he said last week.

Meanwhile, a letter seen by New Era from the Swakopmund Municipality acknowledged the sensitivity around the issue.

“Upon receiving your complaint, we conducted a thorough review, and confirmed that the signage was installed without the necessary approval from the council or its administration,” the letter written by Clarence McLune, general manager of engineering and planning services at the Swakopmund Municipality, stated.

The building owners have been formally notified of this violation, and have been instructed to remove the signage immediately.

He also indicated that the sign has been covered with black plastic, for its removal.

McLune said the issue surrounding the Bismarck street name will be brought before the street-naming committee to address the concerns.

New Era contacted the pharmacy but was referred to a body corporate that is managing the building.

edeklerk@nepc.com.na