Celebrating Love and Peace

The holiday season is upon us, and it is time for gathering and giving, for celebrating love and peace.

This seems like the ideal time for setting up heart frames around the capital, an initiative of Gondwana Collection Namibia’s ‘Hearts Across Horizons’ campaign, which represents and raises awareness of the Gondwana Care Trust’s work supporting local communities.

The City of Windhoek, in partnership with Gondwana Collection Namibia, has allocated the temporary installation of four hearts across Windhoek – on the pedestal in front of the City of Windhoek’s tourism office on the 60-year-old pedestal where the contentious Curt von François statue originally stood, across the road from the City of Windhoek Museum on Robert Mugabe Avenue in front of the parliament building looking out onto the parliament gardens, in the United Nations Plaza adjacent the canal, and between Independence Museum and the Christuskirche.

The statue of Von François, a figure tied to Namibia’s colonial past, was removed from its pedestal on Independence Avenue on 23 November 2022.

Erected in 1965 during South Africa’s rule over the country, the statue stood as a divisive marker of history, glorifying a figure whose legacy is linked to the violence and oppression of colonial conquest.

This removal marked a considerable step in Namibia’s ongoing efforts to address its colonial legacy and continue a sense of inclusivity, unity, and reconciliation.

The site will now be transformed into a space of reflection and connection with the temporary installation of a heart-shaped frame.

Depicting the German colonial officer in full military attire, the statue has long been a controversial landmark in Namibia’s capital.

Often misrepresented in official colonial accounts as the founder of Windhoek, Von François’s tenure in Namibia was marked by the violent suppression of indigenous communities, including the infamous Hornkranz massacre in 1893.

This military operation targeted a Nama settlement and resulted in multiple deaths, which have left a deep scar on Namibia’s history and contradicted his purported role as a unifier or city founder.

For decades, activists, historians, and community leaders have criticised the statue’s noticeable placement and one-sided history, which ignored the suffering of Namibia’s indigenous peoples.

The demands for the statue’s removal became stronger over time as Namibia, like many other countries, began to confront the legacy of its colonial history.

Public protests, petitions, and conversations emphasised the vital need for a more thorough portrayal of Namibia’s history.

Manni Goldbeck, who attended the removal of the statue, says: “Now that he has been taken down, let’s build something better.”

With the heart frame, the City of Windhoek and Gondwana Collection Namibia are doing just that – choosing care over division, empathy over erasure, and hope over despair.

More than a visual landmark, the heart frame is also the centrepiece of Gondwana Collection’s upcoming Valentine’s Kiss of the Year competition.

Running from December 2024 to January 2025, the contest invites visitors to capture their most romantic moments within the frame and share them on social media.

The winning couple will receive an exclusive Valentine’s getaway.

Visit Gondwana Collection’s official website for more information on the competition.

The transformation of this iconic site reflects Namibia’s ongoing journey of reconciliation and nation building.

Ms. Zurilea Steenkamp, the Strategic Executive for Economic Development and Community Services, emphasised the alignment of this initiative with the City’s overarching goals. “Every partnership the Department of Economic Development and Community Services forges, is within the ambit of the City’s Vision to be a Sustainable and Caring City by 2027 and we aim with all our alliances to boost the social and economic well-being of our residents. The Hearts Across Horizons project allows us to demonstrate to residents that we are proudly Windhoek, the Heart of Namibia, that the City cares for each and every resident and would like to encourage residents to show and share their love of the city by entering the Gondwana competition.”

While the removal of the Von François statue closes a painful chapter, the temporary installation of the heart frame opens a new one – centred on love, hope, and unity.