Repatriation of remains offers closure – Gaeb
Lydia Pitiri The repatriation of the remains of two former Namibian political prisoners and 84 other Namibians, who died in exile during the apartheid era provides a vital opportunity for national closure. These were the sentiments shared by the director of National Heritage and Culture Programmes in the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts... The post Repatriation of remains offers closure – Gaeb appeared first on New Era .
The repatriation of the remains of two former Namibian political prisoners and 84 other Namibians, who died in exile during the apartheid era provides a vital opportunity for national closure.
These were the sentiments shared by the director of National Heritage and Culture Programmes in the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, Manfred Gaeb, in an interview with Nampa on Friday.
Gaeb noted that the exhumation and repatriation of the remains of former political prisoners and liberation heroes, including Simon Petrus Nilenge and Festus Nehale, allow for healing, mourning, and the performance of appropriate cultural and spiritual rituals according to family and community traditions.“For the country, the process represents an important step in restoring Namibia’s historical record and addressing the consequences of colonial apartheid periods and the liberation struggle,” Gaeb said.
He said it also enables Namibia to reconnect communities with their heritage and strengthen the transmission of history, cultural knowledge, identity and traditional values to younger generations.
The Namibian government has deployed an official delegation to Cape Town, South Africa, to oversee the exhumation and repatriation of former political prisoners and liberation heroes from 6 to 21 August.
Gaeb stated that on 19 August, Namibia will undertake a joint re-humanisation process with the Iziko Museums of South Africa and the South African government to restore the humanity, dignity and identity of the remains prior to repatriation.
He noted that this is a crucial spiritual, cultural and ethical step to ensure the process is conducted with maximum respect and sensitivity. He further highlighted an upcoming visit to the Robben Island Museum, calling it essential not only to seek closure regarding the history of Namibian political prisoners, but to learn from South Africa’s experience in preserving complex historical narratives.
“The visit will further provide an opportunity to learn about heritage tourism and archeo-tourism, particularly how heritage, history and culture can contribute to economic development without deleting, erasing, or commercialising the historical narratives and lived experiences associated with these sites,” Gaeb said.
He said Namibia will continue engaging relevant member states, museums, heritage institutions, families, traditional authorities and other stakeholders to identify Namibian human remains and culturally significant artefacts located abroad.
-Nampa
