“As Curt Falls
Last Word | Published: 4 December 2022 | Last Updated: 4 December 2022 | Written by Martha Mukaiwa
There’s something entirely satisfying about the statue of Curt von François, wrapped in plastic, dangling in the air.
Two years ago, many of us in the crowd gathered amid the cold and Covid-19’s first winter wave to demand the removal of the bronze memorial honouring the German colonial commander, inaccurately celebrated as the founder of Windhoek [The author refers to the Black Lives Matter demonstration on 16 June 2020, see video report of The Namibian; ed.].
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In 1893, in a bid to tame rebellion by the Nama people, Von François oversaw a military operation at Hoornkrans which resulted in the mass murder of scores of indigenous people, many of them women and children. This grim history isn’t included on the informational plaques that have been pried off the statute’s plinth and which lay feebly on the grass after more than 50 years of taking pride of place.
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- Full feature about the removal of the Curt von Francois statue on 23 November 2022 in Windhoek on the website of The Namibian (checked in February 2024)
- See also the comprehensive blog article on the website of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) of 16 June 2020 “Curt von Francois – Time to Go”, including the referral to a petition for the removal of the Curt von Francois statue from the public space in Windhoek
The last moments before the removal of the Curt von Francois statue in the city centre of Windhoek on 23 November 2022. Photo: Sven-Eric Stender
The Curt von Francois statue wrapped in plastic foil, ready to be lifted from its pedestal, during its removal from the public space in the city centre of Windhoek on 23 November 2022. Photo: Sven-Eric Stender
The Curt von Francois statue wrapped in plastic foil, ready for its transport to the Windhoek City Museum on 23 November 2022. Photo: Sven-Eric Stender