Dialogue / Media Reports

Ballotti meets pupils behind blackface incident, urges empathy over anger – Namibian 05-11-2025

“Ballotti meets pupils behind blackface incident, urges empathy over anger

By Dolly Menas

5 November 2025

Deputy minister of education, innovation, youth, sport, arts and culture Dino Ballotti says he has met two school pupils involved in a recent racist blackface incident, and described the meeting as a “difficult yet necessary conversation”.

Ballotti on Wednesday said the meeting was aimed at learning rather than condemnation.

The blackface incident, which drew public outrage, came to light earlier this week after one of the boys involved posted a photo of himself and a fellow pupil painted black at a Halloween party and with the racist tags “kffr 1 and kffr 2 attached to their clothing.

The photo has drawn wide condemnation. The pupil has since removed it from social media.

The pupils, who are from two different schools in Windhoek, were attending a party at a private property in the city on Friday last week when the photo was taken.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Ballotti said he and education minister Sanet Steenkamp were among those deeply disappointed by the act, which he said “understandably caused deep hurt and disappointment among many Namibians”.

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He added that the pupils expressed responsibility and openness to grow from the experience, calling it “a moment of stupidity”.

“What stood out most was their willingness to take responsibility and their openness to grow from this experience,” he said.

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“As a nation, we must continue to confront the legacies of our past and the prejudices that sometimes linger, knowingly or unknowingly. But in doing so, we must also extend the hand of guidance and not just condemnation,” Ballotti said.

He urged Namibians to choose “empathy over anger”, saying nation-building requires both introspection and compassion.

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Ballotti’s comments come amid broader public debate about racism and education, with many calling for stronger lessons on Namibia’s history, identity and social cohesion within schools.

[…].”