The Promise of Participation – A Conversation with Young and Traditional Leaders
The Promise of Participation – A Conversation with Young and Traditional Leaders
• The Promise of Participation – A Conversation with Young and Traditional Leaders – Dialogue •
This dialogue will bring together women, youth, cultural leaders, academics, and international human rights experts to reflect on Namibia’s new chapter under its first woman president.
Session 1 (10:00 – 11:30)
The Promise of Participation: A Conversation with Young Leaders and Traditional Leadership
Discussions will explore how young people and women are shaping this era of reparations by reimagining prosperity as collective well-being – rooted in accountability, equity, and ecological stewardship. Namibia’s leadership in advancing justice and multilateral reforms in a shifting global order will also feature prominently in the conversation.
As Namibia enters a new era under its first woman president, this panel explores how young leaders and women are reimagining prosperity through the lens of democratic accountability, historical redress, and civic inclusion. At a time when the African Union is advancing the Common Position on Restitution and a continent-wide call for justice through reparations, Namibia faces a defining opportunity: to align its development with the leadership of those most impacted by genocide, land dispossession, and exclusion.
Panelists will examine how public memory, equitable governance, and inclusive infrastructure – particularly in response to gender-based violence – can lay the foundation for a participatory democracy that delivers dignity, redress, and a future worthy of its youth.
Panelists:
Young Women in Political Leadership:
Patience Masua, former MP SWAPO
Hon. Utaara Mootu, MP Landless People’s Movement (LPM)
Traditional Leaders and Authorities:
Chief Immanuel Nu-AxaGaseb, Gaob of the !Oe-ǂGan Traditional Authority, Chairperson of National Council of Traditional Authorities
Dr Esther Muinjangue, National Unity Democratic Organisation (NUDO)
Corinna van Wyk, LEAD project of the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC)
Moderator:
Gretchen Rohr, Reform Initiatives, Senior Advisor and Reparations Strategist
Session 2 (12:00 – 13:30)
Leading the quest for justice, multilateral reforms in a changing global order
The session will explore Namibia’s leadership in the area of international justice and exchange views and experiences with top legal experts who have taken on cases at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Themes: International human rights, genocide, climate justice, land occupation, expropriation, sovereignty, land
Panelists:
Adv. Gladice Pickering, Executive Director OPM
Yvonne Dausab, former Minister of Justice
Norman Tjombe, Legal Practitioner and Trustee Legal Assistance Centre
Moderator:
Toni Hancox, Director of the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC)
Venue: Hilton Hotel, Windhoek
Date: Monday, 14 April 2025
Time: 9:00 – 13:30
We look forward to welcoming you to these important conversations.
RSVP by 10 April 2025 using the link
For further inquiries, please contact:
Lona Rasmen | +27 83 625 0453 | lona.rasmen@opensocietyfoundations.org
Keitumetse Mokoena | +27 63 298 4175 | keitumetse.mokoena@opensocietyfoundations.org