Dialogue / Events on Records

Women in Present-Day Namibia – Panel Discussion 08-05-2025

Women urged challenge colonial-era stereotypes NBC Online report panel discussion Women in Present-Day Namibia Namibia Institute for Democracy NID Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Namibia FES Screenshot NBC Online

Women in Present-Day Namibia – Panel Discussion

Organisers: Namibia Institute for Democracy (NID) and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Namibia (FES):

Topic:
How do colonial legacies still shape the lives, leadership, and representation of women today? Unpacking media narratives, systemic barriers and the unstoppable resilience of Namibian women reclaiming their voices and spaces.

Panelists:
Suzie Shefeni, Researcher & Global Governance Analyst
Elmarie Kapunda, Multi-Hyphenated Creative & Broadcast Specialist

Moderator:
Jacinta Kasume (NID Consultant)

Date & Time: Thursday, 8 May 2025, 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Venue: Creative Industry (next to Windhoek High School Girl’s Hostel – turn-off from Sam Nujoma Drive at the crossing Robert Mugabe Avenue)

Presentation & Discussion

Presentation ‘Women in Colonial Namibia – The Past’ by moderator Jacinta Kasume

Report “Women urged to challenge colonial-era stereotypes” by NBC Online on 10 May 2025:

“Women urged to challenge colonial-era stereotypes”. NBC Online reports on the panel discussion “Women in Present-Day Namibia” by Namibia Institute for Democracy (NID) and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Namibia (FES). Screenshot: NBC Online

“A Namibian media and creative professional is calling on women to speak out and challenge old colonial ideas that still affect how they are seen today. Elmarie Kapunda shared this message during a panel discussion focused on stories of women during Namibia’s colonial era.

Kapunda says in the past women were confined and limited to domestic chores. However, women have made significant strides taking up leadership positions in society.

[…]

A researcher and global governance analyst, Suzie Sheefeni, stated that in the past, rape was something that affected the whole community, but now there is a shift toward seeing it as an individual violation.

“[…] we’ve seen people in Parliament, parliamentarians, standing up and saying, But no, a husband cannot rape a wife, even though, first of all, legally that is not factual, and morally that is not factual. And that can be rooted in the fact that, you know, we grew up and we were socialised as a result of colonialism and the systems that believed that rape was this particular thing.”

[…].”