Demonstration at Memorial statue

namib times 24-07-15

The organiser of “Operation Back 2 Germany”, Mr Laidlaw Peringanda, this week informed the Swakopmund Municipality of a peaceful gathering at the Marine Denkmal statue near the Statehouse, as part of their appeal to remove this historical monument.

The statue in memorial of fallen German marine soldiers supposedly reminds a group of Swakopmund residents of their families who was killed, raped, forced laboured, died of malnutrition, exposed to harsh weather conditions and medical experiments between 1904-1908.

Peringanda earlier warned that if the statue was not removed within thirty days, he himself will get to the task.

The latest on this issue is the peaceful gathering, planned for Sunday, where the disgruntled people want to assemble and pray with burning candles in remembrance of their massacred forefathers.

A petition in this regard was also signed by more than two hundred residents. Sunday will mark exactly 107 years since the statue was inaugurated, states Peringanda’s letter.

“That monument has no place on African soil and should be removed and shipped back to Germany,” says Peringanda.

This scenario follows after the removal of the sacred bull horns of the late Ovaherero paramount Chief Kuaima Riruako from the Ovaherero memorial mo-

nument at Swakopmund by the town’s municipality. The removal of the horns followed after a Swakopmund resident complaint about it and it was removed by the town’s municipality because “correct/proper procedures were not followed,” as per the municipality.

The newspaper contacted the Swakopmund Residents Association for comment on this issue, but it proved futile.