Berlin to change street names linked with brutal colonisation of Namibia
Berlin — Berlin is poised to strip the names of streets linked to atrocities committed during its occupation of Namibia (previously German South West Africa) and dedicate them to liberation fighters, part of a late reckoning with Germany’s brutal colonial history. After more than a decade of debate, the three main parties in the Berlin Mitte district assembly voted late on Wednesday to recommend new names for streets in the so-called African Quarter in the north-west of the German capital, spokesperson Melita Ersek said. "The final decision by the district councillor could take another month or so — the date is likely to be announced at another hearing next Thursday," Ersek told AFP "But it is quite common that the parties’ recommendation is adopted." The motion to drop the names associated with bloody suppression of Namibia during Germany’s 1884-1919 occupation marks a long-delayed victory for local activists. The African Quarter in the multi-ethnic, working-class neighbourhood of ...
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