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Foreword
H. E. Onno Hückmann
Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany Land matters – in life as in the arts. This catalogue presents the Namibian art project entitled “Land Matters in Art: our land, our heritage, our pride”. It depicts a multitude of art works of various media, styles and topics all relating to land issues. On the following pages, 152 paintings, drawings, photographs, installations and sculptures are shown and described. The work will be displayed in a month-long exhibition at the National Art Gallery of Namibia and other prominent locations in Windhoek beginning on 27 March 2013. An expert jury carefully selected the works that had been submitted in the course of a competition launched by the Minister of Lands and Resettlement, Hon. Alpheus G. !Naruseb, at the Katutura Community Arts Centre on 5 October 2012. “Land matters” is a term with two meanings. On the one hand, it makes clear that land is of great importance to all Namibians. There are debates on issues such as fair distribution and resource allocation, commercialised agriculture and subsistence farming, security of tenure and social security, but also identity and tradition. On the other hand, the term “land matters” is a simple reference to the various aspects and topics pertaining to land as a cross-cutting issue pervading the lives of all Namibians. In addition to land rights and historical justice, land matters often concern technical questions of land usage and migration, environmental protection and degradation, as well as territorial control and governance. Last but not least, land is associated with the striking beauty and extraordinary variety of the Namibian landscape(s). Immediately after independence, the Namibian Government initiated a two-tier land reform focusing on both commercial and communal lands. On behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the KfW Development Bank assisted the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement in redistributing land and ensuring it is used productively. A comprehensive public dialogue and debate on land-related policies is essential for the success of the critical and all-pervasive land reform agenda.
Not only Government officials, university professors, lawyers, farmers and other experts have to understand the intricate issues involved and to judge the progress made and the decisions to be taken. Civil society and the population at large should also be aware of what is going on in this field and is relevant to them. The arts scene often plays an important role as mediator between Government-initiated development policies and the public. Artists often function as agents to promote social transformation. “Land Matters in Art” is intended to encourage people to think and talk openly about land issues. The project is a collaborative effort involving a variety of Namibian institutions and associations, without whom its conception and implementation would have been impossible. In particular, the Arts Association Heritage Trust; the Art in the House Association – Promoting Art in Namibia; the Goethe-Centre Windhoek; the Franco Namibian Cultural Centre; the John Muafangejo Art Centre; the College of Arts; the Legal Assistance Centre Namibia; the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture; the Namibian Agricultural Union; the National Arts Council Namibia; the Namibian National Farmers Union; the National Art Gallery of Namibia; the University of Namibia’s Department of Visual and Performing Arts; and Visual Artists Namibia (VAN). As German Ambassador, I am proud that through the GIZ ‘Support to Land Reform’ programme, GermanNamibian Development Cooperation helped to initiate this project in close collaboration with the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement. My special thanks thus go to the Hon. Alpheus G. !Naruseb, Minister of Lands and Resettlement, who supported the undertaking as project patron. I sincerely hope that you will be as inspired as I am by the works shown in this catalogue and the upcoming exhibition!