ABSTRACT

This article outlines the context in which the Reiterdenkmal statue was installed in 1912 in Windhoek, Namibia (then German South West Africa). As a former German colony, Namibia has many visual and systemic remnants from this period, specifically of interest for this article is the Reiterdenkmal statue. In relation to debates worldwide about the visual memory landscape and statues in contexts of post-colonial societies, this statue is used to explore the narratives of history and heritage in colonial and contemporary times. Reactions to the removal of the statue from its prominent position on a hilltop in the centre of the country’s capital, and the subsequent installation of a replica statue in a private restaurant offer insight into the complex discourses involved in the compilation of memory and history in Namibia. These reactions are considered through a variety of lenses which integrate, or indeed have at their core, the concept of narrative and narrative theory. Furthermore, this article explores the ways in which an authorised heritage discourse (AHD) that privileges German settler colonial history is constructed. The problematics of this AHD is shown in its self-referential nature and the resulting consequences including barriers to multiplicity in memorialisation and heritage.

摘要

本文概述了Reiterdenkmal雕像于 1912 年在纳米比亚温得和克（当时的德属西南非洲）安装的背景。作为前德国殖民地，纳米比亚有许多这个时期的视觉和系统遗迹，本文特别感兴趣的是Reiterdenkmal雕像。关于世界范围内关于后殖民社会背景下的视觉记忆景观和雕像的辩论，这座雕像被用来探索殖民时代和当代的历史和遗产叙事。雕像从该国首都中心山顶的显眼位置被移除，随后在一家私人餐厅安装了复制品雕像的反应，提供了对纳米比亚记忆和历史汇编所涉及的复杂话语的洞察. 这些反应是通过各种视角来考虑的，这些视角整合了叙事和叙事理论的概念，或者实际上具有它们的核心。此外，本文还探讨了一种赋予德国殖民者殖民历史特权的授权遗产话语 (AHD) 的构建方式。