Nujoma statue unveiling may be delayed

The opening of the much-anticipated Independence Memorial Museum and the unveiling of the statue of the founding father is unlikely to take place on Independence Day – as initially planned. Government had initially indicated that the unveiling ceremony of the former president Sam Nujoma statue along with one commemorating the Ovaherero/Nama genocide would take place along with the museum opening on March 21. Speaking to Namibian Sun yesterday, Head of the National Museum and Acting Director of Culture in the Ministry of National Youth Service, Sport and Culture, Esther Mwoombola -/Goagoses, said work is still being done and the statues had not arrived from overseas yet. “It is going to be one ceremony to open the museum and unveil the statues of the founding father (Sam Nujoma) in front of the new museum and the genocide statue that will be erected where the Reiterdenkmal was removed,” said Mwoombola-/Goagoses. She said the statues, which were constructed overseas, have not arrived and are coming by ship. They are expected to be in the country by the end of the month. “We are talking about heavy big statues that could not be made locally, as we did not come across such skills and they have to be shipped in and then built on to the site. Work on the bases of where the statues will stand is almost complete, but it will still take a lot of work to have them standing,” she said. According to her, the opening and unveiling ceremony will happen in March, but just not necessarily on Independence Day, as this depends on when all the necessary work is complete.