Community unites for clean-up at Owela Museum
A recent visit to the Owela Museum in Windhoek by NMH revealed ongoing neglect at the site, which has remained closed for years due to a lack of funds for renovations.However, this past Sunday, a group of dedicated community members organised a successful clean-up at the site.
Public interest surged when the Facebook group Spotlighting Namibia posted images of the museum's condition on 20 January, criticising the education, arts and culture ministry and the Windhoek municipality for allowing the museum and its surrounds to fall into a severe state of neglect.
Following the backlash, the National Museum of Namibia commented on the post, pledging an urgent clean-up and ongoing maintenance.
"The ministry of education, together with other cultural institutions such as the National Heritage Council of Namibia and the City of Windhoek, will urgently implement a clean-up campaign of the Owela Museum premises. Additionally, the ministry will consistently maintain cleanliness at the museum until renovations are concluded," the comment read.
However, on 31 January, Spotlighting Namibia posted an open letter addressed to the ministry and the City of Windhoek, expressing frustration over the lack of action and warning that civic efforts should not allow the ministry to evade its responsibility.
A petition demanding accountability is now making the rounds.
Helping hands
Sunday's clean-up action was the result of a community-driven initiative, kick-started by Hendrik Schmidt, a 28-year-old from Germany, who had followed the news on Spotlighting Namibia and felt compelled to take action.
Schmidt and his girlfriend, Lea Holler, had begun travelling together about four years ago, before coming to Namibia for the first time two years ago.
The news about the museum's derelict state drew Schmidt's attention, prompting him to urge the community to join a clean-up campaign on Sunday.
Masks, gloves, and trash bags were sponsored by the municipality, which also reportedly agreed to remove the refuse from the site afterwards.
Schmidt said the clean up took about two hours, and a total of 56 bags of trash were collected.
"Personally, I don't have any connection to the Owela Museum since I'm not from here, but I know that it means a lot to many people. So, it means a lot to me to help this situation," he said.
Schmidt underlined that community clean-ups are easier to do than many people believe. "I think that's an unnecessary barrier that people may connect to clean-ups, all the logistics involved, but there are actually no logistics. It doesn't cost any money if you have the trash bags. It just takes effort and a couple of friends that actually do it," he explained.
"Nothing is gained by blaming anybody. I mean, you can let off steam by commenting on something on Facebook, but it doesn't actually change anything," he added.
Action
Schmidt underlined the importance of action despite seemingly steep odds.
"I understand that clean-ups are just one part of the process to create a sustainable change, and people might say, 'oh, but people will litter again' and yeah, I get it, but if we don't start somewhere, we're not going to create momentum. Just by showing up and doing that kind of work, it inspires people to do the same at their location," he said.
He added: "I think one important message that I try to put through all the work that I do is that if we really want to change something, it starts with ourselves."
During their time in Namibia, Schmidt and Holler became involved with a local orphanage called LoveYourNeighbour, assisting with food, fundraising, and a variety of other projects.
This led to Schmidt being approached by several other organisations, eventually resulting in the founding of the Avea Foundation.
The foundation has been involved in numerous community projects, one of the biggest being the donation of food that would otherwise be discarded by grocery stores to local organisations supporting children's feeding programmes.
The Avea Foundation is available to lend a helping hand in clean-ups to any organisations, soup kitchens or community projects that may need it. To follow Schmidt and his projects, visit Windhoek CleanUp on Facebook or @windhoek_cleanup on Instagram.