The Nordic Africa Institute – Publications

The story of Windhoek's Old Location is one of African replacement and at the same time of creating home against all odds under the enforced, restricted living conditions of Apartheid. Being adjacent to the White centre of town, urban planning replaced the Old Location with the newly established township Katutura in the late 1950s. Many residents refused to be re-located. Escalating protest resulted in deadly clashes on 10th December 1959 when the colonial police opened fire on unarmed residents. At least 13 were killed and more than 40 recorded as wounded. After years of forced removal, the Old Location was officially closed in 1968.This book contributes to a commemorative culture of a crucial place and space during a formative time in Namibia's history. It offers a partial reconstruction of a social history of the Old Location. Personal memories of former residents, as far as they are accessible, contrast the colonial archives.The captivating photographs by the German photographer Dieter Hinrichs, who documented social events and everyday life in the Location between 1959 and 1960, are essential. Many are published here for the first time. They speak louder than words.