Английская Википедия:Heroes' Acre (Namibia)

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Шаблон:Short description

Файл:Heldenacker Namibia Vogelperspektive. 2017.jpg
Aerial view of Heroes´s Acre in 2017.

Heroes' Acre is an official war memorial of the Republic of Namibia. Built into the uninhabited hills Шаблон:Convert south of the city centre of Windhoek, Heroes' Acre opened on 26 August 2002. It was created to "foster a spirit of patriotism and nationalism, and to pass [this] to the future generations of Namibia".[1]

The memorial was designed and built by Mansudae Overseas Projects, a North Korean firm.[2] It is one of four major public works Mansudae constructed in Namibia, the other three being Okahandja Military Museum, a new State House and the Independence Memorial Museum.[2]

Location and description

The Heroes' Acre monument is situated south of Windhoek on the B1 national road to Rehoboth. It is built as a symmetric polygon with a marble obelisk and a bronze statue of the Unknown Soldier at its centre. The site contains parade grounds and a grandstand for 5000 people. The burial site consists of 174 tombs, not all of which are Шаблон:As of occupied.[3]

Honored heroes

At inauguration nine national heroes and heroines were identified. For each of them a tombstone with name and picture has been erected, although they are not buried here. The nine national heroes are:[4]

  1. Kahimemua Nguvauva (1850–1896), Chief of the Ovambanderu, was wounded May 1896 in the Battle of Sturmfeld and after his surrender executed by the Germans[5]
  2. Nehale Lya Mpingana (died 1908), King of Ondonga, defeated the settlers of the Dorsland Trek in 1886, and German colonial forces at Fort Namutoni in 1904[4]
  3. Samuel Maharero (1856–1923), Paramount Chief of the Herero people, led the uprisings against German colonialism that resulted in the Herero and Namaqua War of 1904–1907[4]
  4. Hendrik Witbooi (1830–1905), chief of the ǀKhowesin and fighter against the colonial oppression of the German Empire in German South West Africa[6]
  5. Jacob Morenga (1875–1907), used the fortress of ǁKhauxaǃnas to wage a guerrilla war against the Schutztruppe of Imperial Germany[7]
  6. Mandume Ya Ndemufayo (1894–1917), last king of the Kwanyama, led his people into battles with South African colonial forces[8]
  7. Iipumbu Ya Tshilongo (1875–1959), King of the Uukwambi and strong nationalist, resisted European cultural influence exercised via the establishment of mission stations and administrative outposts[4]
  8. Anna Mungunda (1910s–1959), protester against the forced eviction from Windhoek's Old Location in 1959. Set the car of a high-ranking administrator alight and was shot dead in response.[9]
  9. Hosea Kutako (1870–1970), Paramount Chief of the Herero and petitioner to the United Nations for an independent Namibia[10]

Others

Файл:JohnPandeniGrave.JPG
John Pandeni's grave

In later years, several additional people have been declared national heroes, and buried here. These are:

There are further National Heroes of Namibia without any connection to Heroe's Acre, namely:[22]

Seven veterans of the Namibian liberation struggle were reburied on Heroes' Acre in 2014:[24][25]

  • Peter Nanyemba
  • Walde Homateni Timoteus Kaluenya
  • Isak "Pondo" Shikongo
  • Natalia Ndahambelela Shikangala Mavulu
  • Augustus "McNamara" Nghaamwa
  • Putuse Appolus
  • Lineekela Kalenga

On 26 August 2015, Namibia's Heroes' Day, three more veterans were reburied on Heroes' Acre:[26]

Construction controversy

Mansudae Overseas Projects, a company from North Korea was given a N$60 million contract from Namibia to build the Шаблон:Convert monument. The contract was awarded without any competitive tendering process, and eventually the construction cost doubled.[3] The non-transparent contracting of foreign manual labour has been criticised by corruption watchdog insight Namibia.[27]

The memorial has been described as "monstrous" and its erection was speculated to "reveal a lack of African self-confidence". The statue of the Unknown Soldier resembles the physical features of Sam Nujoma,[3] Namibia's founding president and ultimately the initiator of its erection.[1]

In May 2005, a report in The Namibian noted that Heroes Acre was "already showing signs of decay". In particular, a bronze statue of a soldier had suffered damage, as had the plinth on which it stood. Some of the gold-coloured letters forming an inscription on the plinth were broken or missing, and the letters were "made of a cement-like substance, which had been painted gold and then glued to the plinth".[28]

See also

References

Шаблон:Reflist

Шаблон:Coord