Independence Museum

 And more pictures from last January's trip Trip of Mystery to Namibia. I've been posting a lot of pictures recently from overseas (which was the original point of this blog low those many years ago), which is partially a byproduct of trying to clear off my phone and also my own frustration of being trapped here in the US. As I've pointed out a few times on Twitter, one of the great ironies of our Trumpian dystopia is that he started his reign trying to build a wall around America and then somehow managed to do, except that instead of keeping people out his mismanagement of the pandemic has resulted in no one accepting us as visitors. Anyway, here are a few pictures from the Independence Museum in downtown Windhoek, a museum that pays homage to Namibia's colonial and decolonial past - and especially the efforts to pass from one to the other.

Here's the entrance to the Independence Museum, featuring a statue of Sam Nujoma.

This mural is one of several artworks commemorating the Cassinga Massacre of 4 May 1978.

A closeup of the mural.

The museum is, naturally, unabashedly political and has a definite message. I'm thinking of including it this fall in my Aesthetic Expressions course along with a section featuring the Vagina Museum in London, UK and the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatia.

And then, in some acceptance of the balance of life, on the roof of the Independence Museum there's a lovely little bar and restaurant with a nice view of downtown Windhoek. Truthfully, is this any different than any museum that sells art-themed t-shirts or postcards in the giftshop? You have to fund the art somehow.