The 25th anniversary of the official city partnership between Windhoek and Berlin, which was inaugurated on the 6th of July, 2000, is being celebrated. In recognition of Germany’s historical responsibility towards Namibia, it stands for living memory, sustainable relationships and future-orientated cooperation. To date, it is Berlin’s only twin city on the African continent

The partnership is based on Germany’s historical responsibility towards Namibia. This includes, in particular, German colonial rule in what is now Namibia between 1884 and 1915, as well as the genocide of the Herero and Nama peoples between 1904 and 1908. The partnership between the cities aims to actively engage with history and shape a collaborative, future-orientated partnership. In recognition of the historical ties, the partnership serves as a bridge for cultural dialogue, municipal cooperation and learning from each other. It promotes exchange in culture, education, science, business and civil society.

For the first few years, the emphasis of the partnership was on municipal administration and urban development. One of the first projects was dedicated to sustainable water treatment in Windhoek in cooperation with the Berliner Wasserbetriebe (the Berlin water utility company). Over the past 25 years, the partnership has grown significantly: today it includes the areas of education, sustainable energy, climate resilience, business and culture. It goes well beyond official visits and operates directly in communities with specific projects. This creates new opportunities for shared learning and civic engagement.

The anniversary programme in Berlin celebrating “25 Years of Twin Cities Windhoek – Berlin” is being curated and organised by Kulturprojekte Berlin on the initiative of and in collaboration with the Governing Mayor of Berlin – Senate Chancellery, as well as a large number of partners. The programme in Windhoek took place in cooperation with the City of Windhoek, the Namibia Institute for Democracy and the Creative Industry Institute Africa. Made possible by funds from the Lotto Foundation Berlin.

Yes, events are happening in both cities. The planned activities are concentrated in two time periods:

• Windhoek: 14th–19th October 2025
• Berlin: 17th–23rd November 2025

The programme in Windhoek and Berlin includes guided tours, exhibitions, dialogue formats, music theatre, film screenings and workshops.

The programme links the past, present and future in order to strengthen the city partnership, shape a shared culture of remembrance, actively address colonial history and establish and expand sustainable networks. The main thematic areas the programme focuses on are remembrance culture, contemporary art, culture and music, the creative industries and exchange between businesses, as well as the sciences and archives.

The programme in Windhoek took place in the following locations:

• The Village Garden
• Windhoek Country Club Resort
• Independence Avenue
• National Theatre of Namibia
• Creative Industry Institute Africa
• Former NICE Restaurant
• The Project Room
• National Art Gallery of Namibia

The programme in Berlin will take place in the following locations:

• The American Memorial Library
• The African Quarter in Wedding
• Berlin Global Village
• COCO BOULE
• PHOTO GALLERY Friedrichshain
• Genezarethkirche
• Gropius Bau
• Humboldt Forum Berlin
• Impact Hub Berlin
• Museum Neukölln
• The Treptow-Köpenick District Museums
• The Natural History Museum
• SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA
• Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz

You can find information about the programme on this website in the navigation bar under “Programme” and in the programme flyer, which is available at various public locations and from programme partners. The programme on the website is organised visually as belonging to either of the two cities and according to the type of event. Since changes may occur at short notice, please check the website for the latest information on each of the events.

Most of the events are free. Certain special events like the decolonial guided city tours have a small registration fee (€ 5). You will need a ticket to attend the music theatre production “People of Song” in the Humboldt Forum Berlin (€ 20 / € 10 reduced price) and one for the “Decolonized Glamour Talks” event in the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz (€ 9 / € 7 reduced price). Ticket prices and information on how to register will be provided in the section for each event in the programme on this website.

You can register via this website or via the links listed for each of the partner organisations. The contact details for this can be found in the section for each event in the programme on this website and will be provided in good time before the events.

The events in Berlin will mainly be held in German and English, the events in Windhoek in English. Tandem projects like “People of Song” will also integrate Namibian languages: Khoekhoe, Otjiherero, Ovambo and Uukwangali. Detailed information on the languages used can be found in the section for each event in the programme on this website. Unfortunately, we cannot provide translation services.

Kulturprojekte Berlin is responsible for curating the anniversary week in Berlin. While some events were organised directly by Kulturprojekte Berlin themselves, other items in the programme were organised in cooperation with various project partners. The anniversary week in Windhoek was curated and organised by the Namibian Institute for Democracy (NID) and the Creative Industry Institute Africa (CIIA).

The anniversary week programme focuses on close cooperation with civil society and activist participants as well as with key organisations and institutions in both cities. Existing partnerships and established networks will be further strengthened and long-term cooperation deepened. The programme creates spaces for exchange, dialogue and cultural engagement in an atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding. This means that networks are reinforced and new perspectives opened up through co-creation and shared resources. The aim is to give visibility to under-represented voices, to address difficult issues like colonial history and its repercussions, to share responsibility and to actively shape ties. During the planning phase, a comprehensive survey of existing partnerships and relevant topics relating to Windhoek and Namibia was carried out.

The programme of events in both cities invites the participants and the public to participate in an open dialogue about history, remembrance and responsibility. It was designed in close collaboration with a large number of participants and organisations and reflects diverse community perspectives. The events are intended to promote solidarity, social cohesion and critical reflection – carried by civic engagement, they deal with colonialism and remembrance culture and discuss and test out decolonial approaches and a future-orientated approach to collaboration. Various different events in the programme provide the opportunity to explore these topics.

We have made every effort to choose venues that are at least in part accessible or at best completely accessible. More detailed information on accessibility and accessibility services can be found in the details for each event on this website. You can also search for accessibility using various criteria in the filter.

Yes, just like in other public spaces, photography and video recording for private purposes are allowed. Please feel free to connect to our social media channels – on Instagram and Facebook @kulturprojekteberlin. You can also find us with the hashtag #WindhoekBerlin25.

Please note: there will be photography and video recording at the events, which may be used for documentation and communication purposes. If you have any questions about this, please ask the event team at the venue.

For press enquiries, please contact the press officer for the project “25 Years of Twin Cities Windhoek – Berlin”,

Lisa Schmidt
Communications management
25 Years of Twin Cities Windhoek – Berlin
T: + 49 30 24749 830
L.Schmidt@kulturprojekte.berlin

You can download up-to-date press releases on the programme further down the page.

• PRESS RELEASE | Programme presentation“25 Years of Twinned Cities Windhoek – Berlin” (30.10.2025)
• PRESS RELEASE | Anniversary Programme for “25 Years of Twinned Cities Windhoek – Berlin” (10.10.2025)