The Heroes' Acre is an official war memorial of the government of Namibia. Built less than 10-kilometre (6.2 mi) outside the capital of Windhoek, Heroes' Acre opened on 26 August 2002 and operates for the purpose of "foster(ing) a spirit of patriotism and nationalism, and to pass on the legacy to the future generations of Namibia".[1]
Contents |
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 currently[update] occupied.[2]
Mansudae Overseas Projects, a company from the North Korea, was given a N$60 million contract from Namibia to build the 732-acre (2.96 km2) monument. The contract was awarded without any competitive tendering process, and eventually the construction cost doubled.[2] The intransparent contracting of foreign manual labour has been criticised by corruption watchdog insight Namibia.[3]
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,[2] 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" Since this article appeared it has now been restored to its former glory.[4]
Many notable Namibians from the colonial era are also honored at Heroes Acre. Among these are Hosea Kutako, Jacob Marenga, Samuel Maherero and Markus Kooper, a war veteran who left his wife and family and went to the UN headquarters in New York from Hoachanas to fight for the independence of his country.