Africa-Press – Namibia. HISTORIAN and author of ‘National Monuments of Namibia’ Andreas Vogt on Sunday urged Namibians to guard against vandalising historical sites.
This follows the disappearance of Windhoek’s historical Christuskirche’s bronze plaque. “If someone goes and breaks it and runs off with it like a thief, this person is causing damage to history, as he is actually dehumanising the importance of the identity of the building,” Vogt said.
The plaque was stolen from the church opposite the old state house last week, and investigations into the incident are underway. The Christuskirche is a historical landmark of Namibia’s capital, belonging to the German-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia.
It was designed by architect Gottlieb Redecke. Vogt said the theft of the plaque was highly regrettable and will take away from the importance of the building, which attracts many international tourists.
“It will cost a lot of money to replace the plaque,” he said. Vogt said the plaque is made of durable material so that it could outlast the next generations.
“If information is not carried over or communicated to the next generation, they will not know the significance of the building,” he said. He said the plaque contains vital information on the church’s relevance and serves the public interest.
According to a passerby who refers to himself only as Joseph, he was selling his handicraft near the church when he noticed the plaque was missing. “On Monday when I came to work to sell my craft, I noticed that something was different about the building, and I noticed that the bronze was missing, so I immediately reported this to the church management,” he said.
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