Forensic Architecture/Forensis, NTLA and OGF: German Colonial Genocide in Namibia

Saturday, November 15, 2025, 1–5 p.m.
SCREENING + PANEL DISCUSSION

1 p.m
SCREENING
Forensic Architecture
German Colonial Genocide in Namibia: Shark Island, 2024, 36 min.
German Colonial Genocide in Namibia: The Hornkranz Massacre, 2042, 32 min.

3 p.m
PANEL DISCUSSION
Mark Mushiba, Forensic Architecture/Forensis
Sima Luipert, Nama Traditional Leaders Association (NTLA)
Nandiuasora Mazeingo, Global Ovaherero Genocide Foundation (OGF)
Sophie-Charlotte Thieroff, Akademie Schloss Solitude, (among other things) coordinator of the Namibia Scholarship, as part of the Namibia Initiative of the state of Baden-Württemberg

Language: English; Admission: Free

Following the successful collaboration during the Three Doors exhibition (2024), the Württembergischer Kunstverein is pleased to present two films by Forensic Architecture/Forensis on Saturday, November 15, 2025, starting at 1 p.m.

The films explore the history, consequences, and continuities of the German colonial genocide in Namibia (1904–1908), focusing on the concentration and death camp on Shark Island, a (nowadays) peninsula in the harbor of Lüderitz (formerly Angra Pequena), and the massacre of the Witbooi Nama at Hornkranz in 1893.

We are especially pleased to announce that alongside Mark Mushiba from Forensic Architecture/Forensis, Sima Luipert from the Nama Traditional Leaders Association (NTLA), and Nandiuasora Mazeingo, chairman of the Global Ovaherero Genocide Foundation (OGF), will also be present and participate in the panel discussion.

SUBJECT OF THE FILMS
Both the camp established in 1905 by the German so-called Schutztruppe (Protection Force) and the mass graves on Shark Island, which originate from German colonial violence, are at risk of disappearing as sites of memory, commemoration, and responsibility. The reasons for this include tourism, real estate speculation, and the solar and wind power industries—in which, of all companies, a German one is involved. On the initiative of and in collaboration with the affected indigenous organizations, Forensic Architecture/Forensis is working to counteract the disappearance of these sites of memory. 

This also applies to the testimonies of the expulsion and extermination of the Nama in Hornkranz, a settlement of the Witbooi-family, which Germany carried out as early as 1893. The consequences of this colonial, genocidal violence have manifested in this area, among other things, in massive environmental changes. The two films and the associated research were realized in close partnership with the NTLA and the OGF. 

THE PANEL
The NTLA and the OGF are representative bodies of the Nama and Ovaherero, who are committed to preserving and honoring the traditional customs, practices, the history, and cultural heritage of their peoples, both in Namibia and in the diaspora. The panel particularly highlights their efforts and struggles for remembrance, restorative justice and dignity, as well as compensation in the context of the German genocide of their ancestors.

The collaboration between NTLA, OGF, and Forensic Architecture/Forensis will also be highlighted in this context. The multidisciplinary research group Forensic Architecture and its Berlin-based sister organization Forensis have not only developed advanced forms of forensic research, but are also known for their sensitive engagement with those affected, whose interests, perspectives, and voices are at the center of their work. In the case of the German colonial genocide in Namibia, this includes, for example, the significant involvement of Oral History.

Another focus of the panel concerns questions about how to come to terms with the German genocide against the Nama and Ovaherero. Among the most controversial points discussed are not only the recognition of this genocide—which Germany acknowledges only with the qualification "from today's perspective"—but also the question of whether, what, and how restitution and compensation should be implemented. From the perspective of the affected communities, what approaches are necessary and meaningful?

Forensic Atchitecture
https://forensic-architecture.org/location/namibia

Nama Traditional Leaders Association
https://www.ntla.de

Ovaherero Genocide Foundation
https://ogfnamibia.org

Funded by
Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst Baden-Württemberg