Volunteers step in to clean up Owela Museum’s neglected premises

Staff Reporter

A group of volunteers took matters into their own hands over the past weekend and cleaned up some of the filth that had accumulated at the Owela Museum’s premises in Windhoek’s Central Business District (CBD).

This effort followed a series of posts by Spotlight Namibia, which included photos and videos highlighting the deplorable state of the museum’s surroundings.

“The nauseating smell of human excrement and urine hangs in the air, flies buzz around, and ducts are filled with refuse—cardboard, plastic bottles, and plastic bags. Refuse is thrown down the stairs at the rear entrance, a broken window pane, and a tree that recently fell onto the building’s roof near the front entrance are further evidence of total neglect,” Spotlight Namibia reported in their earliest coverage of the museum’s condition.

The attention Spotlight Namibia drew to the museum’s state prompted a response from the National Museum of Namibia, with them commenting: “The Ministry of Education, together with other cultural institutions such as the National Heritage Council of Namibia and the City of Windhoek, will urgently implement a clean-up campaign of the Owela Museum premises. Additionally, the Ministry will consistently maintain cleanliness at the museum until renovations are concluded.”

Before this commitment could come to fruition, however, a team of volunteers, mobilised by Hendrik Schmidt, took action on Sunday. In about two hours, they collected 56 bags of trash from behind the museum. Spotlight Namibia pointed out that the refuse at the front entrance still needs to be cleared, and broken windows require replacement.

“He (Schmidt) also arranged sponsorship of gloves and masks from the municipality, as well as the removal of the refuse by the municipality. Thank you, Hendrik, for taking the initiative and the volunteers who stepped up to help clean the museum surroundings,” Spotlight Namibia said.

“The National Museum of Namibia also stated that, ‘… the Ministry will consistently maintain cleanliness at the Museum until renovations are concluded.’ Spotlighting Namibia will hold the National Museum to account for honouring this commitment. It is ironic that the clean-up took place just a few days after the Windhoek City Council debated regulations to control dogs in the city – including providing bins for dog waste along pavements! This, after the volunteers removed a large amount of human waste, in various stages of decomposition, from a public space not too far from their lofty chambers,” Spotlight Namibia added.