Addressing the Elephant in the Room
Collective Memory of Colonialism in the Urban Landscape of Windhoek and Bremen
H. Beckefeld (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
Roberto Rocco de Campos Pereira – Mentor (TU Delft - Spatial Planning and Strategy)
Emmanuel Adu-Ampong – Mentor (Wageningen University & Research)
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Abstract
This research explores the relationship between the decolonisation of memoryscapes and the design of urban space. How can design contribute to an urban representation of pluriversal narratives? To find an answer to this question, I conducted a qualitative case study of Bremen and Windhoek, two cities that are connected by their shared colonial history and that I thus investigated in relation to one another. Through semi-structured interviews with actors who work in decolonisation and participant observations, I analysed the current state of collective memory of colonialism in Bremen and Windhoek. I found that although actors work on the decolonisation of public memory, a collective amnesia of colonial histories persists in both cities. In the second part of the research, I explored what visions the actors have about the future of the collective memory of colonialism. I discovered that conversations about colonial histories are key to a decolonial memoryscape. From these visions, I developed a set of urban design guidelines for Bremen and Windhoek that I then applied in a pilot proposal project. Overall, this research shows how crucial a relational lens on cities and their colonial memory is to achieve a true decolonialisation. To understand what constitutes a place, it has to be analysed in relation to other spaces in the world.