By Elvis Muraranganda
The chairperson of the Dr. Hage Gottfried Geingob Presidential Centre board, Peter Katjavivi said the drive to cement the legacy of the late third head of state, have moved from tribute to tangible action, as concrete steps are now underway to establish the first-ever centre of its kind in Namibia.
Katjavivi explained that groundwork has already been laid to define the mandate of the centre and guide its operations. He confirmed that the centre will be housed at Geingob’s residence Casa Rosalia, which will serve as the physical home of the institution.
Geingob served as Namibia’s third President from 2015 to 2024, when he passed away on 08 February 2024, while in office.
Meanwhile, Katjavivi told Confidenté that the collection of materials for the centre is ongoing, including official reports, speeches, documents and other archival records linked to Geingob’s public life and leadership. This exercise will be managed concurrently with the collection of materials related to other eminent persons.
“This will be a long process but it is part of the entire programme to the realization of the centre. We will have to get materials from his residence and from institutions linked to him at home and abroad,” Katjavivi noted.
According to Katjavivi, the centre will be home to Geingob’s contribution to nation building and will further document the role he played nationally, regionally and internationally. It will also highlight the work of other eminent personalities within Namibia and beyond, subsequently positioning the centre as both a memorial and a knowledge hub.
The former National Assembly speaker further stated that the centre will coordinate the marking of Geingob’s birth anniversary, organise activities celebrating his life and oversee remembrance events on the anniversary of his passing.
Planning structures, Katjavivi indicated, have already been put in place, including the appointment of a board to steer the process.
“The board consists of the third First Lady Monica Geingos as the Vice-Chairperson, serving in her capacity as former First Lady and Geingob’s widow, alongside eminent personalities who worked closely with the late President during different phases of his political career,” he added.
“We have comparatively looked at similar centres in other countries around the world including but not limited to the likes of Cuba, South Africa, Nigeria and USA among others.”
He maintained: “The centre will play a key role in connecting the younger generations to the role played by the late President, especially his advocacy for Namibians to appreciate that we are one peaceful accommodative people, characterized by inclusiveness and a democratic culture of collective national development through the Harambee spirit of pulling together.”
“As you can imagine, these values should be embraced by the entire African continent because it is only in working together that Africa can prosper. Complementarity rather than aggressive competition should guide the younger generations. That is the legacy that Hage left and we want the centre to exalt this legacy.”
Presidential centres and libraries are common in certain countries, dedicated to preserve records and promote research on former presidents. For instance, in Cuba, we have The Fidel Castro Ruz Centre; in the United States, The George Washington Presidential Library at Mt. Venon, John F Kennedy Presidential Library and the Barack Obama Presidential Center; while Nigeria established the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, which documents the life and leadership of the former Nigerian president.
Within the Southern African Development Community region, similar centres exist to document the contributions of former leaders and to provide platforms for education and policy discussion, for instance, in South Africa, we have the Nelson Mandela Museum and Thabo Mbeki Presidential Centre, which serve as platforms for research, dialogue and youth engagement in understanding the contributions made by these eminent leaders of South Africa and the prevailing socio-economic challenges.
