Berlin streets to lose links with brutal colonial past

Berlin is set to rename streets linked to atrocities Germany committed during its 1884-1919 occupation of Namibia.

Local councillors agreed on new street names for the so-called African Quarter in the north-west of the German capital on Wednesday evening.

After more than a decade of debate, a final vote – seen as a formality – will be held soon.

Then names associated with Germany’s imperial past will be replaced with ones dedicated to liberation fighters.

“The African Quarter still glorifies colonialism and its crimes,” council members from the Greens, Social Democrats and Left parties say in their joint motion.

“That conflicts with our understanding of democracy and does lasting harm to the image of the city of Berlin.”

Local media report the motion’s approval is certain, as the three parties hold the majority of votes necessary to accept their motion.