SESSION 1
Land, Liberation and Compromise: Namibia and the challenges of forging a new consensus on land policy
Workshop with Prof Chris Alden (London School of Economics) and Prof Mzukisi Qobo (University of Johannesburg)
July 18th, 2018; 9h00-12h30   

The question of land is deemed to be fundamental to the politics of liberation and, as conditions in Zimbabwe and now South Africa have demonstrated, it remains a critical source of inspiration, mobilisation and contention across the region. For Namibia, historically linked with the political economy of land, liberation and compromise that characterises Southern Africa’s transition to independence, the spectacle of incipient policy change in neighbouring South Africa casts a renewed spotlight on its own land policy since the seminal National Land Conference in 1991. Founded on the ‘willing buyer, willing seller’ model and committed to gradualist change, Namibia’s own land reform process produced a stable, if for some communities deeply unsatisfactory, response to the historical injustices that marked the colonial era and its aftermath. Key themes that will feature include: review of post-independence land policies and their impacts; comparative analysis of approaches adopted in neighbouring countries; an assessment of the mobilisation of land claimants in urban areas; a review of economic impact of the agricultural sector (small holder and commercial).

You can find photos of the event here.

You can find the report of PART 1 of the event published on The Namibian newspaper on Wednesday, July 25th, 2018 edition here.

You can find the report of PART 2 of the event published on The Namibian newspaper on Wednesday, August 1st, 2018 edition here.

You can find a short text by Prof Alden on 'Land, liberation and compromise in Southern Africa' here.

You can find the presentation of Prof Qobo here.

Read more about The New Land Question programme here.

REFERENCES

African National Congress 54th National Conference resolutions, December 2017 (download here).

Department of Rural Development and Land Reform 'Green paper on land reform' 2011 (download here).