After a successful petition, the statue of a controversial German colonial officer in Namibia’s capital Windhoek was removed.
It was erected in 1965 in front of what is now the municipal building to honour Curt von François, the city’s founder.
Between 1889 and 1894, Von François served as a senior officer in the German colony of South West Africa (modern-day Namibia).
In 1892, he was the commanding officer during the massacre of Hoornkrans, an operation against a rising Nama rebellion in which at least 80 people, mostly women and children, were killed.
On Wednesday, local artists performed rituals to reclaim the land where the statue stood before workers took it down from its pedestal.
Activist Hildegard Titus, who led the petition to take down the statue, told news site Namibian that she was “very excited”.
She said Von François had “wrongly been called the founder of Windhoek” and that he was a symbol of “colonial oppression”.
A crowd that had gathered to witness the event applauded as the statue was removed.
The city of Windhoek spokesperson Harold Akwenye said the statue will be kept in the museum but will be “re-erected” once a new spot has been agreed on.