Ndumba J Kamwanyah
A capital city should be a country’s best introduction to the whole of Namibia.
It should tell every visitor or tourist who we are, where we come from, and what we value. It should leave visitors and tourists inspired to stay longer, spend more, and return again. Sadly, Windhoek is failing to do that.
A few days ago, The Namibian reported that some tourists described Windhoek as a boring city. That may sound harsh to some, but it is a criticism we should take seriously rather than dismiss.
After all, first impressions matter. Windhoek is the first destination for most international visitors arriving in Namibia. If their first impression is that there is little to do and little to see, then we have a problem that goes beyond tourism. It reflects a failure of planning, imagination, and leadership.
For years, I have criticised the City of Windhoek for its poor planning priorities. From the continued patterns of spatial inequality that mirror apartheid-era planning, to neglected roads filled with potholes, to the lack of investment in public spaces and cultural infrastructure, the city has failed to build a capital that truly belongs to all Namibians…our ethnic and cultural diversity. Today, another criticism has been added to that growing list. Tourists themselves are saying the city is boring.
What makes this even more troubling is what many visitors end up doing instead. With so few attractions in the city, organised tours increasingly take tourists to Katutura and informal settlements. While there is nothing wrong with visitors learning about Namibia’s history or experiencing authentic local communities, it becomes deeply uncomfortable when poverty itself starts becoming the tourism attraction.
A country should never find itself in a position where its poorest neighbourhoods become one of the main reasons tourists are tracted in our capital and towns. That is not sustainable tourism. That is showcasing poverty because we have failed to create better alternatives.
People living in informal settlements are not exhibits. Their daily struggles should not become entertainment for visitors carrying cameras. Communities deserve dignity, not to become substitutes for the museums, cultural centres, festivals, parks, galleries, and entertainment districts that a capital city should already have.
This is not an argument against township tourism when it is community-led, respectful, and economically beneficial to local residents. It is an argument against allowing poverty to fill the gap created by the city’s lack of imagination and investment.
Windhoek has enormous potential, yet very little of it is being realised.
Namibia is one of the most culturally diverse countries in Africa. We have rich traditions, music, food, fashion, languages, history, art, and storytelling. Yet visitors arriving in our capital often struggle to find places where these can be experienced in one vibrant setting. Where are the bustling cultural markets that celebrate every region of Namibia? Where are the regular street festivals? Where are the performance spaces for local musicians, cafes , book stores, and dancers? Where are the public art districts that tell our national story? Where are the lively pedestrian streets filled with local food, crafts, and entertainment?
Instead, too much of Windhoek feels designed simply to get through the working day. Once offices close, large parts of the city become quiet. Public spaces remain underdeveloped, and there are few reasons for visitors to extend their stay before continuing to Etosha, Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, or other destinations.
This represents a missed economic opportunity.
Tourists who stay an extra day spend money in hotels, restaurants, shops, transport services, and local businesses. Every additional night creates jobs and supports entrepreneurs. A vibrant capital city is not only good for visitors. It is good for the economy and the country.
The city’s physical condition also sends the wrong message. Roads are deteriorating, potholes continue to multiply, and infrastructure maintenance often appears reactive rather than planned. It becomes difficult to market Windhoek as a modern African capital while basic infrastructure continues to decline.
Infrastructure, however, is not only about roads. It is also about what many call soft infrastructure. These are the institutions, facilities, and public spaces that create a city’s identity and quality of life. Museums, libraries, theatres, convention centres, parks, cultural villages, sports facilities, festivals, public squares, and creative hubs all contribute to making a city attractive. Windhoek has some of these, but nowhere near enough to match its potential or its status as Namibia’s capital.
Even the Independence Museum, which should be one of the country’s flagship attractions, deserves careful attention. Where historical inaccuracies or omissions exist. the inaccuracies must be corrected. Our national story deserves to be told accurately, honestly, and inclusively. History should educate, unite, and inspire, not create confusion or leave important voices behind.
What Windhoek needs now is creative leadership with a long-term vision. We need leaders who see tourism as more than hotel beds and airport arrivals. Tourism is about experiences. It is about creating places where both residents and visitors want to spend time.
Imagine a capital filled with weekend cultural festivals, open-air markets celebrating Namibia’s regions, safe pedestrian streets, public art installations, music performances, food fairs, heritage walks, and modern museums that tell our national story with pride. Imagine clean roads, beautiful parks, efficient public transport, and welcoming public spaces where families gather every evening. That is the kind of city people remember.
Instead of showcasing poverty because there is little else to experience, Windhoek should be showcasing creativity, innovation, culture, and history.
The criticism from tourists should not offend us. It should challenge us. Sometimes outsiders notice what we have become accustomed to ignoring. Rather than defending mediocrity, we should ask ourselves why our capital city struggles to inspire visitors in the first place.
Windhoek deserves better. Its residents deserve better. Namibia deserves better.
The question is no longer whether Windhoek has potential. It clearly does. The real question is whether those entrusted with leading our capital have the vision and courage to unlock it before the city’s greatest attraction becomes the poverty we have failed to address.
Ndumba J Kamwanyah (PhD) is a public policy expert, focusing on the interplay of social welfare policy, development and democracy. He is also a peace and reconciliation scholar, and a certified mediator with a Masters in conflict studies.
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