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The Guardian
10 hours ago
- General
- The Guardian
Namibia pushes for German reparations on first genocide remembrance day
Namibia has observed its first genocide remembrance day, honouring the estimated 75,000 victims who were massacred by soldiers or forced into concentration camps during German colonial rule. Between 1904 and 1908, an estimated 65,000 Herero people and 10,000 Nama people were killed when the groups rejected colonial rule. It amounted to 80% and 50% of their respective populations at the time. Some of their skulls were taken to Germany for racist experiments and were stored in German hospitals, museums and universities for decades. Namibia's president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, told a memorial event in the parliament's gardens on Wednesday that the government would continue to push for reparations from Germany. She said: 'We should find a degree of comfort in the fact that the German government has agreed that German troops committed a genocide against the … people of our land. 'We may not agree on the final quantum, but that is part of the complex negotiations we have been engaged in with the German government since 2013 … We must remain committed that as a nation, we shall soldier on until the ultimate conclusion is reached.' In 2021, Germany officially recognised the atrocities as a genocide and agreed to pay Namibia €1.1bn (then £940m) to fund development for the Herero and Nama. It said this was a gesture of 'reconciliation', but not compensation or reparations. Germany returned the skulls and other human remains to Namibia in 2011 and 2018. Descendants of genocide victims said this was not enough and called on the German government to negotiate with them directly. Germany ruled Namibia, then known as South West Africa, from 1884 to 1915, when it was taken over by South Africa during the first world war. It became independent in 1990. Between 1904 and 1908, German troops shot, tortured or drove tens of thousands of Herero and Nama people into the Kalahari desert to starve, after they rebelled against colonial rule. Their descendants are now politically marginalised. Germany's ambassador to Namibia, Thorsten Hutter, said in a speech at the memorial: 'It is a stark reminder of the pain and suffering that was inflicted by German imperial troops during the colonial era … We cannot change the past, but as the people who are living today, it is our responsibility to remember those atrocities that were committed.' He told the local newspaper the Namibian: 'I believe we are on a very good path to forge forward, which includes the issues of reconciliation.' Herero and Nama representatives said more people in Namibia and worldwide should learn about the genocide. Hoze Riruako, a Herero chief, said it was a precursor to the Holocaust, but 'people are not aware of what has happened here to the same level.' Last year, Namibia declared 28 May would be a genocide remembrance day and a public holiday. It was chosen as it was the day in 1907 when Germany decided to close its concentration camps after an international outcry. Agence France-Presse and Reuters contributed to this story
Al Jazeera
11 hours ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
Namibia marks inaugural Genocide Remembrance Day with call for reparations
Namibia has held its first Genocide Remembrance Day to commemorate tens of thousands of Herero and Nama people killed by German colonisers in the early 1900s, in what is widely considered the first genocide of the 20th century. The southern African country's president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, speaking at the event Wednesday, called again for reparations for the at least 70,000 Indigenous people killed by German troops from 1904 to 1908. Germany, which colonised Namibia from 1884 to 1915, previously acknowledged the genocide in 2021, but talks on reparations stretching back to 2013 have been fruitless. 'We should find a degree of comfort in the fact that the German government has agreed that the German troops committed a genocide against the … people of our land,' Nandi-Ndaitwah said at the ceremony held in the gardens of Namibia's parliament. 'We must remain committed that as a nation, we shall soldier on until the ultimate conclusion is reached,' she said. For its part, Germany released a statement earlier this week, reiterating that it 'acknowledges Germany's moral and political responsibility [for the killings] and emphasises the importance of reconciliation'. Berlin has previously pledged more than one billion euros ($1bn) in development aid over 30 years to benefit the descendants of the two targeted tribes, while stressing the funding should not be seen as payment of reparations. No agreement has been signed and Herero and Nama descendants have said they were excluded from the talks. At Wednesday's commemoration, candles were lit in honour of the victims and a minute of silence was followed by songs and speeches. The memorial was attended by about 1,000 people, including the German ambassador to Namibia. The Herero tribe revolted against German colonisers in January 1904, with the smaller Nama tribe joining the next year. The crackdown by German troops sent tens of thousands of people fleeing towards neighbouring Botswana. Then, in October 1904, German General Lothar von Trotha, under the command of German leader Kaiser Wilhelm II, signed a notorious 'extermination order' against the Herero. 'Within the German boundaries, every Herero, with or without a gun, with or without livestock, will be shot dead,' the order said. Between 1904 and 1908, at least 60,000 Herero and 10,000 Nama people were killed, many at German-run concentration camps, although some estimates put the death toll higher. Hundreds of Herero and Nama were also beheaded after being killed, with their skulls brought back to Germany for 'scientific' experiments meant to prove racial superiority. Since 2008, Namibian officials have demanded the bones be returned. Germany has complied, with ceremonial transfers in 2011 and 2018. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Israel Kaunatjike, a Herero activist who spearheaded the initiative 'No Amnesty on Genocide', called it a 'scandal' that no official memorial of the genocide has been held since Namibia gained independence from South Africa's control in 1990. 'It is very, very important for us today to celebrate, to remember those who lost their lives,' said Kaunatjike, who noted May 28 marked the day in 1908 the concentration camps were closed in then-German South West Africa. Kaunatjike added that any agreement that did not include reparations, and the return of Herero and Nama land still owned by descendants of German settlers, would be inadequate.
Washington Post
12 hours ago
- General
- Washington Post
Namibia holds its first genocide remembrance day to mark mass killings by colonial ruler Germany
WINDHOEK, Namibia — Namibia marked the mass killings of Indigenous people in the early 20th century by former colonial ruler Germany with its first genocide remembrance day on Wednesday. The day was declared a national holiday last year by the government and was commemorated for the first time with a ceremony in the gardens of the national Parliament in the capital, Windhoek. Between 1904 and 1908, tens of thousands of Herero and Nama people were massacred or forced into concentration camps and starved by German colonial forces under the command of Gen. Lothar von Trotha, in what was then German South West Africa. Germany formally recognized the atrocities as a genocide in 2021 and agreed to pay Namibia 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) over the course of 30 years to fund various projects. Namibia has rejected that and is pushing for more money and formal reparations for the massacres. 'Many people from the two communities were forced into concentration camps where they were starved to death and their skulls were taken to Germany for so-called scientific research,' Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said at Wednesday's ceremony. 'These horrendous acts are now part of our collective history of resistance and resilience.' The killings of Herero and Nama men, women and children have been recognized as the first genocide of the 20th century. Historians say von Trotha, who was sent to German South West Africa to put down an uprising by the Herero people, instructed his troops to wipe out the entire tribe. They say that the majority of the Herero people, about 65,000, were killed as were at least 10,000 Nama. Symbolic candles were lit at Wednesday's remembrance ceremony, which was also attended by leaders and descendants of the Herero and Nama people. Namibia chose May 28 as the day to mark the genocide because it was the date Germany finally gave the order to close down the concentration camps. Germany was the colonial ruler of Namibia from 1884 until 1915, when it gave up the territory to South Africa. Namibia finally gained independence from South Africa in 1990. There have been calls by the affected communities in Namibia for years for the government to declare a remembrance day in honour of those who died. Talks between Germany and Namibia over finding a suitable settlement for Germany's role in the genocide have been going on for a decade. In 2018, Germany also returned more than a dozen skulls and other human remains that were taken from Namibia for pseudo-scientific racial experiments. They had been stored in German hospitals, museums and universities for decades. ___ AP Africa news:
The Independent
12 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
Namibia holds its first genocide remembrance day to mark mass killings by colonial ruler Germany
Namibia marked the mass killings of Indigenous people in the early 20th century by former colonial ruler Germany with its first genocide remembrance day on Wednesday. The day was declared a national holiday last year by the government and was commemorated for the first time with a ceremony in the gardens of the national Parliament in the capital, Windhoek. Between 1904 and 1908, tens of thousands of Herero and Nama people were massacred or forced into concentration camps and starved by German colonial forces under the command of Gen. Lothar von Trotha, in what was then German South West Africa. Germany formally recognized the atrocities as a genocide in 2021 and agreed to pay Namibia 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) over the course of 30 years to fund various projects. Namibia has rejected that and is pushing for more money and formal reparations for the massacres. 'Many people from the two communities were forced into concentration camps where they were starved to death and their skulls were taken to Germany for so-called scientific research," Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said at Wednesday's ceremony. 'These horrendous acts are now part of our collective history of resistance and resilience.' The killings of Herero and Nama men, women and children have been recognized as the first genocide of the 20th century. Historians say von Trotha, who was sent to German South West Africa to put down an uprising by the Herero people, instructed his troops to wipe out the entire tribe. They say that the majority of the Herero people, about 65,000, were killed as were at least 10,000 Nama. Symbolic candles were lit at Wednesday's remembrance ceremony, which was also attended by leaders and descendants of the Herero and Nama people. Namibia chose May 28 as the day to mark the genocide because it was the date Germany finally gave the order to close down the concentration camps. Germany was the colonial ruler of Namibia from 1884 until 1915, when it gave up the territory to South Africa. Namibia finally gained independence from South Africa in 1990. There have been calls by the affected communities in Namibia for years for the government to declare a remembrance day in honour of those who died. Talks between Germany and Namibia over finding a suitable settlement for Germany's role in the genocide have been going on for a decade. In 2018, Germany also returned more than a dozen skulls and other human remains that were taken from Namibia for pseudo-scientific racial experiments. They had been stored in German hospitals, museums and universities for decades. ___
Associated Press
12 hours ago
- General
- Associated Press
Namibia holds its first genocide remembrance day to mark mass killings by colonial ruler Germany
WINDHOEK, Namibia (AP) — Namibia marked the mass killings of Indigenous people in the early 20th century by former colonial ruler Germany with its first genocide remembrance day on Wednesday. The day was declared a national holiday last year by the government and was commemorated for the first time with a ceremony in the gardens of the national Parliament in the capital, Windhoek. Between 1904 and 1908, tens of thousands of Herero and Nama people were massacred or forced into concentration camps and starved by German colonial forces under the command of Gen. Lothar von Trotha, in what was then German South West Africa. Germany formally recognized the atrocities as a genocide in 2021 and agreed to pay Namibia 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) over the course of 30 years to fund various projects. Namibia has rejected that and is pushing for more money and formal reparations for the massacres. 'Many people from the two communities were forced into concentration camps where they were starved to death and their skulls were taken to Germany for so-called scientific research,' Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said at Wednesday's ceremony. 'These horrendous acts are now part of our collective history of resistance and resilience.' The killings of Herero and Nama men, women and children have been recognized as the first genocide of the 20th century. Historians say von Trotha, who was sent to German South West Africa to put down an uprising by the Herero people, instructed his troops to wipe out the entire tribe. They say that the majority of the Herero people, about 65,000, were killed as were at least 10,000 Nama. Symbolic candles were lit at Wednesday's remembrance ceremony, which was also attended by leaders and descendants of the Herero and Nama people. Namibia chose May 28 as the day to mark the genocide because it was the date Germany finally gave the order to close down the concentration camps. Germany was the colonial ruler of Namibia from 1884 until 1915, when it gave up the territory to South Africa. Namibia finally gained independence from South Africa in 1990. There have been calls by the affected communities in Namibia for years for the government to declare a remembrance day in honour of those who died. Talks between Germany and Namibia over finding a suitable settlement for Germany's role in the genocide have been going on for a decade. In 2018, Germany also returned more than a dozen skulls and other human remains that were taken from Namibia for pseudo-scientific racial experiments. They had been stored in German hospitals, museums and universities for decades. ___ AP Africa news:
