Young Nama at the "Youth Summit" of the Nama Traditional Leaders Association (NTLA). April 2025, ǃNamiǂNûs/Lüderitz, Namibia.
Photo: Sarah Neumeyer/GfbV
European climate protection at the expense of the indigenous Nama
Anyone visiting the Shark Island peninsula near ǃNamiǂNûs/Lüderitz* today will see little of the violence that took place here at first glance. Today there are private houses and a campsite with a sea view. Hardly anything reminds us of the concentration camp that was located there during the German colonial era and in which between 1,000 and 3,000 Nama and Ovaherero perished. Instead of a worthy memorial to the first genocide of the 20th century, tourists pitch their tents there.
*The special characters stand for click sounds in the Nama language Khoekhoegowab. The name is the proper name of the Nama, Lüderitz the name of the colonial occupiers, which is still used by the Namibian government today.
Photo: Sarah Neumeyer/GfbV
Colonial structures also continue in the economy to this day. For example, the multi-billion dollar Hyphen-hydrogen-project, which is to be built south of ǃNamiǂNûs. While the German colonial power took the Nama's land by force more than 100 years ago out of greed, today it is being done in the name of the global green energy transition. The justifications sound different, but the logic remains familiar: actors from the Global North are claiming land, marginalizing local voices and keeping profits and decision-making power for themselves. What used to be done by force of arms and colonial decrees is now enforced by treaties and investment agreements.
But Hyphen is a Namibian company, not a German one. Isn't it even a good thing that an African country is leading the way in the green transition? The answer lies in the continuing structural inequalities and is clearly no.
Nama must be involved in hydrogen project
Although the Hyphen-project is based in Namibia, it is largely financed by German stakeholders. The promotion of hydrogen in Namibia is supported by the Federal Republic of Germany as part of the “Green Hydrogen Namibia Program”. This is also a contribution to the German government's National Hydrogen Strategy. The shares in the Namibian company are owned by the Namibian state, the British company Nicholas Holdings Ltd. and the German company ENERTRAG. The Federal Ministry of Economics announced to Hyphen that it would support the largest hydrogen project in sub-Saharan Africa. RWE announced that it would build a terminal in Brunsbüttel (Schleswig-Holstein) to facilitate the import.
RWE also signed a letter of intent with Hyphen to purchase 300,000 tons of ammonia (a hydrogen derivative) annually. Germany is thus not only securing preferential access to so-called green hydrogen, but is also pushing through an energy policy agenda at the expense of local participation. The Nama, who were already victims of colonial violence more than 100 years ago, are once again not being heard. Although it is a multi-billion investment in their traditional territory, the Nama have not been included in the planning of the Hyphen-project.
Maboss Johannes Ortmann, expert advisor to the NTLA, long-standing partner of the STP
„The land that you are going to use, that is our land. Acknowledge us, talk to us, consult with us, work with us. This is our ancestral land. We want to be known. We want to be consulted. We want to be part of the process. We want our own share.”
Photo: Sarah Neumeyer/GfbV
Sara Petra Wittenbach, member of the NTLA
„Shark Island is a place where Namas are mourning. But the people don’t care, they don’t indulge with our feelings, they just do whatever they want.“
Photo: Sarah Neumeyer/GfbV
Antonio Stuurmann, member of the technical committee of the NTLA
„We are a small country with an abundance of natural resources, yet hunger poverty and inequality are very extreme. And that is the fear that with this project it will be the same where the developed world continues to exploit the resources and there is no beneficiation for the locals. The participation rights of communities are violated."
Photo: Sarah Neumeyer/GfbV
Hans Hangue, member of the NTLA
„Our chiefs, they are not involved in being part of this whole process. They are not being engaged in trying to participate and voice their concerns. So, participatory rights should be granted especially given the fact that it’s being done on the land that historically used to be for the Nama people.”
Photo: Sarah Neumeyer/GfbV
Joint project work in Namibia and Germany
As a German human rights organization, we take responsibility for the German colonial past and stand by the Nama. This also means that we take action against continuing power relations from the colonial era, as is the case with the Hyphen-Project. German politics and business must also take responsibility and comply with human rights, environmental and nature conservation standards. Hyphen must take into account the rights of the affected Nama and the wider population of ǃNamiǂNûs and involve them appropriately. To this end, we are working with the Nama Traditional Leaders Association and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights.
Our work on the Hyphen-Project
Goals:
- Taking action against colonial power relations
- Developing a workshop concept based on the needs of the Nama
- Investigating how we can strengthen skills, promote political engagement or intervene legally
Target group:
The young Nama population and civil society in ǃNamiǂNûs.
Focus of content:
- Indigenous rights of the Nama
- Social and economic rights of the population of ǃNamiǂNûs
- Environmental and nature conservation
Duration:
April to December 2025
Project partners:
This project is funded by the Hering-Stiftung Natur und Mensch.
In the course of 2025, several workshops have been and will be held, based on the needs and demands of the Nama in relation to Hyphen's planned project and at the same time involving the population of ǃNamiǂNûs. The main target group of the workshop formats are the young Nama and their connections with civil society in ǃNamiǂNûs. German colonialism in Namibia and the possible consequences of the Hyphen project will be discussed and potential legal interventions explored at a youth summit and other events as well as in exchange with experts. The events and activities are intended to help strengthen skills and promote political engagement. The young participants should serve as multipliers for the Nama communities and the population of ǃNamiǂNûs and pass on their knowledge. In addition, the aim is to find young supporters who can carry on the concerns of the Nama at events and in discussions and take the lead in the future.
In addition to the activities on the ground, political commitment in Germany also plays a decisive role: politics, business and the public are to be sensitized to the expected consequences of the project. The project operators and German companies involved must comply with internationally applicable standards. International human rights work is also part of the project.
Author: Laura Mahler
Editors: Stefanie Grolig, Myriam Givens, Jonas Bermaoui and Sarah Neumeyer
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Last updated July 2025.
