Namibia Independence Day (March 21)

On the occasion of Namibia Independence Day, today, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) would like to draw attention to Germany’s responsibility for the genocide of the Herero and the Nama. The German Federal Government has still not acknowledged the crimes under international law – and is trying to abdicate its responsibility: “The so-called ‘joint declaration’ was negotiated by the German and the Namibian state, without adequately consulting the descendants of the victims. Not even the Namibian parliament has ratified it,” stated Nadja Grossenbacher, STP expert on genocide prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, in Göttingen today. “Almost 120 years after General Lothar von Trotha commanded the atrocities, Germany must finally take responsibility in a legally binding manner. An agreement must be negotiated with the descendants of the victims – and it must include actual reparation payments. However, the process of coming to terms with the genocide must be oriented towards the needs of the descendants.”

In order to commemorate the genocide, representatives of the Herero and the Nama are organizing a commemorative ceremony in !Nami≠nûs (formerly known as Lüderitz). The multi-day program also includes the unveiling of a memorial stone on Shark Island, where the German colonial troops had built an infamous concentration camp. Prof. Mutjinde Katjiua, paramount chief of the Ovaherero Traditional Authority, and Gaob Johannes Isaack, chief of the Nama Traditional Leaders Association, will inaugurate it.

On March 21, 1990, Namibia officially became independent. What was once known as South-West-Africa was a German colony from 1884 to 1915. In the period from 1904 to 1908, the troops of the German Empire committed a genocide in which they killed about 80 percent of the Herero and 50 percent of the Nama. “Descendants of the victims recently filed a lawsuit against the ‘joint agreement’ in the Namibian capital Windhoek. In their opinion, the document is unconstitutional,” Grossenbacher explained. “Most of the experts are – just like the STP – of the opinion that the document is to be seen as illegal under international law.”

The new German feature film “The Measured Man”, which addresses the genocide in Namibia, will be coming to the cinemas soon. It offers those interested a historical introduction to the topic, but mainly also impressive visuals. However, the story is told from the viewpoint of the perpetrators – which should be kept in mind when watching the movie.