On the occasion of the Genocide Remembrance Day established by the Namibian government (May 28), the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) would like to draw attention to the fact that this day of remembrance is rejected by the official representations of the Ovaherero and the Nama.  

May 28 was introduced as official holiday on May 28, 2024. The date refers to the closure of the concentration camps in 1908, presented by the government as a day of liberation. “The introduction of May 28 as a day of liberation distorts historical facts and trivializes the ongoing consequences of the genocide crimes. There can be no talk of a real liberation of the prisoners, as they were not released into freedom: instead, torture, rape, and murders continued outside of the camps. To this day, the consequences can still be felt in the form of land expropriation, economic marginalization, and social exclusion,” stated Laura Mahler, STP expert on sub-Saharan Africa. 

The Youth Forum of the Nama Traditional Leaders Association (NTLA) expressed sharp criticism as well: “The prisoners were not freed; they didn’t get their families back, they didn’t get their land back, they didn’t get their livestock back, they didn’t get their lives back, so what exactly are we commemorating with regard to the closure of the concentration camps,” the youth organization of the NTLA asked.

According to the STP, the conflict about the day of remembrance exemplifies the key problem of the insufficient inclusion of the Ovaherero and Nama in political decision-making processes – by the Namibian government, but also by Germany. “The affected communities were not sufficiently involved in the negotiations regarding the Joint Declaration between Namibia and Germany. The day of remembrance once again shines a light on this structural exclusion,” Mahler added. The Nama and the Ovaherero had proposed alternative dates for a day of remembrance to the Namibian government, but the Namibian government ignored these suggestions.

“The Namibian government must not instrumentalize May 28 for self-promotional purposes – let alone use the official day to exert political pressure on affected communities to accept the Joint Declaration between Germany and Namibia. In order to bring about a coming to terms with the genocide, there must be a dialogue at eye level. The new German Federal Government bears responsibility in this regard as well. It must not hide behind the sovereignty of the Namibian government but must actively try to ensure that the official representatives of the Ovaherero and the Nama are included in the negotiations too,” Mahler said.