What really happened in 1904
It helps to have a look back.
The Hereros at that time were cattle breeders who lived as nomads.
They entered what is now Namibia from Angola and trekked
south.
They had no permanent settlements.
They killed the San, wherever they found them, without
mercy.
They met the Tswanas and drove them back in the direction from
where they came from.
They enslaved the Damaras, who had, in their eyes, no right to
possess anything.
They met and fought the cattle rustling Namas and were driven
back through ferocious battles by them to Okahandja.
That was the time, when the German colonialists with their
administration came, following the questionable request of some
missionaries.
They stopped the tribal wars, first by agreements and then by
force.
For the Hereros the Germans were just another tribe.
Their leaders were quite happy to exchange cattle against other
goods.
The Hereros noticed only later, that their understanding of land
ownership was totally different from what the European knows as
ownership.
The settlers fenced the land in and started drilling boreholes
to pump the underground water up; something the Hereros had never
done and are reluctant to do even today on their own.
Here the trouble started.
The merchants were happy to deliver goods to the chiefs on a
credit-only basis.
When the borrowers, did not pay, they were forced to pay their
debts by having their cattle confiscated.
By the way, this happens in modern Namibia every day.
The then authorities forbade the selling of goods against
credit.
But it was too late.
The young Hereros rebelled against this practice and beleaguered
their chiefs to take action.
The chiefs, who knew that they were the greedy culprits who
handed over more and more cattle and land without having the
mandate from their people, had only one way to secure their
leadership.
They agreed to lead their people into war.
The war started in January 1904 with the unexpected slaughter of
altogether about 150 German men, women and even children through
Herero gangs.
Farms were plundered and German settlements beleaguered.
Samuel Maharero issued a proclamation, which asked for the
murder of every German man except the missionaries, women and
children.
The Germans, of course, fought back.
They had to contain the situation and fight with the few
soldiers they had and wait for reinforcements from Germany.
In August 1904 some Herero chiefs assembled in true nomadic
fashion their families (at least more than 20 000) and their wealth
(cattle) in the Waterberg area to wage ?a battle against the now 2
000 German soldiers.
The battle was undecided.
The Germans were totally exhausted.
The Hereros trekked immediately after the battle in smaller
groups with their whole belongings in the direction of
Bechuanaland, now Botswana, on ways known to the Mbanderus and the
Hereros for a long time.
The Germans could not follow them.
After two weeks they send an officers patrol to find out what
happened.
The patrol saw horrible pictures of dead people and cattle that
perished because of lack of water.
Corpses poisoned the wells.
In the meantime the politicians had taken over and begun to
develop their own ideas.
General von Trotha , sent by the Kaiser to solve the war against
the Hereros, issued in October 1904 - two months after the battle
of Waterberg - a pamphlet ,directed to the Hereros.
He forbade them in clear words (in the famous so-called
extermination order) to come back.
The "order" was in fact a proclamation in the language of that
time for the Hereros.
The German soldiers had been given the different order to drive
back the Hereros in the direction of Botswana.
Women and children would have to be frightened by shooting over
their head, so that they would be forced to retreat.
It was therefore a similar order, which Samuel Herero has given
his people, how to handle the Germans.
In December 1904, 11 months after the unsuspected murder of
German civilians and after four months of the battle of Waterberg
and two months after the proclamation ("order") of General von
Trotha, Mr. von Trotha and his "order" were withdrawn by the German
authority because of political reasons after intensive debates in
the German Reichstag and recommendations given by administrators
and authorities from German South West Africa.
That means, that the so called extermination order of Mr. von
Trotha had a life of two months only and no practical consequences,
but unfortunately the negative propaganda effect remained as it
seems forever.
In 1918 the famous 'Blue Book' was produceId by a British
magistrate to prove the incapacity of Germans to run colonies.
All colonies were taken from Germany and handed over to victors
of the First World War.
The Republic of South Africa administered South West Africa from
then on.
The "Blue Book" died a natural death afterwards, because many
stories in it were found out to be in principle unfounded war
propaganda and fabricated for one purpose only, to discredit the
Germans.
In the 1960s the Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands or
SED in East Germany (DDR) began to develop relations with the
emerging freedom movements in the colonies in what they
simple-mindedly called Afro-Asia.
Under Russian supervision they gave them support, firstly
through training in true Marxist-Leninist fashion.
The Cold War was at its peak.
They produced pamphlets, which were discrediting the 'West'.
Since parts of the archive of the German Army were stored in
Potsdam (DDR) a scientist was asked by the party to produce a book
about the Herero War oEf 1904,which could be used as an argument
against the enemy.
In due course Mr Horst Drechsler went through the archive and
found the "extermination order" of General Trotha and other papers
in relation to the Herero War of 1904.
He put them together and fabricated a book, which could be used
as an argument against whomever.
He himself was not allowed to interview survivors or use
archives in other parts of the world or even to leave the
country.
It became fashionable to use the word 'genocide' and to claim
reparations.
A whole bunch of so called scientists; lawyers and ,most
important, politicians have taken it over in the meantime to
feather their own nest.
Nobody seems to be interested in what really happened.
The ideologues from yesterday are still around and active.
Their argumentation is based on a hollow foundation.
The archives in Namibia, South Africa, Germany and Britain are
full of documents, which would give a more balanced view, if one
were interested.
One can only hoIpe that the chiefs of today -black, white,
Coloureds- have learned from the mistakes of their forefathers and
follow a sober and realistic path.
The future is for all Namibians and not for one tribe only.
- Japie van Wyk - Walvis Bay
They entered what is now Namibia from Angola and trekked south.
They had no permanent settlements. They killed the San, wherever
they found them, without mercy. They met the Tswanas and drove them
back in the direction from where they came from. They enslaved the
Damaras, who had, in their eyes, no right to possess anything. They
met and fought the cattle rustling Namas and were driven back
through ferocious battles by them to Okahandja. That was the time,
when the German colonialists with their administration came,
following the questionable request of some missionaries. They
stopped the tribal wars, first by agreements and then by force. For
the Hereros the Germans were just another tribe. Their leaders were
quite happy to exchange cattle against other goods. The Hereros
noticed only later, that their understanding of land ownership was
totally different from what the European knows as ownership. The
settlers fenced the land in and started drilling boreholes to pump
the underground water up; something the Hereros had never done and
are reluctant to do even today on their own. Here the trouble
started. The merchants were happy to deliver goods to the chiefs on
a credit-only basis. When the borrowers, did not pay, they were
forced to pay their debts by having their cattle confiscated. By
the way, this happens in modern Namibia every day. The then
authorities forbade the selling of goods against credit. But it was
too late. The young Hereros rebelled against this practice and
beleaguered their chiefs to take action. The chiefs, who knew that
they were the greedy culprits who handed over more and more cattle
and land without having the mandate from their people, had only one
way to secure their leadership. They agreed to lead their people
into war. The war started in January 1904 with the unexpected
slaughter of altogether about 150 German men, women and even
children through Herero gangs. Farms were plundered and German
settlements beleaguered. Samuel Maharero issued a proclamation,
which asked for the murder of every German man except the
missionaries, women and children. The Germans, of course, fought
back. They had to contain the situation and fight with the few
soldiers they had and wait for reinforcements from Germany. In
August 1904 some Herero chiefs assembled in true nomadic fashion
their families (at least more than 20 000) and their wealth
(cattle) in the Waterberg area to wage ?a battle against the now 2
000 German soldiers. The battle was undecided. The Germans were
totally exhausted. The Hereros trekked immediately after the battle
in smaller groups with their whole belongings in the direction of
Bechuanaland, now Botswana, on ways known to the Mbanderus and the
Hereros for a long time. The Germans could not follow them. After
two weeks they send an officers patrol to find out what happened.
The patrol saw horrible pictures of dead people and cattle that
perished because of lack of water. Corpses poisoned the wells. In
the meantime the politicians had taken over and begun to develop
their own ideas. General von Trotha , sent by the Kaiser to solve
the war against the Hereros, issued in October 1904 - two months
after the battle of Waterberg - a pamphlet ,directed to the
Hereros. He forbade them in clear words (in the famous so-called
extermination order) to come back. The "order" was in fact a
proclamation in the language of that time for the Hereros. The
German soldiers had been given the different order to drive back
the Hereros in the direction of Botswana. Women and children would
have to be frightened by shooting over their head, so that they
would be forced to retreat. It was therefore a similar order, which
Samuel Herero has given his people, how to handle the Germans. In
December 1904, 11 months after the unsuspected murder of German
civilians and after four months of the battle of Waterberg and two
months after the proclamation ("order") of General von Trotha, Mr.
von Trotha and his "order" were withdrawn by the German authority
because of political reasons after intensive debates in the German
Reichstag and recommendations given by administrators and
authorities from German South West Africa. That means, that the so
called extermination order of Mr. von Trotha had a life of two
months only and no practical consequences, but unfortunately the
negative propaganda effect remained as it seems forever. In 1918
the famous 'Blue Book' was produceId by a British magistrate to
prove the incapacity of Germans to run colonies. All colonies were
taken from Germany and handed over to victors of the First World
War. The Republic of South Africa administered South West Africa
from then on. The "Blue Book" died a natural death afterwards,
because many stories in it were found out to be in principle
unfounded war propaganda and fabricated for one purpose only, to
discredit the Germans. In the 1960s the Sozialistische
Einheitspartei Deutschlands or SED in East Germany (DDR) began to
develop relations with the emerging freedom movements in the
colonies in what they simple-mindedly called Afro-Asia. Under
Russian supervision they gave them support, firstly through
training in true Marxist-Leninist fashion. The Cold War was at its
peak. They produced pamphlets, which were discrediting the 'West'.
Since parts of the archive of the German Army were stored in
Potsdam (DDR) a scientist was asked by the party to produce a book
about the Herero War oEf 1904,which could be used as an argument
against the enemy. In due course Mr Horst Drechsler went through
the archive and found the "extermination order" of General Trotha
and other papers in relation to the Herero War of 1904. He put them
together and fabricated a book, which could be used as an argument
against whomever. He himself was not allowed to interview survivors
or use archives in other parts of the world or even to leave the
country. It became fashionable to use the word 'genocide' and to
claim reparations. A whole bunch of so called scientists; lawyers
and ,most important, politicians have taken it over in the meantime
to feather their own nest. Nobody seems to be interested in what
really happened. The ideologues from yesterday are still around and
active. Their argumentation is based on a hollow foundation. The
archives in Namibia, South Africa, Germany and Britain are full of
documents, which would give a more balanced view, if one were
interested. One can only hoIpe that the chiefs of today -black,
white, Coloureds- have learned from the mistakes of their
forefathers and follow a sober and realistic path. The future is
for all Namibians and not for one tribe only.- Japie van Wyk -
Walvis Bay