As for the San and Damara genocide Mr. Matjila:
- Responding to your letter entitled "Everyone should back Herero reparations" in The Namibian of the 5th of March.
YOU have the audacity to compare the Germans with Attila the Hun
and did not hesitate to describe the Germans as barbaric etc.
Why did you, however, not say the same about the Herero nation?
Before the Herero people settled in this country, it was populated
by the San and the Bergdama.
In order to obtain the land from these two nations, the Herero
had to practically wipe them out by brutal and barbaric means.
Yet you state that the Herero fought for the land that was
RIGHTFULLY theirs.
What a joke.
If a thief steals a stolen object from another thief, then who
is the thief? The Herero nation was the first coloniser of Namibia
but they do not want to talk about their dark history or the crimes
they perpetrated against other nations.
No - now they want reparations from Germany as a small
token.
What token have they given to the San and Bergdama and what do
they want to buy with the billions they are claiming? Do they want
to create another scenario of where a minority owns the majority of
the fertile farms? Pohamba will tell you something else in this
context, as the Herero do not seem to be favoured by the present
Government anyhow.
Or how does one explain the absence of their weak leader, Samuel
Maharero, on any of our country's currency.
I say weak, because it was he who sold off hundreds of the
Herero farms for his own profit, and it was he who voluntarily
joined a war against his own people (Refer to the war against [the
Mbanderu chiefs - Ed.] Kahimemua and Nikodemus in 1896) His own
headmen and even Leutwein tried to stop him from disposing of land
that belonged to the Herero people, but his high-flying lifestyle
demanded it and he could therefore not be stopped.
You say that every Namibian must support the Herero claim for
reparations.
All right, let's do it.
Once the Herero have their money, we will support the San and
the Bergdama with their claims against the Herero etc, etc.
The Herero must start to act like Namibians and stop thinking
along tribalist lines.
So stop this call for reparations for the Herero.
Rather support a call for help to the Namibian Nation.
Germany is no longer the prosperous land that you think it is
and has more domestic problems to sort out then you could ever
dream of.
Ernst Ahrens
P.O. Box 80301
Windhoek
Note: This letter has been shortened - Ed
Why did you, however, not say the same about the Herero nation?
Before the Herero people settled in this country, it was populated
by the San and the Bergdama.In order to obtain the land from these
two nations, the Herero had to practically wipe them out by brutal
and barbaric means.Yet you state that the Herero fought for the
land that was RIGHTFULLY theirs.What a joke.If a thief steals a
stolen object from another thief, then who is the thief? The Herero
nation was the first coloniser of Namibia but they do not want to
talk about their dark history or the crimes they perpetrated
against other nations.No - now they want reparations from Germany
as a small token.What token have they given to the San and Bergdama
and what do they want to buy with the billions they are claiming?
Do they want to create another scenario of where a minority owns
the majority of the fertile farms? Pohamba will tell you something
else in this context, as the Herero do not seem to be favoured by
the present Government anyhow.Or how does one explain the absence
of their weak leader, Samuel Maharero, on any of our country's
currency.I say weak, because it was he who sold off hundreds of the
Herero farms for his own profit, and it was he who voluntarily
joined a war against his own people (Refer to the war against [the
Mbanderu chiefs - Ed.] Kahimemua and Nikodemus in 1896) His own
headmen and even Leutwein tried to stop him from disposing of land
that belonged to the Herero people, but his high-flying lifestyle
demanded it and he could therefore not be stopped.You say that
every Namibian must support the Herero claim for reparations.All
right, let's do it.Once the Herero have their money, we will
support the San and the Bergdama with their claims against the
Herero etc, etc.The Herero must start to act like Namibians and
stop thinking along tribalist lines.So stop this call for
reparations for the Herero.Rather support a call for help to the
Namibian Nation.Germany is no longer the prosperous land that you
think it is and has more domestic problems to sort out then you
could ever dream of.Ernst Ahrens
P.O. Box 80301
WindhoekNote: This letter has been shortened - Ed