German govt urged to honour its pledge

DISAPPOINTMENT and anger featured prominently in the keynote speech at Herero Day celebrations at Okahandja on Sunday.

Herero Paramount Chief Kuaima Riruako elaborated on a petition that he handed over to Prime Minister Nahas Angula last Wednesday. The Herero leader told a crowd of at least 400 people that the petition appeals to the United Nations, African Union and the Namibian Government to call upon Germany to honour last year’s apology for the genocide on the Herero people and “enter into an immediate, unconditional and sincere dialogue aimed at undoing the historical wrongs to the Ovaherero”.He reiterated his demand that Germany must pay reparations for the extermination of 80 per cent of the Herero population at the beginning of the 20th century.Riruako quoted the words of German Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul in August 2004 at the Ohamakari commemoration: “[The Hereros] were deprived of rights, humiliated, persecuted and driven into the desert, where many of them died of hunger and thirst.Many did not survive this degradation and brutality…Today one may label these atrocities genocide.”The Herero Chief said Germany could not apologise for atrocities and genocide “and then pretend that there was nothing more to talk about, except reconciliation and [development] projects”.Asking the Germans to “sit down, face each other and talk or negotiate and get it over and done with” was not asking too much or asking the impossible, he said.Riruako appealed to German-speaking Namibians and the German churches in Namibia to help the Herero put pressure on the German government to pay reparation to the Herero.In their demand for reparations, the Herero were prepared to go on “for as long it will take us to receive satisfactory reparations”, he continued.”Even if this should take us another hundred years or more.”The cause was noble and the present generation “will pass [it] on to generations to come,” he said.A special guest, the South African attorney Prof.Jeremy Sarkin, stated in a short speech at Okahandja that the Herero claims against Germany in two courts in the United States had good prospects because genocides are now being judged differently than earlier.Sarkin reminded the audience of the fact that Germany had paid reparations of over 100 billion dollars to the Jews persecuted in World War II.He said the Herero cases “are on a very solid basis”.* Henning Hintze is a freelance journalist.The Herero leader told a crowd of at least 400 people that the petition appeals to the United Nations, African Union and the Namibian Government to call upon Germany to honour last year’s apology for the genocide on the Herero people and “enter into an immediate, unconditional and sincere dialogue aimed at undoing the historical wrongs to the Ovaherero”.He reiterated his demand that Germany must pay reparations for the extermination of 80 per cent of the Herero population at the beginning of the 20th century.Riruako quoted the words of German Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul in August 2004 at the Ohamakari commemoration: “[The Hereros] were deprived of rights, humiliated, persecuted and driven into the desert, where many of them died of hunger and thirst.Many did not survive this degradation and brutality…Today one may label these atrocities genocide.”The Herero Chief said Germany could not apologise for atrocities and genocide “and then pretend that there was nothing more to talk about, except reconciliation and [development] projects”.Asking the Germans to “sit down, face each other and talk or negotiate and get it over and done with” was not asking too much or asking the impossible, he said.Riruako appealed to German-speaking Namibians and the German churches in Namibia to help the Herero put pressure on the German government to pay reparation to the Herero.In their demand for reparations, the Herero were prepared to go on “for as long it will take us to receive satisfactory reparations”, he continued.”Even if this should take us another hundred years or more.”The cause was noble and the present generation “will pass [it] on to generations to come,” he said.A special guest, the South African attorney Prof.Jeremy Sarkin, stated in a short speech at Okahandja that the Herero claims against Germany in two courts in the United States had good prospects because genocides are now being judged differently than earlier.Sarkin reminded the audience of the fact that Germany had paid reparations of over 100 billion dollars to the Jews persecuted in World War II.He said the Herero cases “are on a very solid basis”. * Henning Hintze is a freelance journalist.