German parliament’s omission of ‘guilt’ unfortunate, says Kameeta

BISHOP Zephania Kameeta says he regards the absence of the word “guilt” in the German parliament’s resolution on its colonial past as unfortunate.

However, the Bishop says he finds it “very positive” that the German parliament had at least started to address events in the then German South West Africa. Kameeta says he hopes that with the coming discussions before and after the commemoration of Hamakari the whole dialogue will come to a point “where, at last, the German government will express itself very clearly on the question of genocide and guilt”.The head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church said this during an interview with the German broadcasting corporation NDR (Northern German Broadcasting Corporation) in Windhoek.When asked whether a statement by former Attorney General Vekuii Rukoro went too far when he said that the German government’s decision to compensate the Jewish people but to deny the Herero people reparations was “blatantly racist”, Kameeta said:”No, it is not going too far.”The question should not be how many Jews and how many Hereros were killed, “it is a question of killing”.The Bishop emphasised, however, that he did not want to be bitter.”I want a dialogue to go on and not to say, ‘well, the German parliament is racist – finished, the door is closed’.”As a church leader, Kameeta said, “the forerunner of reconciliation is a confession of guilt and asking for forgiveness”.But it was equally true that “the process of reconciliation is something you do not wait to fall from somewhere, but that you take the lead to work for reconciliation”.* Meanwhile, the German Minister for Economic and Technical Co-operation, Heidi Wieczorek-Zeul, has confirmed that she will participate in the Hamakari commemoration on August 14.This was announced by the German Embassy in Windhoek.The commemoration will take place at the new Okakarara Community Cultural and Tourist Centre.Kameeta says he hopes that with the coming discussions before and after the commemoration of Hamakari the whole dialogue will come to a point “where, at last, the German government will express itself very clearly on the question of genocide and guilt”.The head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church said this during an interview with the German broadcasting corporation NDR (Northern German Broadcasting Corporation) in Windhoek.When asked whether a statement by former Attorney General Vekuii Rukoro went too far when he said that the German government’s decision to compensate the Jewish people but to deny the Herero people reparations was “blatantly racist”, Kameeta said:”No, it is not going too far.”The question should not be how many Jews and how many Hereros were killed, “it is a question of killing”.The Bishop emphasised, however, that he did not want to be bitter.”I want a dialogue to go on and not to say, ‘well, the German parliament is racist – finished, the door is closed’.”As a church leader, Kameeta said, “the forerunner of reconciliation is a confession of guilt and asking for forgiveness”.But it was equally true that “the process of reconciliation is something you do not wait to fall from somewhere, but that you take the lead to work for reconciliation”.* Meanwhile, the German Minister for Economic and Technical Co-operation, Heidi Wieczorek-Zeul, has confirmed that she will participate in the Hamakari commemoration on August 14.This was announced by the German Embassy in Windhoek.The commemoration will take place at the new Okakarara Community Cultural and Tourist Centre.