Nujoma to miss 1904 genocide service

PRESIDENT Sam Nujoma and other senior government officials will be absent from observances this weekend to mark the centenary of the three-year German campaign of genocide against the Herero and Mbanderu peoples.

In what may may be seen as a snub, the Office of the President has advised organisers of the commemoration that Nujoma cannot attend due to prior commitments. The nature of those commitments was not specified.Deputy Prime Minister Hendrik Witbooi has not responded to his invitation, the events’ organisers say, but Witbooi himself says he did not receive that invitation.Hundreds of Ovaherero and Ovambanderu from Namibia and neighbouring Botswana will gather at Okahandja on Sunday to inaugurate the yearlong series of observances.On January 12 1904, German imperial military chief General Lothar von Trotha issued the “notorious” extermination order that led to the systematic wiping out of a quarter of the Ovaherero and Ovambanderu population over the next three years.This year’s anniversary falls on a Monday, so the commemorative ceremony has been brought forward to Sunday.But it could be overshadowed by the conspicuous absence of Government leaders including President Sam Nujoma and Deputy Prime Minister Hendrik Witbooi.The organising committee’s chairperson, Arnold Tjihuiko, revealed yesterday that an invitation had been extended to the President well in advance, but no response was heard until recently when the committee was told the President could not attend due to prior commitments.”The least we expected was for the President to delegate a representative but that did not happen … We also invited Hon.Witbooi, the Chairman of the Council of Traditional Leaders, Chief Elifas Kauluma, and others, but they did not respond,” he said.Preparations for the ceremonies have been mired in controversy right from the start, when two different groups with ostensibly similar objectives started co-ordinating separate commemorative activities.The other group, comprising mostly church leaders, is the National Preparatory Committee for the Commemoration of 1904 (NPCC04).Efforts to bring the two committees within a single fold are not expected to achieve much.The spokesperson of the Ovaherero-Ovambanderu committee, Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro, declared: “We are still negotiating but nothing has been concluded as yet”.While NPCC04 aims to foster reconciliation between the country’s former warring communities, the Ovaherero and Ovambanderu specifically want to focus on General Von Trotha’s extermination order against them.Secretary to the Office of the President Dr Ndeutala Angolo, who confirmed Nujoma’s non-attendance, said State House had responded to the invitation at the time it was received.”We have responded to the invitation at the time we received it … The president will not be attending the event, even the one Windhoek (organised by NPCC04),” she stressed.Angolo said the Head of State was still on a working holiday outside the capital.Witbooi told The Namibian that he would attend the event organised by the NPCC04 as its invitation was the only one he got.He told this reporter last night: “I was down south in Gibeon and I did not receive any invitation for the event in Okahandja”.The Deputy Prime Minister noted that he had been asked to address the audience at the ecumenical service but had still to find out in what capacity he was being invited to speak.Asked whether the committee thought the President’s and other senior Government figures’ silence signified that they were boycotting the commemorations, Tjihuiko replied: “When you invite someone you expect a yes or no answer, but if people simply keep quiet we can make no other conclusion apart from that there was no response”.The genocide will be marked throughout the year by a series of vigils, public meetings and other events staged at historic sites relevant to the campaign.The three main ceremonies are: Sunday’s one at Okahandja; one in August at Ohamakari, at the foot of the Waterberg mountains; and one in October, at Ozombuzovindimba in the Otjinene constituency.Ozombuzovindimba was where Von Trotha is said to have decreed his “brutal” order.Among the scheduled speakers at this weekend’s ceremony are Germany’s and Botswana’s ambassadors to Namibia.The nature of those commitments was not specified. Deputy Prime Minister Hendrik Witbooi has not responded to his invitation, the events’ organisers say, but Witbooi himself says he did not receive that invitation. Hundreds of Ovaherero and Ovambanderu from Namibia and neighbouring Botswana will gather at Okahandja on Sunday to inaugurate the yearlong series of observances. On January 12 1904, German imperial military chief General Lothar von Trotha issued the “notorious” extermination order that led to the systematic wiping out of a quarter of the Ovaherero and Ovambanderu population over the next three years. This year’s anniversary falls on a Monday, so the commemorative ceremony has been brought forward to Sunday. But it could be overshadowed by the conspicuous absence of Government leaders including President Sam Nujoma and Deputy Prime Minister Hendrik Witbooi. The organising committee’s chairperson, Arnold Tjihuiko, revealed yesterday that an invitation had been extended to the President well in advance, but no response was heard until recently when the committee was told the President could not attend due to prior commitments. “The least we expected was for the President to delegate a representative but that did not happen … We also invited Hon. Witbooi, the Chairman of the Council of Traditional Leaders, Chief Elifas Kauluma, and others, but they did not respond,” he said. Preparations for the ceremonies have been mired in controversy right from the start, when two different groups with ostensibly similar objectives started co-ordinating separate commemorative activities. The other group, comprising mostly church leaders, is the National Preparatory Committee for the Commemoration of 1904 (NPCC04). Efforts to bring the two committees within a single fold are not expected to achieve much. The spokesperson of the Ovaherero-Ovambanderu committee, Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro, declared: “We are still negotiating but nothing has been concluded as yet”. While NPCC04 aims to foster reconciliation between the country’s former warring communities, the Ovaherero and Ovambanderu specifically want to focus on General Von Trotha’s extermination order against them. Secretary to the Office of the President Dr Ndeutala Angolo, who confirmed Nujoma’s non-attendance, said State House had responded to the invitation at the time it was received. “We have responded to the invitation at the time we received it … The president will not be attending the event, even the one Windhoek (organised by NPCC04),” she stressed. Angolo said the Head of State was still on a working holiday outside the capital. Witbooi told The Namibian that he would attend the event organised by the NPCC04 as its invitation was the only one he got. He told this reporter last night: “I was down south in Gibeon and I did not receive any invitation for the event in Okahandja”. The Deputy Prime Minister noted that he had been asked to address the audience at the ecumenical service but had still to find out in what capacity he was being invited to speak. Asked whether the committee thought the President’s and other senior Government figures’ silence signified that they were boycotting the commemorations, Tjihuiko replied: “When you invite someone you expect a yes or no answer, but if people simply keep quiet we can make no other conclusion apart from that there was no response”. The genocide will be marked throughout the year by a series of vigils, public meetings and other events staged at historic sites relevant to the campaign. The three main ceremonies are: Sunday’s one at Okahandja; one in August at Ohamakari, at the foot of the Waterberg mountains; and one in October, at Ozombuzovindimba in the Otjinene constituency. Ozombuzovindimba was where Von Trotha is said to have decreed his “brutal” order. Among the scheduled speakers at this weekend’s ceremony are Germany’s and Botswana’s ambassadors to Namibia.