Pressure mounts for reparations

THE debate on reparations in the Namibian Parliament has increased pressure on the German government to start the dialogue on this burning issue.

This view was expressed by Hueseyin Aydin of the Left Party at the end of a two-day workshop on colonial crimes at the weekend in the German capital Berlin. Aydin, who was the first German politician to address the annual Herero Day commemoration at Okahandja – marked on August 26 – announced a motion that he will introduce to the German federal parliament later this year.In this way he hopes to spark off a new debate about the German genocide against the Herero and Nama people not only in parliament, but also among the German public.Aydin said the issue of colonial crime was predominantly an issue for the left, since the conservatives and liberals were less interested in it.The German MP said recent developments in Namibia favoured a solution of the reparations issue.These were: the Hereros were no longer divided on the issue; the Namibian Government was committed to deal with the genocide; and Herero leaders had agreed that any cash payment was out of question: the focus will be on sustainable development in those communities which were most affected by the genocide.In his presentation, the director of the Nordic Africa Institute in Sweden, Henning Melber, said that public consciousness in Germany had not been “sufficiently de-colonised”.As an example, he referred to a recent series on colonialism on German television.One of the two invited guests from Namibia, Nudo MP Arnold Tjihuiko, slammed the German government’s ‘Special Initiative’ for Namibia (N$160 million over 10 years) and its attitude in general.He said the German leadership “would like us to forget the genocide, they think their aid to the Namibian Government is sufficient and we should be satisfied with it”.This was unacceptable.Tjihuiko quoted former German Ambassador Wolfgang Massing as saying on January 11 2004 that General von Trotha had not only been determined to defeat the Herero people militarily but had also been determined to destroy their identity.Massing added: “The Ovaherero and Germany should together remember this appalling event and talk about it in an open and constructive dialogue.”Tjihuiko said the Herero were now asking Germany “to do just that”.Rudolf Hongoze of the secretariat of the six Herero royal houses underlined the demand for reparations and getting a dialogue going.He described the German offer of N$160 million for the Special Initiative as “peanuts”.German MP Aydin suggested that the workshop, with some 50 participants from various organisations of German civil society, should be followed next year by another conference on this issue.The workshop in Berlin was convened by the Left Party and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.* Henning Hintze is a freelance contributor.Aydin, who was the first German politician to address the annual Herero Day commemoration at Okahandja – marked on August 26 – announced a motion that he will introduce to the German federal parliament later this year.In this way he hopes to spark off a new debate about the German genocide against the Herero and Nama people not only in parliament, but also among the German public.Aydin said the issue of colonial crime was predominantly an issue for the left, since the conservatives and liberals were less interested in it.The German MP said recent developments in Namibia favoured a solution of the reparations issue.These were: the Hereros were no longer divided on the issue; the Namibian Government was committed to deal with the genocide; and Herero leaders had agreed that any cash payment was out of question: the focus will be on sustainable development in those communities which were most affected by the genocide.In his presentation, the director of the Nordic Africa Institute in Sweden, Henning Melber, said that public consciousness in Germany had not been “sufficiently de-colonised”.As an example, he referred to a recent series on colonialism on German television.One of the two invited guests from Namibia, Nudo MP Arnold Tjihuiko, slammed the German government’s ‘Special Initiative’ for Namibia (N$160 million over 10 years) and its attitude in general.He said the German leadership “would like us to forget the genocide, they think their aid to the Namibian Government is sufficient and we should be satisfied with it”.This was unacceptable.Tjihuiko quoted former German Ambassador Wolfgang Massing as saying on January 11 2004 that General von Trotha had not only been determined to defeat the Herero people militarily but had also been determined to destroy their identity.Massing added: “The Ovaherero and Germany should together remember this appalling event and talk about it in an open and constructive dialogue.”Tjihuiko said the Herero were now asking Germany “to do just that”.Rudolf Hongoze of the secretariat of the six Herero royal houses underlined the demand for reparations and getting a dialogue going.He described the German offer of N$160 million for the Special Initiative as “peanuts”.German MP Aydin suggested that the workshop, with some 50 participants from various organisations of German civil society, should be followed next year by another conference on this issue.The workshop in Berlin was convened by the Left Party and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.* Henning Hintze is a freelance contributor.