Revisiting the brutal past

THE silence that greeted the 1904 genocide must be replaced by a global clamour, and a willingness to call what happened by its true name, speakers said at the start of a four-day conference this week to mark Germany’s three-year campaign to crush uprisings in Namibia 100 years ago.

Despite being recognised by historians as the first genocide of the 20th century, the near-extermination of Namibia’s Herero and Nama people between 1904 and 1907 is largely forgotten – eclipsed by a bloody century of industrial-scale war and the former colonial powers to revisit the brutal past. “There has never been an occasion like this, where the war and its consequences could be debated in an environment conducive to mutual understanding, transparency and a need for truthful investigation,” said Basic Education and Culture Minister, John Mutorwa, when he opened the conference at the University of Namibia on Tuesday.”We do believe that admission of past wrongdoings represents the first step towards a process of healing that is so essential in any society suffering from gross human rights abuses in the past.”Germany’s Ambassador to Namibia, Wolfgang Massing, lamented the lack of adequate information and documentation on the events of 1904, when his country ruled over what is now Namibia.”There are even documents which have been not yet made available to the public, like for example the diary of the General von Trotha which is gathering dust in the archives of his family,” he bemoaned.The diplomat stated that another fundamental problem when dealing with the 1904 war was that discussions and publications on the matter had mainly been among historians from western countries.”For the descendants of the victims it is very important that their own experiences and perceptions of the events are being dealt with,” Massing pointed out.The conference, titled: ‘Decontaminating the Namibian Past’, has attracted a number of local and international academics and historians.It comes against the backdrop of a momentous commemoration of the Battle of Hamakari at the weekend, when Germany’s Minister of Economic Co-operation and Development, Heidermarie Wieczorek-Zeul, apologised for the 1904 genocide.Meanwhile, Bishop Zephania Kameeta of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN) said in a statement yesterday that Germany’s plea for forgiveness had set a new tone for Namibian-German relationship.He called on the former colonial power to extend similar apologies to all Namibians, such as the Nama, Damara and the San people, who also suffered under its rule.”It is time for Germany to reach out a hand of friendship for reconciliation, reconstruction, development, and peace to the people of Namibia,” the Bishop said.”There has never been an occasion like this, where the war and its consequences could be debated in an environment conducive to mutual understanding, transparency and a need for truthful investigation,” said Basic Education and Culture Minister, John Mutorwa, when he opened the conference at the University of Namibia on Tuesday.”We do believe that admission of past wrongdoings represents the first step towards a process of healing that is so essential in any society suffering from gross human rights abuses in the past.”Germany’s Ambassador to Namibia, Wolfgang Massing, lamented the lack of adequate information and documentation on the events of 1904, when his country ruled over what is now Namibia.”There are even documents which have been not yet made available to the public, like for example the diary of the General von Trotha which is gathering dust in the archives of his family,” he bemoaned.The diplomat stated that another fundamental problem when dealing with the 1904 war was that discussions and publications on the matter had mainly been among historians from western countries.”For the descendants of the victims it is very important that their own experiences and perceptions of the events are being dealt with,” Massing pointed out.The conference, titled: ‘Decontaminating the Namibian Past’, has attracted a number of local and international academics and historians.It comes against the backdrop of a momentous commemoration of the Battle of Hamakari at the weekend, when Germany’s Minister of Economic Co-operation and Development, Heidermarie Wieczorek-Zeul, apologised for the 1904 genocide.Meanwhile, Bishop Zephania Kameeta of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN) said in a statement yesterday that Germany’s plea for forgiveness had set a new tone for Namibian-German relationship.He called on the former colonial power to extend similar apologies to all Namibians, such as the Nama, Damara and the San people, who also suffered under its rule.”It is time for Germany to reach out a hand of friendship for reconciliation, reconstruction, development, and peace to the people of Namibia,” the Bishop said.