28 May Must Mark a Turning Point: A Call for Inclusive and Transformative Justice
A recent invitation by vice president Lucia Witbooi to certain chiefs and representatives of Affected Communities to meet on 22 April and plan for Genocide Remembrance Day was received with mixed feelings and suspicion by some in the Ovaherero and Nama communities.
The choice of this date, which marks the day General von Trotha issued the extermination order against the Nama people, demonstrated a lack of political and cultural sensitivity toward the Nama nation.
In the Otjozondjupa region, meetings were held at a discreet venue at Otjiwarongo, far removed from many Ovaherero communities directly affected by the genocide.
Reliable sources believe that Otjiwarongo was purportedly chosen for its proximity to Damara chiefs, who have shown a preference for the German-Namibian Joint Declaration.
Such decisions, while perhaps administratively convenient, have led to concern about the transparency and inclusivity of this process.
Not only is the choice of 22 April problematic. The vice president’s recent public remarks emphasising forgiveness and suggesting that Germany will provide additional funds did not resonate well with communities directly affected by the genocide.
MEANINGFUL CONSULTATION
Moreover, the decision to involve the same delegation that has long advocated for the adoption of the widely criticised Joint Declaration has further fuelled suspicion.
There are those who now fear that the government intends to use Genocide Remembrance Day on 28 May as a platform to pressure affected communities into accepting the declaration, rather than fostering genuine dialogue and consensus.
Why were the delegation and meetings planned only for selected regions when 28 May is recognised as a national day of remembrance?
Does this imply that communities in regions such as Omusati, Kavango, Zambezi and Kunene are excluded from observing Genocide Remembrance Day?
Why was the invitation limited to traditional leaders who support the Joint Declaration?
And why were key stakeholders – such as teachers, principals and civil society groups – left out, despite the vice president’s public statement at the Open Society Meeting on 15 April, where she emphasised the urgent need to overhaul the educational curriculum on the genocide?
A lack of meaningful consultation, coupled with a rumoured invitation to German representatives to use 28 May as a platform to give an apology and promote the Joint Declaration, risks becoming a significant missed opportunity for president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.
This moment could have been used to foster unity and build a national consensus with the Ovaherero and Nama communities around their longstanding demands for a sincere apology, formal acknowledgment and reparations. Allowing the German government to appear as a central actor in this deeply sensitive matter – without broad and inclusive domestic engagement – would not only reflect a failure of leadership but also risk deepening divisions among Namibians on an issue that demands national solidarity.
HISTORICAL AND MORAL RECORD
I have long maintained that Germany must first issue an unequivocal apology and formally acknowledge the Ovaherero and Nama genocide in the Bundestag.
Just as other genocides have been officially recognised by the German parliament, so too must ours be cemented in that historical and moral record.
Between 2016 and 2022, the Bundestag has recognised several genocides, including the killing of Sinti and Roma under National Socialism in the 1930s, the mass killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire (1914-15), the Holodomor-Ukraine’s man-made famine of 1932–33 – and Isis’s atrocities against the Yazidi.
And, of course, the Holocaust remains central in Germany’s historical reckoning. We must then ask: Why has the genocide committed against the Ovaherero and Nama people not received the same recognition?
WE NEED A JUSTICE FRAMEWORK
President Nandi-Ndaitwah must use the 28 May occasion as a day of national mourning, education and healing – while issuing a clear and principled call for reparations.
It should be a day that invites all Namibians, regardless of ethnic background, to learn about the genocide and reflect on its enduring impact on contemporary Namibian society.
The president must call for an unconditional and formal apology from the German government, endorsed by the German Bundestag, along with reparations for the loss of land, property, and cattle – calculated at current market value.
A dedicated reparations fund must be established to buy back stolen land and to empower affected communities to engage in meaningful and sustainable economic development.
Notably, the president must commit to engaging in inclusive, multilateral negotiations that meaningfully involve the descendants of the genocide – under the observation of international bodies such as the African Union and the United Nations.
A comprehensive reparatory justice framework must be developed – together with affected communities, international organisations, and other relevant parties – to ensure that Germany pays fair, just and historically appropriate reparations.
The president must stand firm in advocating for reparations – not against them.
It is important to recognise that the current right-wing German government, marked by its anti-immigration stance, has shown little willingness to fully confront or take responsibility for Germany’s colonial atrocities and genocides.
DEVELOPMENTS IN GERMANY
The Namibian government must also take careful note of political developments in Germany, particularly the rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), now the second largest opposition party.
It was recently classified as an extreme right-wing organisation by German domestic intelligence.
Given the AfD’s growing influence, it is increasingly unlikely that the Joint Declaration will gain the necessary support in the Bundestag.
Namibia must, therefore, reassess its strategy, grounded in realism and guided by justice.
Of course, certain groups may choose not to recognise 28 May and may boycott the planned events.
In a diverse and democratic society, such expressions of dissent must be respected.
However, I argue that the Namibian public calendar must be re-examined.
Dates such as 22 April and 2 October – when General von Trotha issued extermination orders against the Ovaherero in 1904 and the Nama in 1905, respectively – should be formally acknowledged on the national calendar, even if they are not yet designated as public holidays.
These dates hold deep historical significance and should be recognised as part of our collective memory and national consciousness.
WE MUST HONOUR OUR HISTORY
The president and the vice president must understand that our call today is for a justice that is not transactional, but transformative – one that transcends political agreements and speaks to the very hearts of those who hear our story.
We call for a justice that acknowledges our open wounds, honours our living memories, and recognises that the soil of our land is still soaked with the tears and blood of those who came before us.
We seek a justice that respects the dignity of our ancestors and paves the way for our children to walk this earth with pride, knowing that their history is honoured, their suffering validated and their future made brighter.
President Nandi-Ndaitwah has the opportunity to demonstrate transformative and inclusive leadership – not only through gender and ethnic considerations, but also by prioritising genuine listening and consensus-building.
Until the Joint Declaration includes a clause ensuring that the agreement will not undermine the rights of the Ovaherero and Nama people to seek reparations and restoration from Germany, it remains morally unacceptable and reprehensible.
Reparations are not about mere projects or handouts.
They are about restoring and repairing communities in proportion to the historical harm inflicted. It is about correcting the lasting consequences of the genocide.
– Jephta Nguherimo is a transnational activist, founder of the Ovaherero People’s Memorial and Reconstruction Foundation, Inc (www.opmrf.org) and a visiting fellow with the Centre for Transformation of Political Violence at Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany.
The post 28 May Must Mark a Turning Point: A Call for Inclusive and Transformative Justice appeared first on The Namibian.
