Declare genocide remembrance day
There are loud calls for government to declare a remembrance day in honour of the thousands of Namibians who perished in the German-sanctioned genocide at the turn of the 20th century.
Genocide is defined as the intentional action to destroy a people - usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group - in whole or in part.
It is by sheer luck that the Nama and Ovaherero communities are still existent because the order by Lothar von Trotha was to exterminate the Ovaherero in particular.
To now have these ethnic groups literally begging government to declare a remembrance day, when the atrocities committed are glaring and are by far the darkest episode of human tragedy in our country, is shocking.
When Namibia was coming up with the annual events calendar at the dawn of our independence, genocide should have been the first item jotted down. It’s a no-brainer.
This is not a political matter. It’s not the Namibian government that committed the atrocities, in case the current leaders are afraid they would he held liable. So, what is it then?
The reason why the government is locked in negotiations with modern-day Germany over this genocide issue is because indeed crimes of monumental proportions occurred. Or does the lure of the dollar from Germany in reparations supersede the government’s own moral obligation towards the descendants of the genocide victims?
That we are having this discussion 30 years after gaining self-determination is a shocker!
Genocide is defined as the intentional action to destroy a people - usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group - in whole or in part.
It is by sheer luck that the Nama and Ovaherero communities are still existent because the order by Lothar von Trotha was to exterminate the Ovaherero in particular.
To now have these ethnic groups literally begging government to declare a remembrance day, when the atrocities committed are glaring and are by far the darkest episode of human tragedy in our country, is shocking.
When Namibia was coming up with the annual events calendar at the dawn of our independence, genocide should have been the first item jotted down. It’s a no-brainer.
This is not a political matter. It’s not the Namibian government that committed the atrocities, in case the current leaders are afraid they would he held liable. So, what is it then?
The reason why the government is locked in negotiations with modern-day Germany over this genocide issue is because indeed crimes of monumental proportions occurred. Or does the lure of the dollar from Germany in reparations supersede the government’s own moral obligation towards the descendants of the genocide victims?
That we are having this discussion 30 years after gaining self-determination is a shocker!
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Namibian Sun
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