EDITORIAL: Genocide remembrance must unite, not divide

There have been some remarkably ignorant comments, particularly on social media, questioning the wisdom of hosting Genocide Remembrance Day commemorations in places like Eenhana on the basis that Germany’s genocidal campaign did not physically affect communities there.

That thinking is not only misguided - it is dangerous.

Government was correct to decentralise the commemorative events across the country. The genocide committed between 1904 and 1908 may have directly targeted the Ovaherero and Nama communities, but its emotional weight belongs to the entire nation. Namibia cannot approach genocide remembrance with an isolationist mindset, as though pain and injustice should remain confined to the geographic boundaries where they occurred.

There are Namibians in Eenhana, Omuthiya, Katima Mulilo and Utuseb who genuinely empathise with descendants of genocide victims and who fully support the pursuit of restorative justice from Germany.

If anything, remembrance loses meaning when it becomes exclusive. The purpose of commemorating dark chapters in history is not merely to preserve memory, but to cultivate empathy, unity, and collective responsibility among present and future generations.

Namibia, as one people, owes support to those seeking justice and recognition for the horrors of genocide. The country cannot demand unity in moments of celebration and then retreat into tribal or regional silos when confronted with historical pain.

Suffering anywhere in Namibia should concern all Namibians. If a child sleeps hungry in Rundu, those in Opuwo should care. If families in Lüderitz are devastated by unemployment, those in Oshakati should not be indifferent. Humanity must transcend geography. Compassion must defy proximity.

That is why government made the correct decision in decentralising Genocide Remembrance Day activities. It transformed remembrance from a regional affair into a truly national reflection on the darkest chapter in Namibia’s history.

The responsibility to remember belongs to us all.