Namibia is commemorating a historic event with its first national day of commemoration for the victims of the systematic murder of over 70,000 Africans by German colonial forces, which historians refer to as the first genocide of the 20th century.
Often called “Germany’s forgotten genocide,” the crimes occurred decades before the Holocaust in what was then German South West Africa. Due to the establishment of concentration camps and ruthless pseudoscientific experiments, the Herero and Nama peoples suffered extensive torture and perished.
The new national holiday will be observed annually as part of Namibia’s “journey of healing,” which the government says would include a candlelight vigil outside Windhoek’s parliament and a minute’s silence.
It stated It selected May 28th because, in response to international outcry, German authorities declared the closure of the concentration camps on that day in 1907.
Following World War One, rival nations deprived Germany of control over South West Africa, as well as what is now Cameroon, Togo, and other colonial possessions.
Germany did not openly acknowledge the mass killing that occurred between 1904 and 1908 for a long time.
But four years ago it formally recognised that German colonisers had committed the genocide, and offered €1.1bn (£940m; $1.34bn) in development aid to be paid out over 30 years – with no mention of “reparations” or “compensation” in the legal wording.
Namibia declined that offer, calling it “a first step in the right direction” that nonetheless had failed to include the formal apology and “reparations” it was seeking.
A group representing genocide victims’ families was also scathing about the deal offered in 2021, calling it evidence of a “racist mindset on the part of Germany and neo-colonial subservience on the part of Namibia” in a joint statement.
Since then a draft deal has been reached between the two nations that would include a formal apology given by Germany, and which would reportedly increase the overall sum by an extra €50m.
Historians point out the irony of Germany hitherto refusing to pay reparations, because prior to the genocide, Germany itself extracted its own so-called reparations from Ovaherero and Nama people who had fought back against the colonisers.
This was paid in the form of livestock and amounted to 12,000 cows – which is estimated by German-American historian Thomas Craemer to be somewhere between $1.2m and $8.8m in today’s money, and which he argues should be added to the reparations bill.
Those colonial lootings and battles were followed by the genocide, which began in 1904 with an extermination order from a German official named Lothar von Trotha.
The remains of some of those who were killed were then shipped to Germany for now-discredited research to prove the racial superiority of white Europeans. Many of the bones have now been repatriated.
Last year, Namibia criticised Germany after it offered to come to Israel’s defence to stop it answering a case for crimes of genocide in Gaza at the UN’s top court
