Namibia hosts its first genocide anniversary to mark mass killings by German colonial rulers
Windhoek, Namibia (AP) – Massive killing of indigenous peoples by former German colonial rulers in the early 20th century was killed by former colonial rulers on Wednesday on Wednesday.
Last year, the government announced the day's national holiday, the first ceremony held in the gardens of the capital Windhoek National Assembly.
Between 1904 and 1908, thousands of Herero and Nama people were massacred or forced into concentration camps and were starved to death by German colonial forces under the command of Lothar von Trotha in Southwestern Africa.
Germany formally acknowledged the violent genocide in 2021 and agreed to pay Namibia 1.1 billion euros (US$1.3 billion) for 30 years to fund various projects. Namibia rejected this and is pushing for more money and formal compensation for the Holocaust.
“Many people from both communities were forced into concentration camps where they starved and their skulls were taken to Germany for what they called scientific research,” Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said at a ceremony on Wednesday. “These terrible behaviors are now part of our collective history of resistance and resilience.”
The killing of men, women and children by Herero and Nama is considered the first genocide of the 20th century. Historians say von Trotha was sent to Southwestern Africa, Germany, to put down the uprising of the people of Hello, and he instructed his troops to destroy the entire tribe. They said that most of Herero people, about 65,000 people, have at least 10,000 NAMAs been killed.
The symbolic candle was lit at the memorial ceremony on Wednesday, with leaders and descendants of Herero and Nama people attending. Namibia chose May 28 as a day to commemorate the genocide, as it was Germany's final order to close concentration camps.
Germany was the colonial ruler of Namibia from 1884 to 1915, when it abandoned its territory to South Africa. Namibia finally gained independence from South Africa in 1990.
Over the years, affected communities in Namibia have called on the government to declare an anniversary in honor of those who died.
Negotiations between Germany and Namibia on finding a suitable settlement for Germany’s role in genocide have been going on for a decade. In 2018, Germany also returned more than a dozen skulls and other human remains, conducted from Namibia for pseudoscience racial experiments. They have been stored in German hospitals, museums and universities for decades.
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