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3mo ago

Namibia Holds First Genocide Remembrance Day as Herero-Nama Groups Protest

Herero-Nama communities view the choice of May 28 as a unilateral government decision that excludes them from reparations talks with Germany.

Ein Denkmal zur Erinnerung an den von deutschen Kolonialtruppen begangenen Verbrechen an den Herero und Nama (etwas 1904-1907) im Zentrum der namibischen Hauptstadt Windhoek. Die Inschrift laut übersetzt etwa: "Ihr Blut nährt unsere Freiheit"
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Beim ersten nationalen Gedenktag zur Erinnerung an den von deutschen Truppen verübten Völkermord an Herero und Nama hat die Präsidentin Namibias ihre Forderung an Berlin nach Reparationen unterstrichen.

Overview

  • On May 28, Namibia held its inaugural Genocide Remembrance Day to honor victims of the 1904–1908 Herero and Nama genocide.
  • The ceremony in Windhoek’s Parliament Gardens was overshadowed by Herero and Nama groups rejecting the May 28 date and demanding direct involvement in reparations negotiations.
  • President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah used the commemoration to reaffirm her administration’s priority of securing binding reparations over development aid from Germany.
  • Reparations talks with Germany have been ongoing since 2015 but stalled after a 2021 draft agreement offering €1.1 billion in project funding went unratified due to legal recognition and community participation disputes.
  • German Ambassador Thomas Hutter represented Germany at the event as Herero and Nama groups insist on full inclusion in future negotiations and legally binding reparations.