By Dr Ngarikutuke Tjiriange
I WAS shocked to read an article on the front page of the Namibian Sun entitled, “Local Germans ride to Reiterdenkmal’s defence.” It is true that we have a policy of national reconciliation in place in our country, nobody can deny that. But the policy of national reconciliation should not be taken too far and misunderstood. The mere fact that we have introduced that policy does not mean that we the black people of this country should not correct the wrongs of the colonial legacy. Through the policy of national reconciliation we have forgiven but we did not forget what happened to us during the terrible colonial rule of our country. We were killed, massacred and exterminated by the Germans who are today being glorified with monuments for apparently having killed “useless black people”. Someone even had the audacity to say the statue belongs to everybody, black people included.
While the statue reminds the Germans of their self-praise, admiration and approval of what their ancestors did to the black people of this country, it reminds black people of the barbaric treatment and massacre of our ancestors by German settlers.
The policy of national reconciliation which the black people of this country introduced after the end of the long, protracted, inhuman and barbaric treatment and killings to which they were subjected by successive colonial settlers was and is, indeed, an act of admirable political maturity from the side of black people. It is a move that must be understood – that embattled, oppressed but struggling Namibian people introduced to bring everlasting peace to their country. But it does not by any way mean that the country should not correct the injustices of the past colonial set-up which was imposed on them. If need be those things which are still resembling colonial oppression and which are reminding and bringing bad memories in the minds of the formerly oppressed but struggling people of the country must and should slowly but surely be gotten rid of. Maybe to be put in museums. They are many and some are economical, while others are political or historical.
The economical ones
Suffice to mention just one, that is land. The land for which, among others, people fought for is still in the hands and ownership of the minority of people, particularly those who were empowered by the former colonial dispensation. One cannot say because there is a policy of national reconciliation in place the State should not correct the colonial legacy whereby the most productive land is still under the ownership of formerly advantaged white people. Something has to be done to solve this problem and correct the wrongs of the colonial era.
Political ones
Under this one suffice to mention the lingering perception that black people are from the former so-called native reserves and it is their original place of abode. Nothing can be further from the truth since the people of this country occupied the areas that were given by the colonial regime to whites in this country. The black people therefore can settle wherever they want in this country. No one can stop the government from implementing that constitutional right of the people.
Historical ones
Under this one the government reserves the right to correct the historical wrongs of colonial rule. This includes but is not limited to removing any artifacts which were created by the notorious colonial occupiers to glorify colonialism in whatever manner and its continued existence can just irritate and remind the formerly oppressed people of the inhuman and terrible colonial times and hellish conditions of life which were imposed on them.
The words that are written on the statue which is being defended by some of our German speaking citizens are offensive to the black people of this land. Firstly, the German warriors on that statue are glorified and praised for having massacred the people of this land. Secondly, the offensive word to our Nama people i.e. “Hottentots” is used on that statue.
Thirdly, it is written in a typical colonial way that “German citizens” became victims of the “tribal peoples.” German colonialists refer to the Namibian black people as so-called primitive and uncivilized peoples and the use of the word “tribe” here is derogatory. They don’t regard themselves as tribes but as nations and peoples while they refer to us as tribes. The word “tribal people” which is used on that statue is problematic and derogatory.
Finally, there are more questions than answers that we the black people of Namibia would try to get answers to from some of these German-speaking countrymen who raised the issue of this statue. Among them:
Adolf Hitler was responsible for the Second World War during which thousands of white people died in Europe in countries occupied by Nazi Germany. In which country in Europe is there a statue glorifying Hitler for what he did in Europe?
In Germany there is a statue of Bismark but I never saw a statue of Hitler in Germany. Is it because Bismark was responsible for killing “useless uncivilized black people” therefore he must be glorified but Hitler because he killed basically whites he cannot be bestowed that honour?
Until today Nazi murderers are being hunted all over the world where they had escaped. They are being captured and brought before the courts of law for the crimes they committed during the Second World War. On the other hand those who massacred and exterminated Namibians are being glorified with statues. Is it because the people they killed were not whites and that is permissible and in order?
Hitler who killed many whites in Europe does not have even a small street named after him in any European country but Bismark who was responsible for killing thousands of black people of this country has a mountain and a river named after him in Namibia. Is it because it was in order to kill people of this country, hence the glorification of his name?
One of the results of the Second World War was the division of Germany into West Germany and East Germany. There was a wall between the two Germanys. Today the legacy of that war was reversed, Germany was unified and the wall destroyed. If we are not supposed to remove colonial artifacts why was the wall
between West germany and East Germany removed? We are told the statue under discussion is historical, but was the wall not historical? There are many questions and I just wonder whether German-speaking Namibians asked themselves some of these questions.
Let me end by saying that the German-speaking compatriots may as well ask themselves what happened to and where is the Swastika which was used by Nazi Germany as an emblem? Was it wrong for Germans to remove the annoying Nazi emblem?
I would like to see a statue of Hendrik Witbooi or Samuel Maharero in Berlin, let alone a street named after Nehale Lya Mpingana in that town. In conclusion, let us take into consideration that there are in this country many graves of Schutztruppe which are being well taken care of but there is not even a single grave of a person who was killed by Germans and buried by German killers. On the contrary there are skulls of our ancestors which are kept in Germany as souvenirs. Let the German speaking Namibians be sensitive to the feelings of the victims of their ancestors.
• Dr Ngarikutuke Tjiriange is the Special Advisor to the Minister of Home Affairs.