The 1904 uprising took place in the central highlands where Ovaherero people traditionally lived. Colonizers had seized Herero lands for settlers, provoking conflict. 

 By January 1904, Herero chief Samuel Maharero and Nama leader Hendrik Witbooi led a revolt. They attacked the German garrison at Okahandja on 12 January 1904, killing over 100 settlers and soldiers (The Herero fighters even forbade violence against women and children, but dozens of settlers were still killed. This revolt was a response to years of abuse – land confiscation, cattle theft and racist laws – under German colonial rule. 

After initial clashes, the German empire sent Lieutenant-General Lothar von Trotha to crush the rebellion. In August 1904 his forces defeated the Herero at the Battle of Waterberg. Trotha then sealed off the desert escape routes. In an infamous 1904 proclamation he declared: 

“The Herero are no longer German subjects… I shall spare neither women nor children.” German patrols even poisoned desert waterholes. A few thousand Herero who fled into the Kalahari died of hunger and thirst. Those captured were sent to concentration camps or used as forced labour; most died of disease and brutality. 

In a matter of months, tens of thousands had perished. Historic estimates put the death toll at about 65 000 Herero and 10 000 Nama  – roughly 80% of the Herero and half of the Nama populations. This is widely recognized as the first genocide of the 20th Century

A Legacy of Pain and Memory

The genocide nearly wiped-out entire cultures. Of those who survived, many fled into exile – fewer than 1 000 Herero made it to British Bechuanaland (modern day Botswana) and returned to a homeland scarred by loss. For decades after independence, this tragic chapter was under-emphasized in national history. Yet the wounds remained in families and communities. In recent years Namibians have begun confronting this past openly. Monuments and ceremonies now honour the victims. Since 2014, the Independence Memorial Museum in Windhoek has featured exhibits on the 1904-08 massacres

That year the colonial-era Reiterdenkmal statue was removed and replaced with a new Genocide Memorial. In Swakopmund, a tombstone was erected in the local “African” cemetery to mark the graves of camp victims. Every year in March hundreds participate in a Reparation Walk in Swakopmund, laying wreaths and reading names of the people who were slain. And in 2025 the government finally declared 28 May a national Genocide Remembrance Day – choosing the date when Germany closed its brutal camps in 1907 to “mark the beginning of a national journey of healing”. These public acts of remembrance reflect how deeply the genocide has shaped Namibian identity. Young people today are making it part of the conversation. 

The Marine Memorial in Swakopmund (erected 1908) shows a German soldier standing triumphantly over a fallen warrior. It commemorates the imperial troops who crushed the Herero and Nama uprisings. This statue (and others like it) have become flashpoints for youth activists. In 2016 young Namibians splashed red paint on the Marine Memorial to protest it as a “monument of white supremacy”. 

In Windhoek in 2020, protesters climbed the base of the colonial-era general’s memorial and staged sit-ins, linking Namibia’s struggle to global anti-racism movements. Grassroots activists even planted white wooden crosses inscribed in Otjiherero around the Rider statue (another colonial monument) back in 2008. These bold actions aim to reclaim public memory. 

As scholar Elke Züern observes, debates over Namibia’s colonial monuments “open up opportunities for acknowledgment of the suffering of others and for broader understanding across longstanding divisions”. In other words, questioning these symbols is part of how our nation heals. Young Namibians are insisting that our history include the voices of the Herero and Nama victims, not just the narratives of the colonizers or the post-independence ruling party.

Reconciliation and the Path to Justice

In recent years Germany has begun to face its past. In 2015 Berlin formally recognized the killing of Herero and Nama as genocide. In 2021 the German government issued an official apology and agreed to spend €1.1 billion on projects in affected region. 

But many Namibians consider this insufficient. Herero leaders criticized the package as a “slap in the face,” noting that it was framed as development aid rather than direct reparations. “No self-respecting African will accept such an insult,” Herero paramount chief Vekuii Rukoro told Reuters. A Nama community leader pointed out that Germany’s apology was directed only to the Namibian state, not to the descendants of the victims; as she put it, “This is not about money, it is about the restoration of human dignity”. 

Namibian officials – and particularly young people – are not letting up. Then vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (formerly Namibia’s Deputy Prime Minister) reaffirmed in 2025 that the country will “stand united” as it continues negotiations for “a comprehensive resolution that adequately addresses Namibia’s rightful claim for reparations”. 

Civil society groups, many led by Herero and Nama descendants, continue to demand that Germany acknowledge full responsibility and compensate survivors’ communities. In 2025 Namibia held its first national Genocide Remembrance Day to symbolize this commitment to truth and healing.

We Namibian youth inherit this history and the responsibility to act. There is much we can do:

Learn and remember. Read and share the true history: visit memorials and museums (for example, Windhoek’s Genocide Memorial and Swakopmund’s concentration camp site). Talk with elders and teachers about the events of 1904–08. Understanding the past is the first step toward justice.

Honour the victims

Attend remembrance events. For instance, 28 May is now a national holiday for Genocide Remembrance. Participate in marches or candlelight vigils, lay wreaths, or even plant a cross in your community. These acts of remembrance keep the victims’ stories alive and unite us. 

Use your voice— on social media, in art, or in school projects — to shine a light on this legacy. Namibian youth have already shown the power of collective action: an online petition to remove colonial statues drew over 1,600 signatures in weeks. Encourage friends to learn about this history. When you hear anyone deny or downplay what happened, challenge it with facts and compassion. 

Support ongoing reparations efforts. Encourage our leaders to press Germany for genuine accountability. Remind them, as survivors say, that true reconciliation means restoring dignity – not just handing out funds. When Namibia’s youth unite in this cause, we amplify the call: “Never again” will we allow this chapter of our history to be ignored.

By studying the past and speaking up today, we honour the Herero and Nama people who suffered. Their courage and endurance are part of our story. Our identity as Namibians includes these wounds and healing them means facing them head-on. In doing so, we help build a nation rooted in truth, compassion, and justice – for all of us. Sources: Historical details and quotations above are drawn from scholarly and news accounts of the 1904–08 Herero and Nama genocide

*Kavezemburuka Sieggie Veii Mujoro is fourth generation German descendant.