Kevin Rukoro Walking through the streets of Windhoek or across the silent, scorched earth of the Omaheke, there is a weight that does not always make it into the history books. It is a quiet, intergenerational ache. For the Namibian youth, specifically the descendants of the Ovaherero and Nama people, the 1904-1908 genocide is not...
As the 28th of May, now officially, that is by government’s proclamation, genocide remembrance day (GRD), approaches, marking the fourth time running that some genocide descendants are and have been commemorating it, and the second time the Namibian government is doing so this year, any bona fide descendant cannot but reflect on happenings on this...
The University of Strasbourg in France is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious, biggest and oldest public research universities in Europe. However, behind the university’s rich history lies a dark, horrifying and haunting story that can be traced back to Namibia. In 2023, the French University of Strasbourg kickstarted the process of identifying...
Former Member of Parliament Usutuaije Maamberua, one of the foremost advocates for the nationalisation of the annual Genocide Remembrance Day, has applauded government for taking the initiative to commemorate this year’s event in almost all parts of the country. Namibia has officially set aside 28 May of each year as the national Genocide Remembrance Day...
Shark Island – Local pastor Karl-Heinz Burger says forgiveness should never come with demands in return. He shared these views when asked by New Era on how Christians should approach the issue of forgiveness regarding the genocide atrocities committed by German colonial forces against the Nama and Ovaherero communities between 1904 and 1908 at Shark...
Sam Kauapirura, one of Namibia’s renowned political analysts and descendant of victims of the 1904-08 genocide, has said the country’s failure to integrate studies on genocide into the national academic curriculum is not only a regrettable oversight but a structural failure with real consequences. Speaking ahead of the annual national Genocide Remembrance Day, Kauapirura stated...
SWAKOPMUND – From his modest home in Matutura on the outskirts of Swakopmund, activist and historian Laidlaw Peringanda has spent years documenting the history of the OvaOvaherero and Nama genocide. Here, in a small extension in front of his house, is a one-room structure that has seen thousands of visitors entering and leaving with new...
Lahja Nashuuta As Namibia marks five years this Thursday since the German government publicly announced the conclusion of a joint declaration with the Namibian government on the OvaOvaherero-Nama genocide, some descendants of genocide victims maintain that the reported agreement cannot bring closure to the long-standing debate because it excluded the genuine participation of the affected...
Heather Erdmann Rehoboth, a name derived from the Hebrew, meaning ‘wide places’ or ‘room to grow’, carries a name that suggests space after struggle. It is a word rooted in the idea of relief after conflict, of finding ground where life can expand again. In central Namibia, that name has long carried more than geography. ...
The Forum of German-speaking Namibians has reaffirmed its full and unwavering commitment and support towards Namibia’s ongoing fight for restorative justice, demand for reparations and a mutually respectful closure to the atrocious events of 1904-08. Speaking to this publication, forum chairperson Harald Hecht said the broader German-Namibian community consider the carnages of 1904-08 as genocide,...