IN 2011 with the first repatriation of the 20 human skulls of Namibian victims of the genocidal escapades of Imperial Germany in the then German South West Africa, Deutsch-Südwest Afrika, the name that Namibia was then haughtily arrogated by Imperial Germany and its allies, there was a high expectation.
This expectation was especially high among the affected communities, and the instances that have been at the forefront of getting the government of the Federal Republic of Germany to acknowledge the responsibilities of its forerunner.
One recalls among others, proponents of Reparation such as the Ovaherero Genocide Foundation (OGF), The Nama Technical Committee and the Ovaherero and Ovambanderu Council for Dialogue, OCD-1904.
This year, ten years since the historic centenary commemoration of the Extermination Orders by General Lothar von Trotha, Imperial Germany’s forces’ commander in the latter part of the wars of resistance against Imperial Germany, and who became famous for his near annihilation of the Ovaherero, Ovambanderu and Nama; and 110 years since issuing of the Extermination Orders, and consequent action upon this Orders, this expectation seems anything else except evaporation and dissipation.
But such expectation has since been nothing hopeful but disappointing. And the recent happenings, shrouded in secrecies, manoeuvring akin to gunboat diplomacy around the issue, is a living testimony to the evaporating if not altogether dashed expectation.
In fact many a times the government of the Federal Republic of Germany, through many of its emissaries, has been categorical that Namibians can never expect from it, sooner or later, in the least any acknowledgment of the genocide.
And at best subsequently and consequently expect any Reparation, Restorative Justice or Compensation, however one may describe what is to follow any such acknowledgement by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany of any responsibilities pertaining to the 1896, 1904-1908 atrocities of its forerunner. Name it what you wish but it comes down to the same thing.
Genocide and Reparation that Berlin has been arrogantly and intransigently been attempting to run away from, and at time undiplomatically so.
This hardened attitude by Berlin has as much been manifested and buttressed during the latest repatriation of skulls and human remains.
“Although our generation cannot undo the sins, mistakes or crimes of our forefathers, we do have a shared responsibility in the light of our history for shaping our future. These victims remind us to extend our hands to one another and to treat each other with respect. I, too, bow before these individual, who for long were denied a dignified burial in accordance with the customs of their ethnic groups. And I share your satisfaction that the long journey these remains travelled is now over.” These are the most recent words of none other than former German ambassador to Namibia, Egon Kochanke, now the Director General for Sub-Saharan Africa and the Sahel in the Federal Germany’s Foreign Office. The diplomat was in Windhoek for the return of the second consignment of the skulls. As sweet-sounding as his message may be, one cannot take them on their face value in view of Kochanke’s chequered history in Namibia.
All those who have been observing the Genocide and Reparation issue, know all too well the circumstances surrounding the end of his diplomatic tenure, not to mention his infamous “my government does not maintain special relations with individual ethnic groups” with the return of the first skulls in 2011.
It is strange the predecessors of the very members of these “ethnic groups” now seem ala Kochanke to assume importance now?
This is while the rituals that constitute part of the “dignified burial” that the diplomat is referring to, have been dismissed and caricatured with racial overtones as “misbehaving,” and hence the reason why Namibian traditional leaders this time around could not go to Berlin.
But what is emerging from the recent repatriation and the speeches of the various players, is that despite Kochanke’s pretence masqueraded as hope, at the various players finding one another, they seem no poles apart from one another than now starting only with their common understanding of what happened in 1896, 1904-1908 and whether it is Genocide, and thus warrants Reparation. Thus given these clear pole positions, the imperative and relevant question now is, what now after the return of the skulls? Are the various players, let alone Kochanke and the Honourable Jerry Ekandjo, or the two governments, Namibian and German, actually trying to tell the world that they are on the same wavelength on the way forward after the facade of the return of the skulls, and in the face of the clear pole positions?
Even on the return of the skulls, which these days seem now to have become the centre piece of the issue of Genocide and Reparation, it does not need a genius to decipher that the two governments are at odd with each other but hold together by their bilateral rational. But that both may at odd with the groundswell opinions of the pro-Reconciliation and Pro-Reparation movement, here in Namibia, and in Germany is not deniable.
The debacle surrounding the recent repatriation of the skulls clearly attest to the dichotomy between Namibia and Germany, and between Namibia and her citizens, especially the affected communities, as well Germany and its civil society, especially Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs).
While Kochanke pretends a reproach, even descendants of the victims in Germany, let alone those living in Berlin, were not afforded the opportunity to witness the recent handover of the skulls of their ancestors.
Because they are considered, just like their leaders here in Namibia, the traditional leaders, “trouble makers and misbehavers”.
But what are the lessons to the Namibian traditional leaders, the goodwill Namibian civil society and solidarity groups, including internationalist the worldover in the face of the continued official arrogance and intransigence by Germany? Especially their latest total and blatant disregard and disrespect for the affected Namibian communities in the repatriation of the latest consignment of skulls and human remains?
Simply they cannot continue to pander to the magnanimity, goodwill, humanness, reason of the German government and its allies, and these allies knows themselves. Because officialdom in Berlin does not seem to have any of these! As much the return of the skulls cannot continue to be the focal point of Reparation efforts. The remains that have already been repatriated in 2011, and lately, are enough testimony to the atrociousness of Imperial Germany.
Our traditional leaders and their communities must now with the requisite trepidation change focus towards the real issue, that is getting Germany to acknowledge without further arrogance and intransigence the Genocide inflicted upon their ancestors, and for her to act consequent to such an acknowledgement!
By Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro