By Sam Kauapirura June 13, 2007 marked the introduction of a motion in the German Parliament (Bundestag), dubbed: “Acknowledgement of and Reparations for German Colonial Crimes in the former South-West Africa”. The motion was introduced by the Left Party, after close consultations with the Paramount Chief of the Ovaherero people. During the brief debate in the German Parliament which culminated in the motion being referred to a host of Parliamentary Committees, a number of probing contributions had been made which I, being a descendant of the Ovaherero people, simply cannot afford to ignore lest I won’t be able to forgive myself and proudly look my children in their eyes one day. In this opinion piece, I shall address my view and emotions, entirely in my private capacity, and indeed on my own behalf. In 2004, the German Bundestag passed a motion on Germany’s historic responsibility towards Namibia. The motion conveniently avoided any clarification with regard to the historic facts which led to the passing of the motion. It further denies the genocide carried out in tandem existence of an order of extermination, issued by General Lothar von Trotha on October 2, 1904 at Ozombuzovindimba, Otjinene Constituency, in Omaheke Region. The 2004 motion, which Germany regards s an initiative towards so-called reconciliation is simply an affront towards the victims of German colonialism in Namibia. As a descendant of the Ovaherero people who have been exclusively singled out in a state-sponsored extermination order to be wiped off the face of the earth, I do not see how that should reconcile me to Germans. Then, to add insult to injury, a number of Honourable Members from the Bundestag made an interesting assertion. They all, in one accord, referred to the generous German aid package to Namibia, and their minds see that as their reparation, or a considerable part of it. Anke Eymer, one of the Members, made reference to a visit by our President to Germany in 2005 when he praised the excellent special relations between the two countries. Anke Eymer went on to say during their discussions with our President, that the question of the Herero demand for reparations was raised, and it was agreed that the best course of action would be to strengthen bilateral and development cooperation. Now, personally, I have a great deal of respect for His Excellency President Pohamba. I appreciate his leadership generally and wish him good health and wisdom. However, I should caution that, should generous German aid to Namibia be premised on our government ensuring that the Herero reparation demand is torpedoed , then our government has a lot of explaining to do to the Hereros and Namas as nationals of this country. If Germany and Namibia, at bilateral level, have a passion for each other, so let it be. But if this passion is a subtle vehicle to officially suppress the just demand for reparation from the affected groups, it cannot be fair, and makes us ask ourselves probing questions. In 1989, the Bundestag passed another resolution in which the Federal Government, “due to its special responsibility for Namibia”, resolved to showcase German aid to Namibia as a model for development aid. In my opinion, there could be a number of reasons attached to this special responsibility to Namibia. 1. There are thousands of colonial Germany’s descendants living in Namibia, owning a very big chunk of land disposed of from – most notably – the Hereros. 2. An estimated 80% of Hereros were annihilated by the notorious extermination order against the Hereros. Their land was confiscated, their livestocks taken, and others were driven into the Kalahari Desert to die of thirst and starvation. 3. As Europe’s largest economy, Germany may opt to lean on its development assistance to Namibia as reason not to be reminded by its fellow EU states when the demand for reparation heats up. 4. Germany, in general, has committed untold atrocities around the world, and is thus not comfortable entertaining a noisy demand for reparation from the Hereros. This will obviously add to their current bill for paying Jews, Poles, Russians, and perhaps others. 5. And finally, sadly, though, Germany may have strategically elected to intoxicate our government with bilateral and development assistance as an antidote against paying reparations. So, when Germany vaguely talks about special relations with Namibia, it is grossly misleading and insulting to descendants of its colonial atrocities in this country. The Germans seem to be finding magic in the word ‘special’ when dealing with Namibia. They have been inventing all kinds of ‘special’ initiatives and ‘special’ this and ‘special’ that. The message of the Herero to the Germans is pretty simple and un-complicated: We are simply not interested in being treated in a ‘special’ way; all we want from you is the prompt payment of fair and just reparations for your sins against our ancestors. Period! During the debate in the Bundestag, the Germans also referred to the 650ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ million Euros they have given to Namibia since our independence. Now I am no expert in development and bilateral issues but, honestly, it beats me how enlightened German Parliamentarians fall back on DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE, given on their own accord freely and without duress, when the issue at hand is about a demand for reparations. Another disheartening factor is the natural attitude and conduct of Namibian Germans, a direct offshoot of the dark German history in Namibia. Being the beneficiaries of land and other assets confiscated from the Herero and other groups at gunpoint, this section of Namibian society is playing the acute role of babysitting the German government mentality by not taking their atrocities in Namibia seriously. In the Allgemeine Zeitung of December 2, 2005, the following was written: “In the framework of the overall German-Namibian relationship it is perfectly clear that the Federal Government does not engage in negotiations on an exclusively ethnic level. The one-sided realization of special requests and closed ethnically defined benefits, no matter their nature, would have to be a burden on the German-Namibian relationship.” I need to be advised of a higher level of disregard – on account of expediency – than this assertion. The bulk of German-owned farms in Namibia still carry Otjiherero names to this day. If this is not a stark reminder of the socio-economic brutality and dispossession that faced the Herero during the reign of the genocide, I am left with no other option than to think that German Namibians (or the bulk of them) are perhaps still perpetuating the obvious aftermath of that bloody extermination order: the total extinction of the Herero, this time economically. Isn’t it morally worrying to these countrymen and women to still be the unhindered beneficiaries of the spoils of a war designed to decimate the Herero for their very assets the Germans are now enjoying? I guess secretly, their Government assures them of its unconditional support and protection, of course, at the expense of those who suffered German atrocities and economic slaughter. It reminds me how the European Union made a hasty announcement a while ago, pledging hundreds of millions of Euros to Namibia when our government was sharpening its rhetoric on land reform in Namibia. Germany is, of course, the EU’s richest nation, and their descendants are sitting on the land that might have to be expropriated. It is certainly a misjudgment on the part of the German and Namibian governments and German Namibians to assume that continued inhibition of the Herero’s justified demand for reparation, in its narrow legal meaning will dilute, discourage or evaporate his cause. No amount of national reconciliation, stability, peace, harmony or political muscle will ever erase the fact that the Herero has been targeted for extermination as a tribe, an extermination which was successfully executed and which forever adversely affected the Herero. The damage caused by the genocide is real to the Herero. Around 50% of Herero folk music is about the trauma of this cruel war. Ancestors are scattered in graves across the country; there is a general feeling of defeat and despair among the Herero in all age groups, the extent of Germanized Herero’s genetically and in appearance is appalling. A good percentage of Otjiherero is German. Our land is gone, and we can go on and on. To many non-Otjiherero Namibians, the Red Flag proceedings and activities, popularly known for its annual gathering at Okahandja in August, may appear like another traditional event. The truth is, in soul and in spirit the Herero is still a victim of the war. The proceedings symbolize the bullets, executions, rapes, mass graves, starvations, thirst, in one word – untold suffering endured by the Herero because of the genocide. What you see during those proceedings are commando units receiving reports of mass killings of their own flesh and blood. In the mind of the Herero, the war still rages, he’s still being pursued to be exterminated. He has to fight for his soul, dignity, identity and survival. When the Germans persistently employ an attitude reminiscent of the letter and spirit of the extermination order toward the Herero, it reinforces the trauma and aftershock within the Herero establishment, and compels him to fight for his soul. His history and heritage is either ignored or twisted to alter its national character. In areas where the battles took place, common people to tis day come across the remains of our ancestors butchered in the war. There are regular events to keep the flame between national Hereros and those in the Diaspora. The damage to the Herero is material and substantial. How could the Herero thus be expected to simply walk away from his damage in the name of whatever justification is being advanced? Those who rest their hopes on the fact that today, as a direct result of the genocide the Hereros are only 7% of the population and can therefore not put up a meaningful fight for reparation, obviously have their analysis wrong. The resilience of the Herero ensured his survival from the genocide and will continue to be his best weapon in his arsenal of capabilities for demanding what is justifiably his. The Herero knows what belongs to him; he also knows how it can be legally re-claimed. For the past 40 years or so, we have been talking and demanding what’s ours. We shall continue to engage and advocate our cause, our struggle. In the process, it’s getting clear who’s not on our side. We shall stand poised until the last drop of our blood is drained, then perhaps the Germans and their cronies can throw a party for having lived out the extermination order.