TODAY our brothers and sisters in South Africa observe National Heritage Day, with our own kinsmen and women of Namibian descent there joining in. While Namibians, Botswana Namibians and South African Namibians are similarly converging in the Botswana village of Omauaneno in the Tsabong district for a cultural re-union.
But aside from such a gathering being seen as purely a cultural reunion, in many aspects and respects, it has another symbolic meaning especially to the Ovaherero, Ovambanderu and Nama who are retracing their long lost kinsmen and women, scattered all over in Botswana and South Africa, where today most of them have been born and today have only distant memorable historic ties with Namibia that is supposed to be the country of their birth and origin, had their forebearers not been banished to these countries by the 1896, 1904-1908 genocidal wars unleased against them by Imperial Germany.
The event also offers them an opportunity to share with their brethren and sisters from Namibia not only the little cultural vestiges they may still possess, but more importantly they will be able to reflect on their common histories, which sad and gruesome as they may be, given the fact that they were almost wiped off the face of this earth – but is also source of pride given their valiant resistance against the foreign occupation of their mother- and fatherland, and to foreign domination in general.
As much as they were vanquished in these wars, their resistance nevertheless laid the foundation for the latter day war of liberation, which ultimately, led to Namibian independence and freedom on March 21, 1990.
That is why such a gathering is of much more meaning and essence than it may seem. Its cultural essence cannot be downplayed in view of the fact that few of these people today have languages they can call their own, Otjiherero and Nama.
Theirs is a sense of no belonging, and a sense of being homeless, having been born literally in exile but they now have an opportunity to assume some semblance of identity by being reunited with their roots. This not only on its face value but having witnessed some emotional scenes last year when the late Paramount Chief of the Ovaherero, Dr Kuaima Riruako, visited South African Namibians in the village of Tlakameng in the Western Province last year.
“Now that I have seen a chief that I can call my own, I will go to heaven when I die today,” said Reverend Hambira, a Botswana Namibian on the occasion to amplify his sense of actual homelessness and traditional leaderlessness, and not to mention being face-to-face with his leader.
As much it is an opportunity to reflect on their common history and map out a common vision how to ameliorate the effect of their displacement, and its attendant lost of identity and culture.
And this is where the successive governments of the Federal Republic of Germany in this regard are called upon to live to the letter and spirit of its avowed historic responsibility, especially towards those who have been directly affected by Imperial Germany’s colonial doings, particularly the not so palatable and happy escapades, part thereof which nearly led to the near annihilation of the Ovaherero and Nama, some of whom to this day find themselves scattered over the globe.
Not to mention, heaven knows, how many children there may be in Germany itself born of German and Namibian parents whose own identify remains undefined.
While Germany has apparently been cognisant of its historic and moral responsibility towards Namibia, it has often been overlooking the fact that those who have been directly affected by its past excesses in Namibia, are not only confined to Namibia.
But Germany has as yet to act true and consequent to its avowed historical and moral responsibility, and towards all affected Namibians and those of Namibian descent, wherever they may find themselves, within or beyond Namibian borders.
“I am aware of the long shadows, the suffering and injustice, which darken people’s souls. I am aware that suffering has to be mourned and that injustice calls for atonement. We must therefore continue to deal honestly with the past – we should not ignore or gloss over anything and we should give recognition to the victims. However, I am also aware that wounds cannot heal if rancour and resentment prevent reconciliation with the new reality and deny people a future.” These were the exact words of German President, Joachim Gauck, during the 75th commemoration of World War II in Poland earlier this month.
As Namibian victims of German Genocide, many in Namibia must surely be craving and crying for the day when a notable German citizen would utter similar or close to similar words to them.
But a few weeks after this reconciliatory tone of the German President, which one cannot but hope and dream are to be extended to Namibians soon, the German Ambassador in Windhoek, Onno Hückmann, seems to continue to toe the usual intransigent and insensitive line, oblivious to the continuing “darkened souls” in Namibia and beyond, victims of colonial Germany’s excesses.
Thus as the direct descendants of the victims of colonial Germany’s excesses are today and tomorrow reuniting in the village of Omauaneno, literally meaning unity, they cannot but also reflect on this continued intransigence, indifference and chicaneries of Berlin. Such continued intransigence obviously not only calls for resoluteness towards but one vociferous voice, directed towards what one would hope would be a reconciliatory ear of the German President.
Such a listening ear should not be towards the descendants of the victims in Namibia only but all the Ovaherero, Ovambanderu and Nama wherever they may find themselves today.