FOR about three wONE cannot but laud Pope Francis for his recent pronouncements on the genocide of the Armenian people, and especially his categorical stance that these acts of genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire are a crime against humanity.
This is not the space for a debate whether the Armenian’s was the first genocide of the 20th century or not. The fact is that the genocide took place, a fact to which the Turkish government has as yet to awaken just like the government of the Federal Republic of Namibia has to come to terms with the genocide of the Namibian people prior to the genocide of the Armenians, which took place just before the first World War while that of the Namibians took place earlier.
Hence the question whether that of the Armenians can duly be said to be the first genocide of the 20th century. But as said that is immaterial as both genocides took place.
But what is of grave concern is that the Pope is making no reference to the genocide in Namibia, while referring to subsequent genocides like in Cambodia, Rwanda, Burundi and Bosnia. Needless to mention, the genocide in Namibia, of especially Ovaherero, Ovambanderu and Nama, is internationally widely known but perhaps short of widely acknowledged as such. Especially by the German government and its allies. Thus it comes as a surprise that in this age and era, especially since 2004 with the centenary anniversary of the Ovaherero, Ovambanderu and Nama genocide, that Roman Catholic Church, and the Pope, do not seem to know anything about such a historic event of both monumental and calamitous conseuquences.
This while the Roman Catholic Church principals in Namibia must have been in the best know to have kept their international fellows, including the Pope, updated. As a result of numerous acts of wars perpetrated against Namibians, culminating in two said extermination orders, and the near annihilation of a people, a section of them are to this today, figuratively a misplaced people, people with dual nationalities, Namibians as well as Batswanas and South Africans, among others. To this day deprived of their cultural essences and exigencies like languages and other traditional practices. This is what the Pope must have been appraised of by especially our Roman Catholic spiritual leaders in Namibia who owe a duty to the hundreds if not thousands of Ovaherero, Ovambanderu and Nama congregants.
Foremost because the Church has a humanitarian mission in this regard to help, if only morally, their members in their reparation campaign and quest. If not much to only have the victimisation and near annihilation of their forebearers acknowledged locally, regionally, continentally, and internationally, especially by Germamy. In the days of colonialism and apartheid segregation, the Church, including the Roman Catholic denomination, the world over, was a leading voice of the oppressed and voiceless, and a beacon of hope. One cannot but recall in this regard the “prophetic mission” of the Church as per the Road to Damascus: Kairos and Conversion. “We have often been silent instead of denouncing injustice and oppression. Instead of working for justices and liberation [and truth], we have often remained uninvolved,” reads part of the Prophetic Mission. Legacies of colonialism and apartheid, and as much the legacies of the occupation by Imperial Germany of Namibia, remain to this day. The scars of these despicable acts of aggression remain. The healing of these scars partly remains the duty and mission of the Church, including the Roman Catholic denomination.
As much with the ongoing campaign towards reparation spearheaded by especially the Ovaherero, Ovambanderu and Nama, and their traditional leaders, one would have liked to see the ecumenical community vociferously adding their voice like they did in the days of the struggle against colonialism and apartheid. Because the lessons one can learn from the supposed lack of awareness by Pope Francis about the Namibian genocide, is no more than a factor of the Idolatory of Church to the status quo, including the avowed bilateral relations between nation states.