After a close observation at Namibia’s political landscape, one can promptly affirm that peace is indeed maintained by the people not governments. The Namibian nation has endured unceasing abuse by its government for decades particularly, the victims of the 1904-1908 genocide.
These communities have undergone two vicious regimes battling at the forefront and lost not only thousands of lives but their possessions including the most vital of all, their land. More than a hundred years later, the reality of the 1904-1908 genocide is still felt acutely among these communities, who, of many still live in miserable poverty and have no place to call their own.
The areas inhabited by the victims till to date are part of the least developed and there still no day on the national calendar that commemorates this historical event.
Efforts to repatriate the geographically dislocated subsequent to this historic horror, or restoring the dignity of the current citizens with the land at their disposal is not priority to the Namibian government, but took upon itself to represent the affected communities in an apparent ongoing negotiations.
Various efforts were made by the affected communities to restore their livelihoods. The fight against a superpower by two minority ethnicities who don’t have the support of their government is an impediment that will prolong the affected communities from these reparations.
The government has been shockingly apathetic towards the genocide course, but the potential monetary reparations. The current kleptocratic rulership has made it their objective to sabotage the reparations course with a malicious intent of becoming the primary beneficiary.
The genocidal reparations are nothing but a reinvigoration of the economy that they reduced to a soon to be declared junk. A document was leaked in late July about a plan formulated by the Namibian government to benefit 80% from the reparations and 20% to be compensated to the affected communities which the German government blatantly repudiated. Since Namibia’s independence, Germany has been according a development aid to Namibian whose development projects seem invincible.
In addition, the report on the apparent ongoing negotiations between the two governments, stating a debate will deliberate a change in philology, from “Reparations” to “Reconciliation and Reconstruction”. This is disheartening and vexing to the affected communities.
Concealing the sins of their German masters seems to be more important to the Namibian government than affirmative action to the people it ought to protect.
The trivialization of the genocide issue by the Namibian government pains the affected communities. Thus opinions lurking around signifying that the genocide course should be left to the Namibian government are absurd and perplexing.
The greed-galvanized regime tent to forget that their position should remain as mediators and the affected communities and their representatives ought to directly negotiate with the German government.
Despite the ongoing efforts in the American courts by the affected communities, it is clear that they have no intentions of working the Namibian government.
Despite the loss, the affected communities tend not to revolt against the Namibian government and continue to live in a negative peace amongst their fellow Namibians are clearly oppressed by a cabal of oldsters that cling to power behind the throne.
The daily influx of reports by papers on the vanishing millions has triggered restlessness in Namibians and we do not know how long the apparent peace that the Swapo regime brags about will last.
In a nutshell, we ought not to be drawn to a point of comparing the pain and loss caused by imperialism.
Trivializing the one and exalting the other could only result in animosity amongst Namibia. Our diversity should birth a cohesive approach and trigger solidarity. If handled inappropriately, history might repeat itself.