A Plague of Flood

The summer of 1846 brought about violent rushing rain. Thereafter, the Swakop River came down in full force, swallowing 12 cattle herders and 10 cows in its path.

A Plague of Cattle Raiding

The Ovaherero clans raided each other’s cows, and ransacked the ‘ozonganda’ into poverty. Over 12 000 cows were raided in one day, and bartered for guns and ox wagons.

A Plague of Missionaries

The missionaries preached the first gospel in Otjiherero (1844). The scripture was taken from Mathew 28:9. However, those in attendance were the destitute and their children. In fact, the missionaries struggled to come up with a word for ‘sin.’ They mistook the word ‘mukuru’ for ‘muhona’.

A Plague of Black Storks

An army of black storks ambushed Otjikango, the capital city of ‘Herero Land’, and curfewed the cows from drinking at any spring.

A Plague of Traders

The Ovaherero became indebted to the mushrooming sellers, and sold tracts of land around Otjikango. These debts were paid with 4 000 oxen in exchange for tobacco and glass beads.

A Plague of Drought

A brutal drought broke out at Otjikango Otjinene, and wiped out dozens of cattle. Desperate mothers put down their skin and bone children to prevent the slow deaths.

A Plague of Bottled Brandy

The traders trafficked bottled brandy, and methylated many kinfolks into drunkards.

A Plague of Death of the first-borns

The untimely death of the paramount chief-in-waiting, Wilhelm Maharero, stealthily robbed the community of a war prophet before the genocide. Equally, the skirmish at Omatako Mountains pickpocketed Kahitjene, a war disciple.

A Plague of Locusts

1872 brought a swarm of locusts, which nibbled all the wheat and edible leaves around Otjikango Otjinene. Since then, the burning bush disciples abandoned the mud church. Only 12 greenish-white oniony plants survived, representing the 12 ‘otuzo.’

A Plague of cow and sheep diseases

Nearly a dozen sheep succumbed to the ‘Bloed Ziekte’, and the rinderpest wiped four-fifths of the holy cows. Since the diseases were blamed on white magic, the missionaries probingly inoculated the red-berried cows. Strangely, only the unvaccinated cows and sheep outlived the diseases. Henceforth, the natives stopped going to church.

Reference: Rhenish Mission: Dr N. Mossolow 1844-1904

Otuzo – paternal 

Ozonganda – clans 

mukuru – the first man 

muhona – chief 

* This is historical fiction