German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier has acknowledged that it is high time for his country to take full responsibility and tender a formal apology to Namibians for the atrocities committed during the 1904/08 genocide.
Steinmeier made the remarks during president Hage Geingob’s memorial service on Saturday in the capital. Geingob, who died on 4 February at the age of 82, was laid to rest on Sunday at the Heroes’ Acre.
The German head of state on Saturday said his government remains fully committed and ready to take relations between the two countries to new heights and that can only be achieved by addressing the sensitive genocide question.
“In Germany, Geingob will forever be remembered for having the courage to reach out to the German people about the dark abyss of our history. Here in Namibia, he will be remembered for the pivotal role he played in drafting the Namibian constitution and leading this country towards democracy, stability and prosperity. I hope I will be able to return to this country very soon and under different circumstances, because I am convinced that it is high time to tender an apology to the Namibian people,” said Steinmeier. Germany, Steinmeier assured, will not deviate from seeking the path of reconciliation that they embarked upon 10 years ago and in the coming months, progress in that regard will be witnessed in both countries.
“Reconciliation is not about closing the past; it is about taking responsibility for our past and it is a commitment to a better future. It [reconciliation] requires more than just acknowledging the past but demands taking responsibility. My only regret is that our friend, the great president Geingob, will not be there to bring the process he started to an end.
“When I talked to president Geingob late last year, he told me that it was his wish to successfully conclude our joint declaration in order to bring the special relationship between our two countries to a new level. I am here today to say: My country remains committed to his legacy. We are committed to the path of reconciliation.”
This pledge comes after nearly a decade of negotiations between the two countries around the pending genocide negotiations, which in 2021 culminated in a draft joint declaration and a 1.1 billion euros (about N$18 billion) offer for development projects in seven identified regions of the affected communities. The joint declaration was, however, rejected outright by local communities and various political parties, who all deemed it insufficient and an insult.
Steinmeier’s remarks were not kindly received by Sima Luipert, a well-known activist and member of the Nama Traditional Leaders Association. “I find it painful that the German president should use our mourning period to provoke and make us believe that Germany is genuine in its so-called reconciliation process through his speech,” she said.
The Nama Traditional Leaders Association and the Ovaherero Traditional Authority have criticised the ongoing negotiations between Namibia and Germany, especially what they termed a slow pace and unevenness when consulting the broader affected communities.
Together with the Landless People’s Movement (LPM), they are challenging the legality of the joint declaration in the country’s High Court.
“On one hand, we are quite excited to hear that the president of Germany is eager [for] an apology, on the other hand, we are a bit hesitant. We’ve had issues where you have the government of Namibia leaving out relevant stakeholders when it comes to these dialogues,” added LPM’s Lifalaza Simataa, who also questioned what an eventual apology by Germany would look like.
During Saturday’s memorial service, Namibia’s official opposition leader McHenry Venaani told Steinmeier in no uncertain terms: “Our people are expecting to see the Namibian German case of genocide settled.
“We plead to you when you go back, what is on the negotiating table creates a respectable deal on behalf of our people. Create an honourable deal so that we close this chapter.”
The Herero chiefs assembly indicated it will issue an official statement soon.
In the eyes of Namibians, the Herero and Nama genocide was a campaign of ethnic extermination by the German colonial government. It was the first genocide of the 20th century and saw German colonial forces killing an estimated 100 000 Hereros and Namas. The first phase of the genocide was characterised by widespread death from starvation and dehydration, due to the prevention of the Herero from leaving the Namib Desert by German forces.
Once defeated, thousands of Hereros and Namas were imprisoned in concentration camps, where the majority died of diseases, abuse, and exhaustion.
United Nations
In May last year, United Nations special rapporteurs criticised both Namibia and Germany for violating the rights of OvaHerero and Nama by excluding them from talks over reparations for colonial crimes against their ancestors. The UN representatives called on Germany to take full responsibility for all its colonial crimes in Namibia – including mass murder.
In their letter, the rapporteurs said Berlin must acknowledge its responsibility “for the crimes carried out during its era of colonial rule”, adding that the agreement [joint declaration] failed to include any effective reparation measures or the necessary means for reconciliation.
It specifically pointed out that Berlin’s plans for reconstruction and development programmes were insufficient to compensate the victims and their descendants for the “scale of the damage that was done to them”.
The special rapporteurs have concentrated on getting to the bottom of suspected contraventions of international law. They were assigned the roles by the UN human rights council as independent experts.
– ohembapu@nepc.com.na