EDITORIAL: Genocide remembrance day long overdue
After 34 years, government has finally declared a remembrance day in honour of the thousands of Namibians who perished in the German-sanctioned genocide at the turn of the 20th century.
Genocide is defined as the intentional action to destroy a people - usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial or religious group - in whole or in part.
It is by sheer grace that the Nama and Ovaherero communities still exist today because the order by Lothar von Trotha was actually to exterminate them.
To have these ethnic groups literally begging government – for 34 years - to declare a remembrance day, when the atrocities committed are glaring and are by far the darkest episode of human tragedy in our country, was shocking.
When Namibia was coming up with the annual events calendar at the dawn of our independence, genocide should have been the first item jotted down. It’s a no-brainer.
This is not a political matter. It’s not the Namibian government that committed the atrocities, in case the current leaders are afraid they would be held liable. So, what is it, then?
What has been comical is government pursuing Germany to pay reparations for the genocide – yet there’s no day set aside to remember the events for which reparations are being demanded.
Or does the lure of euros from Germany supersede government’s own moral obligation towards the descendants of genocide victims? Congratulations, I guess!
Genocide is defined as the intentional action to destroy a people - usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial or religious group - in whole or in part.
It is by sheer grace that the Nama and Ovaherero communities still exist today because the order by Lothar von Trotha was actually to exterminate them.
To have these ethnic groups literally begging government – for 34 years - to declare a remembrance day, when the atrocities committed are glaring and are by far the darkest episode of human tragedy in our country, was shocking.
When Namibia was coming up with the annual events calendar at the dawn of our independence, genocide should have been the first item jotted down. It’s a no-brainer.
This is not a political matter. It’s not the Namibian government that committed the atrocities, in case the current leaders are afraid they would be held liable. So, what is it, then?
What has been comical is government pursuing Germany to pay reparations for the genocide – yet there’s no day set aside to remember the events for which reparations are being demanded.
Or does the lure of euros from Germany supersede government’s own moral obligation towards the descendants of genocide victims? Congratulations, I guess!
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Namibian Sun
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