Protesters demand reparations

IN PROTEST against the German government’s refusal to officially be part of the handing over of 20 Namibian skulls to be repatriated to Namibia by tomorrow, about 500 Nama and Herero marched along Independence Avenue to the German Embassy on Friday.

“The descendants of those who perished during the Genocide of 1904 of the Herero, Mbanderu and Nama have noted with profound dismay, shock and sadness the demeaning behaviour and reception shown to the official Namibian Government delegation contrary to international diplomatic standards and norms by the Federal German Government”, fumed the Secretary General of the Nama Traditional Leaders Association, Lazarus Kairabeb.

This comes after a junior German government official received the Namibian delegation, the alleged denial of heinous crimes against humanity, the withholding of the names of the dismembered deceased as well as the research findings performed on human remains taken to Germany over 100 years ago.

“This goes to show their (the German’s) total disregard and lack of interest in restoring our dignity and humanity”, added Kairabeb, demanding that the German government treat the Namibian Government and its people as equal members of the human race in resolving the repatriation and restoration of what rightfully belongs to Namibia.

The remains will arrive in Namibia tomorrow and will lie in State at the Parliament Gardens and will then be taken to the Namibian National Museum after a programme for the ‘Requiem of the Martyrs’ is held at the Heroes Acre in Windhoek on Wednesday 5 October.

Meanwhile, Nampa reports that Advocate Vekuii Rukoro appealed to the German government to be transparent by either accepting or not accepting the liability for the consequences of the 1904-1908 genocide.

Rukoro, who is part of the Namibian delegation that has been in Germany since Monday, said this during a podium discussion organised by the German Alliance of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). The podium discussion was held at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin on Wednesday night.

The German government, Rukoro said, must come out and transparently inform its counterpart in Namibia, as well as the OvaHerero and Nama people, whether it is willing or unwilling to compensate the descendants of the victims of the genocide perpetrated against OvaHerero and Nama people during German colonial rule.

Rukoro wanted to know why the German government continues to refuse to compensate the OvaHerero and Nama people for the ‘official genocide’ it perpetrated against their ancestors, while it has done so and continues to do so for the Jews.

“They paid the Jews of Europe for the crime of genocide, and continue to do so. Why can they not do the same for the Namibian people of Africa?” Rukoro asked.

The refusal of the German government to compensate the OvaHerero and Nama people, Rukoro said, is an indication that the German government continues to be as racist as it was during its colonial rule in Namibia.

He also expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that since the arrival of the Namibian delegation in Berlin on Monday, the German government has been distancing itself from the preparations of the planned restitution of the remains of its genocide victims back to Namibia.

Rukoro at the same time criticised the German government for its decision to hand over just 20 skulls, while so many skulls of Namibian victims were reportedly brought to Germany for so-called scientific research.

“This is a Nazi-time attitude. Over 100 years later, are you still conducting the study on the skulls?” Rukoro demanded to know.

Speaking during the same discussion, the OvaHerero people’s Paramount Chief, Kuaima Riruako, charged that the OvaHerero have the right to take the German government to court, even in Berlin, in their quest for reparations.

Riruako told the audience that there are a number of OvaHerero children who are half-Herero and half-German in Namibia, and these are the people who have the right to take the German Government to court to demand compensation.

click to enlarge