Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro
7 October 2008
Windhoek — The reparation movement converges on Ozombu Zovindimba at the end of this month with only one specific intent - to redirect and up the campaign in the face of the German Federal Government's intransigence to listen, let alone discuss the genocide of the Namibian people by German Imperial Forces 104 years ago and the issue of reparation.
The Chairperson of the Ovaherero Genocide Committee (OGC), Utjiua Muinjangue, says the reparation campaign needs redirection and that is why it shall seek the guidance of the affected communities in this regard. One such community is the Ovaherero community.
The community converged on Ozombu Zovindimba at the end of this month to commemorate 104 years since the issue of the infamous Extermination Order against the Ovaherero by the then German Imperial Forces' commander in Namibia on October 2 1904.
The order was issued at Ozombu Zovindimba in rural Otjinene constituency on a heap mountain that also served as the German Imperial Force's observation post.
Thursday October 2 once again did not go unnoticed this year as it has become tradition since 2004 when the country commemorated the 100 years of the genocide committed by German Imperial Forces against the Namibian people.
As a result of the order, about 80 000 Ovaherero perished at the hands of the German forces and unbearable conditions in the Kalahari Desert, related to starvation as well as the poisoning of waterholes.
A few dozen people, mostly the vanguard of the reparation movement as represented by the OGC, gathered in the Red Flag commando hall in Katutura on Thursday for an ecumenical remembrance candle light vigil on the occasion of the 104th anniversary of the issuing of Lothar von Trotha's Extermination Order against the Ovaherero.
The vigil was led by clergymen from various church denominations, among them Pastor Joshua Musutua of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia, and Elder Venepiko Ketjijere of the Protestant Unity Church who directed the vigil service.
Pastor Musutua led the vigil in scripture reading from Isaiah 52: verses 7-12 and Jeremiah 33:3. He said it was no wonder that the German Imperial Forces demanded the head of traditional and resistance war leaders like Samuel Maharero as unlike other resistance wars elsewhere, the war against German occupation lasted months. Hence, the German authority's desire to behead the resistance war leaders.
Leaders possessed of such resilience and fighting power as shown by the likes of Samuel Maharero and Cornelius Frederick and others obviously needed inspection and interrogation, hence the beheading of leaders like Chief Frederick and the export of their skulls to Germany where studies were carried out on them. The repatriation of these skulls, 47 of them as recently revealed, is currently part of the reparation movement's campaign.
In this regard, the Nama and Ovaherero traditional leaders, in particular Paramount Chief Kuaima Riruako of the Ovaherero and Chief David Fredericks of the !Aman, have written to Prime Minister Nahas Angula asking that the Namibian Government officially approach the German Federal Government for the repatriation of these skulls. Cabinet has instructed the National Heritage Council to approach the German government in this respect.
Muinjangue told the remembrance vigil that the necessary mobilization of Namibian communities in terms of the reparation drive has been done but still the German Federal Government is no nearer to talking to the affected people concerning this matter. Hence the need to redirect the campaign and to step it up. She said such redirection is also in view of the 100th anniversary of the Extermination Order against the Nama next April.
Traditional leader Fanuel Tjombe who is also the chairperson of the Ovaherero Traditional Council known as the Ovaherero Senate, took issue with the fact that reparation efforts are directed at the German Federal Government abroad while the stand of descendants of Germans in Namibia is not known.
This is despite the fact that their ancestors were direct beneficiaries of Imperial Germany's war against the Namibian people. Today, German descendants are among landowners in Namibia, the land which was robbed from the indigenous Namibian people, Tjombe said.
The patron of the Ovaherero Genocide Committee, Festus Muundjua, belied the excuse by some German government's aligned opinion that the war that von Trotha waged against the Namibian people was his own. He said von Trotha carried out the war on behalf of the German Imperial government. He said von Trotha was in retirement when his government recalled him.
The war was paid for with money budgeted for by the German government and even von Trotha was awarded the highest Chancellor's medal for his war excesses against the Namibians. Thus there is no way it can be said that the war was von Trotha's own.
Elder Katjijere then led the congregation in a candle light vigil to wound off the night. The event was also attended by parliamentarian and a member of the Ovaherero-Nama Joint Reparations Committee, Ida Hoffman, and the Aminuis Constituency councillor, Ervin Uanguta.
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