Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro
WHITHERTO the Ovaherero and Nama Genocide? This question presents itself automatically but urgently and relevantly now and in this year, particularly this month of February when the African Union (AU) is having at the end of this week its 39th Summit.
Where and with its agenda, including the milestone decision as per the Algiers Declaration of last year, that Africa resolve to make colonial crimes committed against her by formerly colonising powers a crime in international law. Needless to say, this summit must be of particular interest to the Ovaherero, Ovambanderu and Nama. In view of the genocide committed against our forebears by Imperial Germany. A matter, thanks to ourselves but nobody else, we have since 2004, when we commemorated a centenary since the issuance of the infamous Extermination Order against the Ovaherero. By the notorious Imperial Germany’s then Commander of Germany’s Imperial forces in the then South West Africa. When since the issue of this genocide has been on the local, that is Namibian, and African as well as international political agenda?
With our Namibian government only jumping on the bandwagon, pretending to be negotiating with Germany on our behalf for Germany to atone for this genocide. But jumping on the genocide and reparation bandwagon is in essence all that the Namibian government has been doing. Pretending to have been negotiating, but without us, with the government and/or German state on the matter. To this day there are no tangible and progressive results regarding true restorative justice pertaining to the presumed negotiations that the Namibian government has since 2015 been having with Germany. Except the dreaded Joint Declaration (JD) of 2021. That Namibia is and has now been touting as the reparation package. By any standards, let alone those of the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the JD cannot and shall never be defined as just reparations.
The Namibian government and its German counterpart have been intransigent in submitting the matter to the relevant jurisdiction on genocide, like the International Court of Justice, at the least. Only for our Namibian government to once again pretend to adhere to the Algiers Declaration in 2025. It is within the rights of the Namibian government, and indeed the Namibian state, as a sovereign, to subscribe to various international fora and instruments in fulfilling its various interests.
But when it comes to the issue Genocide, the Namibian government must be reminded that it takes more than just its interest, what may be described as national interest. What is paramount in this regard are the interests of specific constituencies, the people against whom the genocidal acts were not only targeted and unleashed by Imperial Germany but also suffered as a result and continue to suffer resultantly. While the genocide of the Ovaherero and Nama was and is indeed an integral part of the colonial crimes committed in Namibia and against all Namibians, it was committed against a specific people, the Ovaherero, Ovambanderu and Nama.
Thus, it must be recognised as such and approached and treated as such. Definitely within the broader remit of crimes of colonialism, as the Algiers Declaration is endeavouring. But cognisant and conscious that with regard to the colonial crimes in the then German South West Africa, Imperial Germany committed genocide against a specific people, the Ovaherero, Ovambanderu and Nama.
Genocide has been declared a crime against humanity as per the UN Convention of 1948 already alluded to. Thus, there’s no need for the Algiers Declaration to reinvent the wheel in this regard. But in this case, to render support to the specific communities in their ongoing quest for justice for their genocide. A case within a case, as one may postulate. A case of genocide within the broader case of the crimes of colonialism.
The Namibian government cannot now jump on the bandwagon on crimes of colonialism while all along it has and has been dilly-dallying on the prima facie case of genocide of its citizens. Which, foremost, is what it must be: pushing for and embracing the Algiers Declaration. This is what must categorically inform its seeming embrace and adherence to the Algiers Declaration. If Namibia and the Namibian government have all along, through, granted, perhaps no failings and frailties of its own but one that cannot but be found wanting in getting Germany to deliver true restorative justice, the Algiers Declaration, needless to say, offers her, and indeed us as the descendants of the survivors of genocide, an ideal elevated platform and leverage that may have hitherto been availing itself.
But for the optimum utilisation of the Algiers Declaration, the Namibian government, if it is true to our interests as the descendants of genocide, must be consequent in its approach and action. If it is consequently to embrace as well as push the agenda of getting Germany to account for the deeds of its colonial forerunners, it cannot purport to embrace the Algiers Declaration but at the same time pander to the Machiavellian whimsical neo-colonial tendencies of Germany.
It is time that Namibia, if true to our mission as descendants of genocide for true restorative justice, she draws the line in the sand. Between true restorative justice for the genocide and bilateral development aid as represented by the envisaged and purported arrangements under the JD.
As long as the Namibian government continues to conflate and confuse the two, her bid at representing us at whatever platform in the cause of genuine advocacy for reparations for genocide cannot and should not be entertained by us, nor shall we and should we continue to tolerate such ambivalence if not total intransigence.
The Algiers Declaration offers the Namibian government, if true to our quest and aspirations for genuine restorative justice for Imperial Germany’s genocide, the opportunity to mend its neo-colonial mental enslavement and seeming retardation, if not flagrant disregard of our interests in the matter. Having observed the doings of the Namibian government on this matter, we are reaching the point of our way or the highway.
One would have expected that on the new parliamentary calendar, the genocide issue would be one of the foremost issues on the agenda. But from the President’s Parliament’s opening speech, there was nothing discernible in this regard. This is indicative of the fact that for the Namibian government and its given perspectives, genocide and restorative justice have never and never, ever been a priority other than for the sake of it. Increasingly it has been clear from successive governments’ behaviour, with few exceptions if any, that this is not a matter of high priority. Only in the parochial and bilateral interest for that matter of the Namibian government itself and Germany, but not in the interest of the descendants.
At this juncture we cannot but make it known to the world and the AU as much that we are and have been on our own on this matter as the descendants. At no point since we started to agitate for this matter have we ever felt that our government is squarely behind us. Instead of being in front of us and in charge of this matter, it has only torpedoed it, as it has been doing. Ironically, in the best interest of Germany more than anyone else.
Hence, our appeal, at this juncture, to the AU and indeed the world over, to listen to our lament and be forewarned that whatever the Namibian government may present at the Summit, with respect to the Algiers Declaration, does not have our knowledge, consent and seal as descendants of the survivors of genocide. But we unconditionally rally behind the Algiers Declaration.
*Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro is a descendant of the survivors of the Ovaherero, Ovambanderu and Nama genocide, a veteran and freelance journalist and a reparations advocate and adherent of restorative justice.
