Namibia has held its first Genocide Remembrance Day to honour thousands of Herero and Nama people killed by German colonial forces in what is widely regarded as the first genocide of the 20th century. The event, which took place on Wednesday in the gardens of Namibia’s parliament, attracted about 1,000 people, including government officials, traditional leaders, descendants of victims, and the German ambassador to Namibia.
The country’s president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, led the ceremony and renewed calls for reparations from Germany for the atrocities committed between 1904 and 1908. At least 70,000 Herero and Nama people were killed during that period by German troops under colonial rule. The killings followed revolts by the Herero tribe in 1904 and the Nama tribe a year later against German occupation.
Speaking at the memorial, President Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibians must never forget this dark chapter in their history. She described the genocide as a tragedy that wiped out entire communities and left deep scars on the nation.
“We should find a degree of comfort in the fact that the German government has agreed that the German troops committed a genocide against the people of our land,” the president said. “But we must remain committed as a nation. We shall soldier on until the ultimate conclusion is reached.”
Germany, which colonised Namibia from 1884 to 1915, has previously acknowledged the genocide. In 2021, Berlin officially admitted responsibility for the killings and pledged over one billion euros in development aid to Namibia over a period of 30 years. However, the German government has insisted that the aid is not reparations, but a gesture of reconciliation. This position has been rejected by Herero and Nama descendants, who argue that they were excluded from negotiations and that the offer does not address historical injustices.
At Wednesday’s commemoration, candles were lit in memory of the victims, and the crowd observed a minute of silence before traditional songs and speeches were delivered. Activists and community leaders also reiterated their demand for land restitution and compensation.
One of the speakers, Israel Kaunatjike, a Herero activist and founder of the initiative No Amnesty on Genocide, described the event as long overdue. “It is a scandal that no official memorial of the genocide has been held since Namibia gained independence in 1990,” he said. Kaunatjike stressed that any agreement that does not include reparations and the return of ancestral land taken by German settlers would be unacceptable.
Historical records show that after the Herero uprising in January 1904, German forces responded with brutal force, pushing thousands of Herero people into the Omaheke desert. Many died of starvation and thirst. In October of that year, German General Lothar von Trotha, acting under orders from Kaiser Wilhelm II, issued an extermination order that stated: “Within the German boundaries, every Herero, with or without a gun, with or without livestock, will be shot dead.”
The Nama people joined the rebellion in 1905 but faced the same fate. By 1908, more than 60,000 Herero and 10,000 Nama had been killed. Thousands of others were imprisoned in concentration camps, where they were subjected to forced labour and inhumane conditions. German soldiers also decapitated hundreds of victims and shipped their skulls to Europe for so-called scientific experiments aimed at proving racial superiority.
Since 2008, Namibia has been asking for the return of human remains taken during the genocide. Germany has returned some of these remains in ceremonies held in 2011 and 2018. However, the larger issues of reparations and land redistribution remain unresolved.
The genocide, which historians say set the stage for later atrocities in the 20th century, continues to cast a shadow over Namibia’s relations with Germany. As the country observed its first official remembrance day, the call for justice, reparations, and historical acknowledgment grew louder, with President Nandi-Ndaitwah assuring citizens that the fight will continue until closure is achieved.
