Massacre of Herero and Nama: "Crimes that today would be called genocide"

Minister of State for Culture Michelle Müntefering has apologized for the crimes committed by German colonial troops in present-day Namibia 114 years ago. "Germany is firmly committed to its historical responsibility," said Müntefering.

However, she avoided calling the death of tens of thousands of indigenous groups Herero and Nama genocide by the power of German protection forces. "The crimes were what today would be called genocide," said the SPD politician. However, the facts did not exist at the time of the crime.

Müntefering spoke at the handing over of mortal remains to a Namibian government delegation in the French Friedrichstadtkirche in Berlin. At the ceremony, 19 human skulls and other skeletal parts were handed over, which were stolen from the former colony German Southwest Africa. Turning to the Namibians, the Minister of State said that she "begs forgiveness" from the bottom of her heart.

HAYOUNG JEON / EPA-EFE / REX / Shutterstock

Skull bones that Germans stole from today's Namibia

The political speeches of Müntefering, the Namibian Minister of Culture Katarina Hanse-Himarwa and several traditional leaders of the Herero and Nama joined in a German-Namibian memorial service. All Namibian representatives spoke of genocide and genocide and renewed the call for reparations.

The memorial service was organized by the Evangelical Church of Germany. There was also criticism of the Herero group around the head Vekuii Rokuro. He would have preferred a transfer in a government building or parliament, Rukoro said. He also criticized that a group of the initiative "genocide not barred" was not allowed to participate with all its members in the celebrations.

The Namibian delegation will be accompanied on their return trip by Minister of Culture Müntefering and Ruprecht Polenz (CDU), the special representative of the Federal Government for negotiations on the reparations with the Namibian government. The negotiations have been going on for five years and will soon be in the seventh round.

Ottmar von Holtz, Member of the Greens in the Bundestag with Namibian roots, criticized the slow process. Germany must "confess its guilt in the genocide in Namibia and call it that", demands Holtz, who is also a member of the Committee for Development Cooperation.