Colonialism: why Germany recognizes a genocide in Namibia

The gesture had been awaited for decades by the African country.

On Friday, for the first time, Germany admitted having committed "genocide" against the populations of the Herero and Namas in Namibia, between 1904 and 1908, during the colonial era.

Deprived of their land and their cattle, the Herero revolted in 1904 against the German settlers.

Sent to put down the rebellion, the German general Lothar von Trotha had ordered their extermination.

The Namas had risen up a year later and suffered the same fate.

In total, at least 60,000 Hereros and around 10,000 Namas lost their lives between 1904 and 1908. 

>>

Find Europe midi in replay and podcast here 

Women and children systematically slaughtered

This decision by Germany is the culmination of six years of negotiations between the German government and the representatives of these Namibian peoples persecuted by the authorities of the Reich of William II. The texts of the time prove it: there was indeed a political will to exterminate the Hereros and Namas, with written orders to systematically slaughter women and children. The others were locked up in camps in the desert, of which the Nazis would then take up the model on a larger scale. 

113 years later, Germany therefore recognizes its political and moral responsibility, and undertakes to pay reparations with a development fund, a little over one billion euros paid over 30 years.

A "step in the right direction", according to the Namibian government.

"This is the basis of the second step, which consists of apologizing, followed by reparations," said his spokesperson. 

The descendants of dissatisfied victims

But the descendants of the victims are not satisfied, because they wanted compensation paid individually.

"We will not accept any agreement between these two governments," Mutjinde Katjiua, representative of the Traditional Herero Authority, told AFP.

According to him, and according to the Nama community, Berlin and Windhoek are preparing a "meaningless and cheap" arrangement.

But symbolically, with the use of the word genocide, a stage has passed.

This recognition must be recorded in a text that the German Minister of Foreign Affairs is to sign in the coming weeks in Windhoek, Namibia.

And before the end of the year, during an official trip, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will officially ask for forgiveness during a speech in Namibia.