More than 100 years after the Namibian genocide, Germany has finally acknowledged its country’s historic crimes against the Herero and Nama people. More than 75,000 were killed between 1904 and 1908, and thousands more were forced into slavery. Though Germany has declined to use the term ‘reparations’, favouring phrases such as ‘healing’ and ‘reconciliation’ instead, the state has pledged to pay over $1.35 billion towards Namibian infrastructure over the next three decades.
Namibia’s president Hage Geingob conceded to the Washington Post that this was a ‘step in the right direction’, but many Nambians are less optimistic, and worry that cash spent on aid projects is likely to benefit wealthy contractors – German and domestic. After the settlement was announced in May protests took place in the capitals of both countries: Berlin and Windhoek. Demonstrators voiced their anger outside the states’ respective embassies. The Berlin Postkolonial group told broadcaster Deutsche Welle that the pledge it is ‘not worth the paper it was written on’.
