Germany has agreed to pay Namibia an amount of US$1.3bn after formally recognizing as genocide the crimes committed by its colonial troops at the beginning of the 20th century. The crimes were committed against the Herero and Nama people in what is now Namibia.
It’s the first time that Berlin has recognized the atrocities committed, with the declaration coming after five years of negotiations.
Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas said in a statement that the setting up of the Fund is a “gesture of recognition of the immeasurable suffering” Germany caused.
According to the Minister, affected communities would play a key role in deciding what the funds will be used for. Maas added that legal claims for compensation would not be deducted from it.
Half a decade negotiations
Meanwhile, the negotiations lasted more than half a decade. The Minister explained that the aim of the negotiations was “to find a common path to genuine reconciliation in memory of the victims”.
This includes naming the events of the German colonial period in what is now Namibia. More importantly, the atrocities in the period from 1904 to 1908 “without sparing or glossing over”.
“We will now, also in an official capacity, call these events what they were from today’s perspective — a genocide”.
Also, representative of the Herero and Nama communities were closely involved in the years-long negotiations with Namibia.
“The acceptance on the part of Germany that a genocide was committed is the first step in the right direction”- President Hage Geingob’s spokesman Alfredo Hengari.
Criticism of the agreement
Meanwhile, some representatives of the Herero and Nama peoples have voiced criticism of the agreement. According to them, it was a PR stunt by Germany and a bid to defraud the Namibian government. As a result, members of both groups have demanded an official apology from Germany, as well as financial reparation.
An analyst called the move “highly symbolic”. The analyst pointed out that talks had been with the Namibian government rather than the Herero and Nama people directly.
According to the analyst, Germany also chose to give a financial package rather than compensation for the colonial crimes. The later is what the affected groups had asked for, said the analyst.
“The representatives of the traditional Herero and Nama communities would have liked Germany to agree to give compensation to atone for the past,” she said.
The communities in Namibia have also asked for Germany to return the tens of thousands of stolen body parts belonging to their ancestors. These body parts are currently in German museums and libraries. They also want Germany to return all looted art to the country.
Germany to sign declaration with Namibia
Meanwhile, German authorities are yet to address both issues. Germany began talks with the Namibian government in 2015 on what was termed a “future-oriented reappraisal of German colonial rule”.
Germany’s former development minister, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, offered her country’s first apology for the killings on a trip to Namibia in 2004.
Maas will sign the declaration in the Namibian capital, Windhoek, in early June. Parliaments in both countries must then ratify the declaration. Subsequently, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will officially apologize for Germany’s crimes in front of the Namibian Parliament.
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