Namibia marks inaugural Genocide Remembrance Day to honor nearly 100,000 victims of German colonial rule

LUSAKA, Zambia

Namibia marked its first official Genocide Remembrance Day on Wednesday, honoring the memory of nearly 100,000 victims from the Ovaherero and Nama communities who were massacred during German colonial rule in the early 20th century.

The genocide occurred between 1904 and 1908, nearly four decades before the Holocaust, with victims being taken to concentration camps to be tortured and killed, with their skulls said to be needed for pseudoscientific experiments by the Germans.

Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said at a commemorative event on the grounds of Parliament in the capital, Windhoek, that her country has been in talks with Germany for more than a decade about a formal apology and reparations.

Although the German government had agreed to apologize, "we have yet to reach an agreement on repatriation," Nandi-Ndaitwah said, adding that "These are complex negotiations that have been going on since 2013, and we have made progress, and consensus is key because we may forgive but never forget."

She said May 28 will remain a public holiday of commemoration beginning this year, and that it is critical to fostering a peaceful and united Namibia.

"Yes, we can say May has a lot of days designated as holidays but these are not just mere days; they are fundamental in remembering our forefathers, where we are coming from to enjoy the freedom we enjoy today: hence the significance of holding this commemoration at parliament grounds today," she added.

The date, May 28, was chosen to mark the day German authorities officially shut down the concentration camps in response to international criticism.