The Ovaherero, Ovambanderu traditional authorities requested that 28 May be designated as a national holiday to remember the lives of those who were killed during the Ovaherero–Nama genocide in 1904-1908.
Yesterday, the announcement was made at a Windhoek press conference.
The Okandjoze Agreement on Genocide, which was signed last week, is the basis for the holiday request.
Aletha Nguvauva (Ovambanderu traditional counsellor) stated that the state must acknowledge the genocide by making the state’s instutions part of it.
“Creating a genocide memorial and remembrance day, and we as leaders who met at Okandjoze last week agreed that day should be 28 May starting next year Namibia as a republic must own up to its responsibilities,” she said.
The memorandum has several objectives and aims. They seek to create a common front to demand the recognition and acknowledgement of genocide and offer an apology and payment for it.
“And subsequently to redress land dispossession, the loss of lives, livestock, culture, dignity, cultural artefacts, and traumatic experiences,” the agreement reads.
“The Chiefs’ Assembly on Genocide and its technical arm shall be chaired on an alphabetical rotational basis as per the name of each traditional authority for a duration of six months, however, rotation could be handed over to the next traditional authority upon request,” it reads.
Kambazembi Royal Traditional Authority chief Sam Kambazembi said that the San traditional authorities weren’t present at this event because Ovaherero chiefs have never cooperated before.
“So we had to get our house in order by coming together. After getting our house in order, we can get the San community,” he said.
In May last year, the Namibian government and the German government reached an agreement. The agreement stated that the German government accepted that the events of 1904-1908 were genocide today.
The German government also stated that its chancellor would offer an apology to Namibia and make a total of 18 billion euros available for reconciliation efforts and reconstruction of affected communities.
However, Namibia’s government has been criticised for agreeing with such terms with Germany, while the descendants of the victims, the Nama people and the Ovaherero people have said that they should have been included from the beginning in negotiations.
Source: namibian
