“Genocide descendants slam government decision to regionalise Remembrance Day

By Martin Endjala
19 May 2026

Descendants of the victims of the 1904–1908 Nama and Ovaherero genocide have criticised the government’s decision to regionalise the Genocide Remembrance Day commemorations.

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The Genocide Remembrance Day, proclaimed in 2024 and first commemorated on 28 May 2025, honours victims of the genocide committed by German colonial forces between 1904 and 1908.

This year’s main commemoration will be held at Lüderitz for the ||Kharas and Hardap regions, while the Omaheke, Oshana and Ohangwena regions will host parallel activities.

Speaking to The Namibian yesterday, Nama Traditional Leaders Association secretary Johannes Ortmann said the government continues to ignore the views of the communities directly affected.

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He warned that nationalising the commemorations could cause the genocide to “lose its true meaning”, noting that unresolved issues – including reparations and compensation under the joint declaration with Germany – remain outstanding.

Ortmann also rejected the 28 May date, saying many Nama descendants prefer alternative dates tied directly to extermination orders issued during the genocide.

He said the Nama communities favour either 12 April (1893), when the first extermination order was issued, or 22 April (1905), when another order was issued. He said 28 May (1908) marks the announcement relating to concentration camps that later became slave camps.

“We do not only want money. Germany must legally apologise and pay reparations, just as they are paying Jewish people,” Ortmann said.

Presidency press secretary Jonas Mbambo has defended the regional commemorations, saying the genocide forms part of Namibia’s collective history and national consciousness.

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While acknowledging that the genocide directly affected the Ovaherero and Nama communities, he said the atrocities shaped Namibia’s broader liberation struggle and journey towards independence.

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Mbambo said the regional events should not be viewed as insensitive to affected communities, but rather as an effort to promote national remembrance, healing and historical awareness.

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A senior traditional councillor in the Ovaherero Traditional Authority, Tjizapouzeu Uahupirapi, criticises the government for failing to consult genocide descendants before deciding on the commemoration date.

Speaking as a descendant, Uahupirapi says the Ovaherero community prefers 2 October, the day in 1904 on which the extermination order was issued.

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He asks how the genocide could be commemorated without the voices of those directly affected by the atrocities.”

• Full report “Genocide descendants slam government decision to regionalise Remembrance Day” on the website of the Namibian (last checked in May 2026).

• See also the Joint Declaration of the Governments of Germany and Namibia in the ‘Primary Sources’ section of this website.

• See also the articles “1904 December 9 – Order to erect concentration camps” and “1908 May 28 – Concentration camps officially dissolved” in the ‘Namibia’s Past’ section of this website.

Editor’s note:

On 12 April 1893 the German Schutztruppe under commander Curt von François attacked Hornkranz / Hoornkrans west of Rehoboth. It was the settlement of Oorlam-Nama Kaptein Hendrik Witbooi, who refused to accept German supremacy by signing a Protection Treaty (‘Schutzvertrag’). The German soldiers killed about 80 Witbooi Naman including dozens of women and children.