“Hanse: Don’t overlook our history

2026-04-13 BY CORRESPONDENT

Dalene Kooper

The annual genocide remembrance week serves as a platform to educate Namibians about the heinous crimes meted out against the Nama and Ovaherero by the brutal German colonial regime.

This is according to the chairperson of the Nama Traditional Leaders Association (NTLA), Gaob Dawid Hanse, who lamented that the genocide is not entirely part of Namibia’s formal education curriculum.

The NTLA held the weeklong remembrance event at Lüderitz.

The event brought together descendants of the various Nama tribes alongside Nama and Ovaherero chiefs to honour the victims of the genocide and educate the future generations.

“The importance of this gathering is to transfer knowledge of the atrocities committed by the Germans towards the Nama communities to our youth. And showcasing the impact those events have on us until today. It will be our responsibility to tell the stories ourselves,” Hanse said.

[…]

One of the Ovaherero traditional leaders in attendance was Rukambe Uazukuani of the Okamatapati, representing academic Mutjinde Katjiua, who leads one of the Ovaherero Traditional Authority factions.

[…]

Uazukuani said the gathering symbolises unity among the communities “who died together” during the Ovaherero and Namaqua genocide.

He added that the remembrance plays a critical role in raising awareness among young people and the international community. […]

He called on the Namibian government to prioritise national interest, stating that failure to address historical injustices, including land dispossession, continues to deepen impact and inequality.

The weeklong event included entrepreneurial workshops aimed at empowering Namibian youth and the genocide commemoration march to Shark Island on Saturday.

–dkooper@nepc.com.na”

Editor’s note:

On 12 April 1893 the German Schutztruppe under commander Curt von Francois 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 ‘Schutzvertrag’ (Protection Treaty). The German soldiers killed about 80 Witbooi Naman including dozens of women and children.

• Full report “Hanse: Don’t overlook our history” on the website of the New Era (last checked in April 2026).

• See also the announcement of the event “Annual Genocide Memorial Walk 2026” in the ‘Events’ section of this website.

• See also the announcement by the National Heritage Council on Shark Island being declared a Heritage site 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.