“President urges Ovaherero, Nama communities to accept Remembrance Day

By Martin Endjala

28 May 2025

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has urged Namibians to avoid division due to different views on Genocide Remembrance Day.

She said this on Wednesday during the commemoration of the first Genocide Remembrance Day at Parliament Gardens in Windhoek.

[…]

She also urged both the Nama and Ovaherero people to accept the day as arriving at such a decision was not easy and government did its best to include all parties.

Her call comes after some traditional leaders of the descendents rejected the day, calling it a government-initiated day.

[…]

The president also said progress has been made so far in the genocide reparation negotiations, but that the German and Namibian governments are yet to come to a final agreement.”

• Full report “President urges Ovaherero, Nama communities to accept Remembrance Day” on the website of the Namibian (last checked in May 2025)

• See also the statement by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on the occasion of the Genocide Remembrance Day, Parliament Gardens, Windhoek, 28 May 2025, in the ‘Primary Sources’ section of this website

• See also the programme of the official event to mark Genocide Remembrance Day at Parliament Gardens, Windhoek, on 28 May 2025 in the ‘Events’ section of this website