Pilgrimage - Controversy - Reconciliation 1904 - 2004
War cries and subdued brass music at dawn. Daybreak of another sun drenched day, 14 August 2004 at Ohamakari close to Waterberg. Smoke rises from various fire places, mixed with the smell of horse dung left in the camp from the Herero "cavalry". Thousands Namibians from various origins have assembled to commemorate historic events which have shaped Namibia.
One hundred years and three days, to be exact, have passed since German colonial troops - Schutztruppe - and Herero combatants clashed in bloody battle at Ohamakari in an historic encounter which since has become known as the Battle of Waterberg. Today it is not so much the battle itself but its tragic sequence which has engendered widely differing interpretations among Herero and Germans as well as among historians of other nationalities. None can ignore the initial successful escape of the bulk of the Herero from German encirclement, followed by the fatal trek and flight of families and their cattle into the dry Omaheke, the subsequent shooting order of General Von Trotha on 2 October 1904 and its rescindment by Berlin two months later on 9 December 1904, finally the establishment of prisoner camps for survivors of the war and the introduction of forced labour.
Hundred years later academics, direct descendants of surviving Herero families, lawyers and laymen alike engage in a new war of words and concepts of assessment whether the colonial war deteriorated into outright genocide. And whether a century later a case can be argued for reparations in favour of the surviving descendants in the third and fourth generation.
The complete picture emerging from a multitude of authentic sources can be added to but can hardly be changed or corrected. However, interest groups and historians may produce their own subjective version by careful selection and omission of facts.
The loss, the extent of damage and the consequences are still visible in the land allocation and can be deduced from population figures. Through its minister of cooperation, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, Germany on 14 August 2004 has officially recognised the suffering caused by the war, accepted historical and moral responsibility and guilt incurred at that time. Wieczorek-Zeul offered an apology for oppression, racism and annihilation and requested forgiveness at Ohamakari. Historical commemoration and the relations between the Herero and Germans thereby evolve from new terms of reference.
Mutual acceptance, tolerance and goodwill determined the mood among the many thousand participants at Ohamakari on that same day. For many years previously there has already been a "special" understanding among interested and knowledgeable German and Otjiherero speaking Namibians as to the fateful common heritage they share which has literally been written in blood. That such history is not easily appreciated beyond superficial anticolonial dogma, can conveniently be demonstrated by the preferences and behaviour of President Sam Nujoma. While he has inaugurated the Heroes' Acre south of Windhoek where the colonial opponent of the Germans, Samuel Maharero, has found a place of honour among other figures of resistance, the president has himself never attended a Waterberg commemoration, not even the 100th anniversary of the colonial war this year. Yet he issued a decree last year, banning the laying of wreaths at soldiers' graves at Waterberg by a group of scouts, perceiving this as a threat to the nation.
Among Namibians involved a large number of Otjiherero and German speaking Namibians has nevertheless focused on the year 2004 to commemorate bloody history with the intention to learn and to shape a peaceful future for all. Colonial history and its controversial remembrance has penetrated the ordinary flow of news and commentary. The commemoration of Ohamakari has in the meantime also led to some rapprochement among rivaling Herero groups. Paramount Chief Kuaima Riruako of the central Red Flag Herero, Ovambanderu-Chief Munyuku II of the Green Flag and representatives of the Royal House of Zeraua of the Black and White Flag convened once more only one week after the commemoration of Ohamakari in order to honour the dead near Gobabis.
The new historical and cultural centre at Ohamakari, close to Okakarara, supported also by Germany, constitutes an additional rallying point for association, for cultural exchange and identity as well as reconciliation - beyond the soldiers' graves of Waterberg and Herero leaders' graves at Okahandja.
The exquisite experience of the pristine beauty of Waterberg is once more extended by another historical point of interest.
In the year 2004 you encounter history with every pace.
One hundred years and three days, to be exact, have passed since German colonial troops - Schutztruppe - and Herero combatants clashed in bloody battle at Ohamakari in an historic encounter which since has become known as the Battle of Waterberg. Today it is not so much the battle itself but its tragic sequence which has engendered widely differing interpretations among Herero and Germans as well as among historians of other nationalities. None can ignore the initial successful escape of the bulk of the Herero from German encirclement, followed by the fatal trek and flight of families and their cattle into the dry Omaheke, the subsequent shooting order of General Von Trotha on 2 October 1904 and its rescindment by Berlin two months later on 9 December 1904, finally the establishment of prisoner camps for survivors of the war and the introduction of forced labour.
Hundred years later academics, direct descendants of surviving Herero families, lawyers and laymen alike engage in a new war of words and concepts of assessment whether the colonial war deteriorated into outright genocide. And whether a century later a case can be argued for reparations in favour of the surviving descendants in the third and fourth generation.
The complete picture emerging from a multitude of authentic sources can be added to but can hardly be changed or corrected. However, interest groups and historians may produce their own subjective version by careful selection and omission of facts.
The loss, the extent of damage and the consequences are still visible in the land allocation and can be deduced from population figures. Through its minister of cooperation, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, Germany on 14 August 2004 has officially recognised the suffering caused by the war, accepted historical and moral responsibility and guilt incurred at that time. Wieczorek-Zeul offered an apology for oppression, racism and annihilation and requested forgiveness at Ohamakari. Historical commemoration and the relations between the Herero and Germans thereby evolve from new terms of reference.
Mutual acceptance, tolerance and goodwill determined the mood among the many thousand participants at Ohamakari on that same day. For many years previously there has already been a "special" understanding among interested and knowledgeable German and Otjiherero speaking Namibians as to the fateful common heritage they share which has literally been written in blood. That such history is not easily appreciated beyond superficial anticolonial dogma, can conveniently be demonstrated by the preferences and behaviour of President Sam Nujoma. While he has inaugurated the Heroes' Acre south of Windhoek where the colonial opponent of the Germans, Samuel Maharero, has found a place of honour among other figures of resistance, the president has himself never attended a Waterberg commemoration, not even the 100th anniversary of the colonial war this year. Yet he issued a decree last year, banning the laying of wreaths at soldiers' graves at Waterberg by a group of scouts, perceiving this as a threat to the nation.
Among Namibians involved a large number of Otjiherero and German speaking Namibians has nevertheless focused on the year 2004 to commemorate bloody history with the intention to learn and to shape a peaceful future for all. Colonial history and its controversial remembrance has penetrated the ordinary flow of news and commentary. The commemoration of Ohamakari has in the meantime also led to some rapprochement among rivaling Herero groups. Paramount Chief Kuaima Riruako of the central Red Flag Herero, Ovambanderu-Chief Munyuku II of the Green Flag and representatives of the Royal House of Zeraua of the Black and White Flag convened once more only one week after the commemoration of Ohamakari in order to honour the dead near Gobabis.
The new historical and cultural centre at Ohamakari, close to Okakarara, supported also by Germany, constitutes an additional rallying point for association, for cultural exchange and identity as well as reconciliation - beyond the soldiers' graves of Waterberg and Herero leaders' graves at Okahandja.
The exquisite experience of the pristine beauty of Waterberg is once more extended by another historical point of interest.
In the year 2004 you encounter history with every pace.
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