Collection: Damara-Nama/Herero Genocide

The Herero and Namaqua genocide or the Herero and Damara-Nama genocide was the first genocide of the 20th century, waged by the German Empire against the Herero (Ovaherero), the Damara-Nama, and the San in German South West Africa (now Namibia). It occurred between 1904 and 1908.

In 1904, the indigenous peoples of Namibia (the Herero people, who were led by Samuel Maharero, and the Damara-Nama people, who were led by Captain Hendrik Witbooi) rebelled against colonizing German forces and settlers. In response, the German military killed over 100,000 Herero, Damara, and Nama people and placed survivors into concentration camps.

In 1888, Curt von Francois, the German commander who led the conquest of the region, clearly stated the German strategy: “Only uncompromising brutality will lead to victory.” Theodor Leutwein, the German colonial governor, said “In 15 years little will be left for the natives, but we must keep this secret, for otherwise, a revolution will be unpreventable.” During the war of 1904-1908, the Germans took over almost one-fourth of the Damara-Nama/Herero land and planned to build a railway which would cross through this territory.

Leutwein also said that the ultimate result of colonial policy would be to reduce the natives to a subsistence level.

In 1985, the United Nations' Whitaker Report classified the aftermath as an attempt to exterminate the Herero and Damara-Nama peoples of South West Africa, and therefore one of the earliest attempts at genocide in the 20th century. In 2004, the German government recognized and apologized for the events, but ruled out financial compensation for the victims' descendants.

In August 2004, Germany formally apologized for its role in the genocide of 65,000 Hereros, promising economic assistance to Namibia, but ruled out financial compensation as an option. Germany has yet to respond to the Damara statement.

The Damara-Nama and San people felt that they needed to make their voices heard because discussions of the German genocide in Namibia have largely focused on the Herero. The statement also called on the German government to return the head of Damara warrior /Haihab //Guruseb for reburial.

The last batch of skulls and other remains of slaughtered tribesmen, which were taken to Germany to promote racial superiority, were taken back to Namibia in 2018.

In May 2021, the German government agreed to pay €1.1 billion over 30 years to fund projects in communities that were impacted by the genocide. In comparison, for the genocide committed soon after the Damara-Nama/Herero Genocide, the Holocaust, West German chancellor Konrad Adenauer committed to paying “moral and material indemnity” for the “unspeakable crimes… committed in the name of the German people” during World War II. Starting in 1951, over 20 years, Germany committed to compensating other countries, Jewish and non-Jewish victims of the Holocaust, and former forced laborers. While it’s difficult to estimate the exact amount of money, in today’s dollars, that was paid in Deutsche Mark over all this time, Germany says it has distributed over €77.8 billion.

This is another atrocity that Germany is committing against the people who already suffered at their hands. While Germany perpetrated this genocide prior to the Holocaust, they only now accepted responsibility for it, and as a further sign or attempt at diminishing their plight, Germany has offered the people an “African Reparations” package

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