#28 The German genocide before that genocide
Put the words “German” and “genocide” together and we all know what is meant. Except, that’s not what I mean, and those people in the photo aren’t Jews, they are Herero people.
Let’s rewind. In 1884, Germany partook in the European scramble to conquer, colonise and exploit Africa. And, after generations of very few memorable attempts to colonise, Germany finally succeeded, earning itself the particularly depressing title of “third-largest colonial empire”. Luckily enough, Germany did not hold these colonies for very long - losing them after WW1.
What happened in those 35 years, however, is bleak. In “German South-West Africa”, todays Namibia, the Herero people were cattle herders who were in a protracted conflict with the Nama, a group of indigenous people. Both were threatened by the Germans, who chose to turn the land into a settler colony. In other words, they took the land from the locals and began the slow process of replacing Africans by Europeans.
Both the Herero and the Nama people rose up repeatedly against their colonisers. But for the Hereros, the conflict escalated in 1904. Shots fell in the morning - whose shots, we don’t know - and by noon, the Herero had laid siege to a German fort. This went on for weeks, the Herero being able to put up a good fight as they were well-armed and outnumbered the colonisers. After 123 Germans were killed, in came Lieut. Gen. von Trotha, a man now infamous.
By the time von Trotha arrived, the Herero had retreated to the edge of the Kalahari desert, awaiting negotiations and positioning themselves to flee. Instead, the Germans encircled them, attacked them with artillery and drove them into the desert, where many died of thirst or were killed upon capture.
That’s not what made von Trotha so famous. What did it was this quote:
Within the German boundaries, every Herero, whether found armed or unarmed, with or without cattle, will be shot. I shall not accept any more women and children.
The German government overturned this policy and - it doesn’t get any better - decided to build concentration camps instead, following the British precedent set in South Africa. This is where the Nama landed, too, after their uprising failed. Technically, they were work camps set up wherever labour was most needed. Practically, conditions were so atrocious that half of the prisoners died within the first year - not to mention skulls being sent to Germany for eugenics “research” and other atrocities of the type. In the end, 75% of Hereros and 50% of Namas died at the hands of Germany.
So, any happy thoughts to end on? Well, the German government has admitted to this having been genocide, a word that wasn’t used for a long time. While they are continuing to deny reparations, last month, they promised €1.1 billion in development aid. And that, at least, is something.
