Shark Island: The first world’s death camp
THIS article seeks to contextualise the events that happened from 1904 to April 1907 at the death camp on Shark Island; which is a small peninsula neighbouring the coastal town of !Nami≠Nûs or Lüderitzbucht.
As of 1904, Luderitz was transformed into a thriving port town for hosting German troops and receiving military equipment by ships and storing such equipment. It was developed for two reasons: Making war against Namibians and trading business for freight shipments for the beneficiaries of the war such as big land trading companies, business people among others the shipping magnate, Adolf Woerman, with his Woerman Line streamer and war profiteers in Germany, Britain, and British-ruled South Africa as a supply base for the German troops in Namibia.
Missionaries from Rhenish Mission Society came; there was a hospital, three hotels, and proper houses for German settlers while makeshift shelters of blankets, rags and driftwood were for the Africans who tried to protect themselves against the freezing wind, chilling weather and mist that blew off the southern Atlantic. Many of Namibians were captured by German army and sent to a concentration camp at Shark Island, the first world’s death camp. This death camp shall be remembered for five reasons.
First, as a death camp, although the exact number of people sent to Shark Island is not known, it is estimated that about 75% of women and children and 25% men were sent as so-called Kriegsgefangenen [prisoners-of-war] and many died like flies due to being unaccustomed to the chilly and freezing winds. Those who were sick tried to sneak out of the hospital knowing in the morning sharks were waiting for their bodies at the shores of Atlantic Ocean. Those who died were buried in shallow graves. In the morning, at low tide, the incoming tides washed the bodies of the deceased into the sea and waiting sharks devoured their remains.
Secondly, as camp of genderbased violence against women and children, if not by sharks German soldiers’ shamboked [whipped] them to death. For example, according to the reports by missionary August Kuhlman, in September 1905, a woman who was so weak from illness that she could not stand, crawled to some of the other prisoners to ask for water. One soldier saw her and fired five shots and she died.
Thirdly, rape and sexual exploitation of African women. Many pornographic images were taken of African women by German soldiers at Shark Island. These pornographic pictures were turned into postcards and sent to Germany. German male fantasies of African women were celebrated in numerous publications. If an African woman refused the sexual advances of a German soldier,
she was raped. Such raping was sometimes committed in broad daylight. At one occasion, German soldiers grabbed hold of two young females, about 13 to 15 years of age, flogged and dragged them into their quarters and raped them.
Fourth, as early as 1906, those who survived were subjected to research on racial anatomy. Among those subjected to such experiments was a one year old girl. Heads were decapitated and sent to the Institute of Pathology at the University of Berlin in Germany in order to run medical breeding experiments to find out whether black Africans intelligence matched that of monkeys or white Europeans.
Before being shipped to Germany, the skulls were cracked open in order to remove and preserve the brains. African women were forced to boil the severed heads and then scrape them to the bone with pieces of glass. One shudders to think of the pain felt by these women, forced to do this on the remains of male prisoners who could easily have been their husbands, sons, brothers, friends, or comrades. Fifth, the national government of Germany, under the leadership of Kaiser Bernhard von Bülow, from 1900 to 1909, was fully informed and supported the war in Namibia. It was discussed at the level of the National Parliament (Reichstag) in Berlin, Germany, for two months during November to December 1906. The main purpose was to seek approval for the colonial military budget for the operation of German troops in Namibia.
The Social Democratic Party of Germany opposed such military budget and it was defeated. It forced for an election and Kaiser von Bülow called for such election. This German election became known as “Hottentot election” (sic). It means the national government of Germany fully knew and supported military operations that caused the 1904 to 1908 genocide. Therefore, they actively seek funds for colonial budget to carry on with the war that resulted in the genocide of 1904 to 1908.
In light of such historical evidence, the Joint Declaration [June 2021] between Germany and Namibia is not correct when in this document the German government is semantically squirming between a symbolic “gesture of acknowledgment” and recognition of the “genocide from today’s perspective.” To characterise 1904 to 1908 Genocide as a “genocide from today’s perspective” avoids historical responsibility on the issue of reparations. Historically, in November to December 1906, the issue of genocide was discussed in the National Parliament of Germany and it even resulted in an election. So genocide cannot be seen “from today’s perspective” but solely from the historical perspective of 1904 to 1908. Furthermore, the Federal Republic of Germany has experience on historical genocidal tragedies such as the Holocaust after World War Two. Germany has negotiated with the Jewish Claims Conference, founded by representatives of 23 Jewish groups, to provide indemnification worth US$80 billion since 1952 to Jews from around the globe.
This programme of reparations is known as Wiedergutmachung (literally “making the good again”). Neither the Federal Republic of Germany nor Israel existed during the war but Germany paid for the genocide. Since Germany paid full reparations to Israel, the same logic and criteria be applied to the 1904 to 1908 Genocide. One cannot accept double standards.
As we are facing the 118th anniversary year of Shark Island, only one action is required from us as Namibians. The call for restorative justice. Let us as Namibians under the principle of “One Namibia; One Nation” come together and stand together.
Let us jointly as the government of the Republic of Namibia, as the Namibian parliament, as the political parties of Namibia, as regional councils, local authorities and village councils, as traditional authorities and as faith-based organisations renegotiate with the Federal Republic of Germany on the 1904 to 1908 Genocide.
In addition, all Namibian stakeholders must come to the knowledge that United Nations Whitaker Report on Genocide1985 classified 1904 –1908 as genocide. Likewise, the Federal Republic of Germany itself officially recognise 1904-1908 extermination orders as genocide.
Finally, the demand for restorative justice on 1904 to 1908 Genocide remains the story of the 20th century genocide history in post-genocidal Namibia because there is still the “unfinished business” towards the historical fulfilment of the human rights of our ancestors; the rights of Namibians to their history; their memory, their dignity and their right to moral restitution.
The people of Namibia have finally emerged victorious in their struggle against colonialism, racism and apartheid. Today, with the same determination, the struggle continues until all Namibians emerge victorious for restorative justice for the 1904 to 1908 genocide so that people shall say never again Shark Island.