Swakopmund museum spotlights Nama, Ovaherero genocide
SWAKOPMUND – The Swakopmund Museum has unveiled an exhibition on the 1904-08 Ovaherero and Nama genocide, the first time in 125 years that such history is showcased at the museum.
Previously privately run, the non-profit organisation only showcased the colonial background of German successes in the country, with no mention of the dark colonial past.
Prof. Volker Gretshel, a board member of the Swakopmund Museum, highlighted the significance of the exhibition, saying it uncovers a long-suppressed chapter of Namibian history.
“For the first time in 125 years, the Swakopmund Museum is displaying an exhibition on the 1904-08 Herero and Nama Genocide. Previously, the museum only showcased the colonial background of German successes in the country, with no mention of the black communities living in Swakopmund. This is indeed an eye-opener,” Gretshel said during the exhibition recently.
According to him, the aim is to show and give a background of what happened in the concentration camps and the types of atrocities committed by colonial Germany.
Through meticulous research, the museum uncovered the existence of five concentration camps in Swakopmund between 1904 and 1908.
While four camps were operated by private businesses to accommodate workers, one was under military control, revealing deliberate plans for the extermination of the Ovaherero and Nama communities.
Gretshel emphasised the museum’s efforts to provide a nuanced understanding of the historical context.
“We tried to show that the German government or the German military, under Von Trotha, the aim was to annihilate the Hererospeaking people because they dared to make an uprising against the German colonial forces,” the scholar said.
One of the Ovaherero traditional leaders, academic Hoze Riruako, commended the museum’s initiative, noting that it reaffirms the negative impact of colonialism on African societies, including the separation of families and disruption of rich traditions.
“The Hereros were reduced to a mere 16 000 from about 100 000, so we took a heavy toll, and we have lost our land, especially our ancestral land,” Riruako said.
More so, Riruako pointed out the significance of fostering dialogue and understanding between former oppressors and the oppressed, emphasising the need for genuine collaboration in healing the wounds of the past.
“Now, a museum like this is of great importance because the history of black people, mostly the Herero people, is an oral history. It is taken from one generation to the other, and the situation has changed so dramatically,” he added.
The Ovaherero and Nama genocide was a campaign of ethnic extermination and collective punishment waged against the two communities in then-German Southwest Africa by colonial Germany.
It was the first genocide to begin in the 20th century, occurring between 1904 and 1908.
With the unveiling of this exhibition, the Swakopmund Museum takes a significant step towards acknowledging and honouring the memory of those who suffered during this dark chapter of Namibian history, while also fostering a path towards reconciliation and understanding for future generations.
Additionally, the museum does not have enough funds or manpower to design and research an exhibition like the one depicting the Ovaherero-Nama genocide, Gretshel said.
However, when people donate stories and material, as in the case of the Ovaherero and Nama genocide, it is incorporated into the museum.
The museum also conducted additional research and discovered that there were, in fact, five concentration camps in Swakopmund between 1904 and 1908.
Four camps belonged to the private sector, accommodating their workers, while one camp was owned by the military – as additional research established.
According to him, the exhibition is not only the presentation of historical facts but also the encouragement of dialogue and reconciliation, as well as the sons and daughters of the former oppressed and the former oppressors coming together in dialogue.