Protestors, including activist Yonas Endrais,(centre) are calling for Germany to give reparations to victims of its genocide. PHOTO COURTESY OF KARIN SINGH

BY NATASHA A. KELLY

The visit of a delegation of more than 60 Namibians sent to the Charité University in Berlin to repatriate the human remains of their ancestors from Germany's colonial atrocity ended in embarrassment for State Minister Cornelia Pieper. After protests erupted following her speech, she walked out of the repatriation ceremony, which was attended by genocide victims as well as Namibian dignitaries.

Protestors included political activist and scientist Yonas Endrais, who along with other German NGO members, is demanding compensation for victims of the first genocide of the 20th century. With the words "Reparation Now," he asked his country to apologise to the victims of Germany's "Völkermord" in Namibia.

Germany's first concentration camps were located in today's Namibia, and indigenous people were captured, enslaved, raped, dismembered, murdered, and misused for so-called scientific experiments designed to prove the superiority of the "white race." Germany is returning the first human skulls more than 100 years later, however it has not yet apologised.

"Not only Pieper's response to the protests, but the actual matter of fact that the German government has not even considered an official apology cannot be left unspoken or be excused," Endrias said. "I had to find a way to expose this German hypocrisy which was obviously to be repeated again during the repatriation ceremony," he continued.

"It is not enough that German officials `regret' what has happened," Endrias said. He pointed to the fact that Namibian dignitaries were not formally hosted by the government but by Charite University where the skulls were kept. "This is racist arrogance!" Endrias said.

However, the activist sees the true challenge as Germany recognizing its colonial history and compensating victims for its colonial crimes. "This will change the course of history," Endrias said.

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