Vice president Lucia Witbooi on Tuesday said Namibia and other African countries will not have an easy road to claim reparations for past injustices but should push for dialogue to receive compensation for past colonial atrocities.
Speaking at the Open Societey Africa in Windhoek themed ‘Understanding Namibia: the Land of the Brave’, Witbooi said women should guide countries to achieve restorative justice.
She told those in attendance that the issue of restorative justice is not a favour to Africans but an important issue that needs urgent redress.
She was speaking in relation to the push by Namibia to get reparations from Germany for the attrocitoes committed by the former colonial power in 1904.
German is responsible for the massacre of over 100 000 Nama and Ovaherero people in an ethnic cleansing meted out against the native resistance againstcolonial rule.
The dark chapter has been recorded on the continent as one of the worst colonial atrocities against Africans.
“The faithfulness of the process is paramount and that means listening to the voices of the people. Reparations are not a matter of political expedience; we must listen to the people. Reparations must not divide us,” she said.
Witbooi said Namibians have proven their ability to fight oppression in both pre and post independence eras.
“Restorative justice must be holistic. It is not only about compensation but environmental restoration. Therefore the issue of Shark Island must be treated with care,” she said.
She said the role of women in the fight for justice cannot be underestimated, adding that African women who have been the victims of sexual abuse have stood firm in to advocate for the rights of all.
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