Ovaherero, Ovambanderu recount genocide experience

Ovaherero and Ovambanderu communities from Namibia, Botswana and South Africa gathered at Karakubis, Botswana, from Saturday to Monday to reflect on the genocide and to discuss strategies for the preservation and promotion of their culture.

The Otutjindo History Genocide Conference focused on personal stories of individuals affected by the genocide committed by German forces against the Ovaherero community from 1904 to 1908. It also included discussions on the 1896 war, which involved the Ovambanderu community and led to the migration of many people to neighbouring Botswana and South Africa.

Event organiser and cultural activist Raurau Hangero describes the Otutjindo conference as a groundbreaking event, distinct from traditional politics, and designed to include everyone impacted by past atrocities.

“The Otutjindo History Conference is the first of its kind. Not that we have not heard of anything similar in the past, but this one stands out because we were looking specifically at Ovaherero and Ovambanderu footprints. It is based on where we came from, from Namibia, it extends beyond our current settlement or our forefathers’ settlement currently in Namibia, where they came from before they settled in Namibia,” he says.

The indaba also provided a platform for former war victims to share their stories, particularly their experiences in foreign countries, especially in Botswana and South Africa.

Hangero further emphasises that the conference was organised to create a path forward for promoting and preserving the Ovaherero culture, as many individuals who left or were born in foreign lands have lost the connection with their culture and forgotten their languages.

“A majority of the population in Botswana lost touch with their native tongue, not by choice, but due to the devastating genocide conflict that posed a great danger to their cultural heritage. Through this workshop, we aim to correct these injustices,” Hangero says. – Nampa