Thrive Mahua has said Berlin’s response to the OvaHerero-Nama genocide lags behind Holocaust accountability
A descendant of Namibia’s OvaHerero and Nama peoples, Thrive Vinomaandero Mahua, has called for greater accountability and reparations from Germany over its colonial-era atrocities in Namibia.
The OvaHerero and Nama genocide, carried out by the German Empire in present-day Namibia between 1904 and 1908, was the first genocide of the 20th century. It targeted the two groups through a campaign of ethnic extermination and collective punishment in what was then German South West Africa.
Speaking to RT, Mahua recounted the personal toll the genocide had taken and expressed frustration over the prolonged delay in reaching a just resolution. She said the events tore families apart, and it was only after Namibia’s independence that many displaced individuals were able to reconnect with their relatives.
Although Berlin officially recognized the genocide of the OvaHerero and Nama peoples in 2021, more than a century after the atrocities, negotiations over reparations have remained deadlocked. The transition to a new German government, she added, has only introduced further uncertainty about whether these talks will resume.
Mahua noted that a proposed €1.1 billion aid package was rejected by traditional leaders from both affected communities, who argued that the funds should be allocated directly to survivors and their descendants, rather than to national development projects.
Mahua stated that no monetary figure could ever truly compensate for the suffering inflicted. “What is the price for a life?” she asked.
She further argued that the Namibian genocide deserves the same level of recognition and accountability as the Holocaust, pointing out that many practices later associated with the Nazis, such as concentration camps, had earlier precedents in her country during the German colonial occupation. According to Mahua, it is inconsistent for Berlin to take full responsibility for one atrocity while treating another with markedly less seriousness.
“As the descendants of those that have been affected, we should not allow them to forget days such as the Genocide Remembrance Day,” Mahua stressed. She emphasized the need for continuous public engagement, remembrance days, and open discussion.
“We need to make it uncomfortable,” she said, urging activists to keep speaking out until there is a meaningful response.
