Ovambanderu will not boycott Genocide Remembrance Day – Ngahahe

The commemoration event will take place at Parliament Gardens in Windhoek on Wednesday.
Ngahahe’s announcement follows calls by some affected communities to boycott the official commemoration, citing historical inaccuracies, exclusion from the programme, and unresolved demands for restorative justice.
He says despite these concerns, the Ovambanderu would not shy away from commemorating a day that honours their ancestors, who suffered atrocities under German colonial rule.
“We were the first people to be massacred by the Germans in 1894, when our chief Kahimemua Nguvauva was cruelly executed. Kahimemua was shot 12 times before he died,” Ngahahe saysHe notes that following Chief Nguvauva’s death, German authorities, under Theodor Leutwein’s orders, forcibly placed the Ovambanderu under Ovaherero leadership, an act that remains a painful memory for the community.
Responding to criticism about the exclusion of some affected communities from the event’s official programme, Ngahahe says the chairperson of the Council of Traditional Authorities, Chief Immanuel Gaseb, will deliver a speech on behalf of all affected communities.
“There’s no way he will speak without coordinating with the communities concerned. This day should unify us, and it does no good to focus on who is superior to whom.”
Ngahahe says as this is the first commemoration, it is mainly organised by the government, but future commemorations will likely take different forms, much like other national days.
Ovambanderu members from Botswana are already travelling for the occasion, Ngahahe adds, urging those who are unable to attend the main event to commemorate the day at their respective commandos across Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, and abroad.
As part of the programme, the Ovambanderu women’s cultural group, Ongombe Ongohoke from Eiseb Block, as well as poet Kakomee Tjeja, are expected to perform. Additionally, the Ovambanderu community plans to remain behind after the official programme to continue their own commemorations at Parliament Gardens.