German gov't urged to respond to Namibians' reparation call

The German government was urged to respond to Namibians' call for reparation for the genocide from 1904 to 1908, local media reported on Sunday. Karas Regional Governor Bernardus Swartbooi was quoted by Namibia Press Agency (Nampa) as saying that enough time has passed since the affected people have called for reparation but the German government never responded. He called on all Nama, OvaHerero and OvaMbanderu people to stand firm and continue to demand reparation from the German government. The offspring of the affected tribes must sacrifice everything they have to make sure that reparation happen, he said, blaming the Germans for the poverty that some Namibian people are going through today. Thousands of Nama and Herero people died between 1904 and 1908 at the hands of the then German colonial government in Namibia. The skulls of some victims were transported to Germany to be used in purported research to prove that white people are superior to Blacks. Twenty skulls were returned from Germany early this month. The skulls are currently stored at the National Museum in Windhoek.