The „Southwest Africa Monument“ is a war memorial in honour of the German soldiers who died in the genocide against the Herero and Nama (1904-1908). Like the Bismarck Tower, for example, it is one of the places that are an unreflected and glorifying reminder of Göttingen’s colonial past.
Despite years of protests against the monument, the city of Göttingen refuses to take a critical look at it, reinterpret it or tear it down. We clearly advocate a critical examination of this monument; there should be no places that positively commemorate and glorify the colonial past.
English translation: “But a monument like the one that still stands here in Göttingen… It was shocking for me, I didn’t expect it. And it either has to go, completely go, or you have to organize city tours, for example, to say: our city was also involved in the genocide of the Herero and Nama.” – Israel Kaunatjike
On the corner of Geismar Landstraße and Friedländer Weg, hidden behind bushes, stands the South West Africa Memorial. It was commissioned in 1910 by members of the 2nd Kurhessian Infantry Regiment No. 82 and commemorates four German soldiers who died in the genocide of OvaHerero and Nama. From 1904-1908, Regiment No. 82 sent a total of 42 volunteers from Göttingen to the then colony of “German South-West Africa”, which was located on the territory of the former Namibia, in a war that is now considered a genocide.
It is estimated that between 60,000 and 80,000 OvaHerero and Nama were murdered at the time. The effects of the genocide and German colonial rule can still be felt today. OvaHerero and Nama continue to fight for recognition, apologies and reparations. It was not until 2021 that the colonial crimes of the German “Schutztruppe” were recognized as such by the Federal Republic of Germany. Between 2015 and 2021, the Namibian and German governments negotiated how to deal with their colonial past, agreeing on the sum of 1.1 billion euros to be spent over the next 30 years, primarily on so-called development projects. Official representatives of OvaHerero and Nama were not included in the negotiations. To this day, they are still demanding, among other things, the return of the land, up to 70% of which is still owned by descendants of German colonialists.
So why is there still a monument in Göttingen today that honors the perpetrators of the genocide?
There have been protests against the monument since the 1970s. In 1978, a group from the Communist League of West Germany (KBW) removed the bronze eagle sitting on a globe. The eagle’s head was auctioned off on May 1, 1978 and the money was transferred to the Zimbabwean liberation movement ZANU. In 2000, the head was tracked down by historian Dr. Joachim Zeller and handed over to a student group at the University of Windhoek.
Following further protests from civil society, the city of Göttingen erected an additional plaque in 2007, which only briefly mentions the crimes.
In recent years, there have also been repeated protest actions, such as the wrapping of the memorial in 2020 with the statement: “Tear down racism, decolonize Göttingen!” or graffiti covering the Plexiglas pane attached to protect the memorial plaque. In addition, OvaHerero activists such as Israel Kaunatjike and Dr. Ngondi Kamaṱuka addressed the city of Göttingen with a request for joint clarification and modification of the memorial.
The City of Göttingen is well aware of the problem. In November 2022, the cultural administration presented a concept for the culture of remembrance in Göttingen, with colonialism and the involvement of the 82nd Regiment as well as the South West Africa memorial at the top of the list of issues to be addressed. Whether this concept is actually implemented and financed depends on the political will of the city council. Nothing has changed in recent months and no will to implement the concept can be perceived from the city’s politicians.
“Thank you for taking me to this monument. Although it is hidden, I don’t know how many people can see the monument. There’s so many bushes, you know, around it, that I don’t think anyone can see it. But the point is what is written on it… It honours the soldiers from Germany, who went to Namibia and who killed our people. There’s no mention of the victims. Now, if you want to talk about healing. Between all of us. I think that we acknowledge the crime that was committed, and you cannot apologise for anything unless you truly, truly show remorse. That I’m remorseful. I have done wrong. I’m asking for forgiveness. I come to you and ask for forgiveness. You don’t come to me as a perpetrator of the crime and tell me what fashion that apology has to take. That’s unacceptable.” – Dr. Ngondi Kamatuka
Coming to terms with genocide – only together with those affected!
Together with the Amaru Art and Community Center, Göttingen Postkolonial wants to work through these stories in a victim-centered way with descendants of those affected and victims of the genocide. You can support this through this fundraising campaign:
Donate now for “Decolonize Göttingen Swakopmund” at our partner betterplace.org
Links for more information about the monument (texts and websites are in German):
Göttingen Colonial War Memorial – Reappraisal of Freiburg Postcolonial
