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jambo
3300 Posts |
 Posted - 10 Oct 2007 : 15:12:16
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I thought this might be of interest
German family's Namibia apology
The descendants of a German officer responsible for mass killings in 1904 in Namibia have met the representatives of the Herero people to seek pardon.
Descendants of Lothar von Trotha, who ordered the killing of Herero people, expressed deep shame over their ancestor's actions and apologised.
Tens of thousands were killed or died of starvation when the general tried to crush an uprising over land ownership.
The German government has declined Herero demands for an apology.
The chiefs of six Herero royal houses met representatives of the von Trotha family in the central Namibian town of Omaruru.
"We, the von Trotha family, are deeply ashamed of the terrible events that took place 100 years ago. Human rights were grossly abused that time," Wolf-Thilo von Trotha said as he addressed the gathering.
"We say sorry, since we bear the name of General Lothar von Trotha. We however do not only want to look back, but also look to the future."
This is the first time anyone has publicly apologised for the 1904 killings, the BBC's Frauke Jensen in Namibia says.
The von Trotha representatives travelled to Omaruru at the invitation of Herero Supreme Chief Alfons Maharero, the grandson of Samuel Maharero who led the uprising in 1904.
Chief Maherero used the occasion to draw attention to the unresolved demand for reparations from the German government.
"We demand a dialogue with the present German government to obtain restorative justice," he said.
Another member of the von Trotha family, Ulrich von Trotha, emphasised that his family was on a private visit.
"Our family cannot become involved in the demand for reparations from a government," he told AFP news agency.
Although the German government has previously expressed "regret" at the killings, it has stopped short of an apology.
Our correspondent says the German government feels that an apology might bring new demands for reparations, and says its obligations to Namibia are fulfilled by its current role as Namibia's main aid donor.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news. bbc.co.uk/ go/pr/fr/ -/2/hi/africa/ 7033042.stm
Published: 2007/10/07 23:07:34 GMT
© BBC MMVII
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serenata
Germany
1400 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2007 : 16:38:07
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Shame on the German government. The von Trotha Clan at last proves to be a respectable family.
How did other colonialists, like UK, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium etc. handle such cases? The Belgians, just to mention one, killed thousands of people in Congo. Did they apologize? |
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turk
USA
3356 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2007 : 00:13:22
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No serenata. Germans got the punishment they paid the price. However, the focus on jewish and armenian killing (I am not taking anything from these ethnic groups who are indeed victims). But unfair focus on germany and less degree turkey only while doing nothing about other tragedies in the world is not fair.
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diaspora! Too many Chiefs and Very Few Indians.
Halifa Salah: PDOIS is however realistic. It is fully aware that the Gambian voters are yet to reach a level of political consciousness that they rely on to vote on the basis of Principles, policies and programmes and practices. |
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Prince
507 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2007 : 03:37:01
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From what I can understand from the article, the German government didn't apologize for her actions.
A media savvy family is trying to exploit the descendants of the humiliated people of Namibia by coming to the spotlight.
Therefore, their is no reason for other European countries to follow suit.
Mr. von Trotha wasn't representing his family in Namibia! |
"When injustice becomes law, rebellion becomes duty." |
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