120 years ago today, on January 12, 1904, the Herero population rose ina mass uprising against German colonial rule. ----- The uprising waspreceded by two decades of brutal colonial oppression. In 1884, anofficial protected area of the German Empire was established on theterritory of today's Namibia under the name "German South West Africa".In the years that followed, this was increasingly expanded into acolony. Over 15,000 European settlers came to the country. The Germancolonial administration ruled with extreme brutality and the principleof racial separation. The native tribes were completely disenfranchisedand forced to vacate their land for the German colonial economy. Thesettlers used force to appropriate more and more land, therebythreatening the livelihoods of the semi-nomadic Herero.Faced with increasingly untenable conditions and the existential threatto their lives, the Herero began a resistance campaign on January 12th.Military stations were besieged, railway lines blocked and trading postsraided. The German colonial troops were surprised and forced onto thedefensive. From May, military command of the German colonial units was transferredto Lieutenant General Lothar von Trotha. He specifically relied on themethod of war of annihilation. The colonial troops now took brutalaction against the insurgents. In August 1904, von Trotha surrounded theHerero and gave an order for their destruction. The persecuted were leftwith only one choice: die in German gunfire or flee into thelife-threatening Omaheke Desert. Only a few were able to break throughthe German pocket; most of them starved and died of thirst. After theuprising was suppressed, the few survivors were interned inconcentration camps and used as forced labor by the Germans. Thecolonial oppression under the flag of the German Empire was to lastuntil the outbreak of the First World War.In the historiography of the Federal Republic of Germany, the history ofGerman colonial rule was either barely paid attention to, downplayed orjustified by bourgeois historians for a long time. Even today, thisperiod of German imperialism is not presented in school lessons in itsactual relevance and brutality. The students are told that, in contrastto Great Britain or France, the German Empire was only a "latecomer"with small, insignificant colonies.This fits with the reason of state of the Federal Republic, which, after110 years of the Herero's struggle for truth and justice, only graduallyadmitted in 2015 what could no longer be denied: the suppression of theHerero uprising was the first German genocide of the 20th century!However, there was a caveat attached to this admission: There were nolegal consequences for the current German state. The descendants of theHerero are still fighting for full recognition and reparations, althoughthe German state is trying everything to prevent this with meaninglessgestures, small symbolic payments and tough realpolitik. The role of thebourgeois Namibian state should not be forgotten, which acts as arepresentative of the interests of the Herero and at the same time andunsurprisingly betrays them.The history of the Herero uprising, its suppression and its completelyinadequate response shows us several things. They make it important thatwe continue to talk about it today: German rule in South West Africa isan impressive example of brutality - specifically German - colonialoppression. From the 17th to the 20th centuries, burgeoning capitalismstretched a web of domination and exploitation over the populations ofthe global south. The Herero uprising, like many anti-colonial uprisingsbefore and after it, proved that the oppressed populations are notcondemned to accept this rule. In many places they rose up to fight fortheir liberation. And as in many other regions, the colonial rulersresponded with even more brutal violence. The current politics ofEuropean states shows us that the global power relations that madeGerman rule in South West Africa possible still exist in theirfundamentals today. The African continent continues to be plundered bycorporations and subjected to political and military interventions. Thefact that the descendants of the Herero are still fighting for justicetoday is an impressive testimony to how little has changed. It shouldalso serve as a mission for us - as people who live and fight in theheart of the imperialist beast - to advance and intensify our fight tooverthrow these power structures.In memory of the victims of the genocide!Truth and justice for the Herero!Down with German imperialism!https://www.dieplattform.org/2024/01/12/120-jahre-aufstand-der-herero-wir-vergessen-den-voelkermord-des-deutschen-imperialismus-nicht/#more-2823_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten