Nama, Ovaherero take Shark Island fight to UN

In a bid to stop the planned expansion of the Lüderitz port due to fears the development might erase the site of the former Shark Island concentration camp, the Nama Traditional Leaders Association (NTLA) and Ovaherero Traditional Authority (OTA) last month submitted an urgent appeal to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).CERD is a United Nations (UN) body which consists of independent experts who monitor implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.In a statement issued yesterday, the two groups said the planned extension poses imminent risk to the former concentration camp, a key site in the German colonial genocide perpetrated against the Nama and Ovaherero people between 1904 and 1908.The expansion is part of the government's broader plan to put infrastructure in place which will play a key role in the budding green hydrogen industry.Urgency“The time frame indicated by Namport in a presentation provided to NTLA in April shows construction commencing early in 2025, which underlines the urgency of the need for intervention,” the statement read.“The proposed port expansion will not only affect Shark Island, but will also disturb the resting place of many Nama and Ovaherero who died there. This is likely to happen through underwater dredging [as well], disturbing the remains of victims whose bodies were thrown into the water.”The two groups stressed the need to address the question of the remains, adding that there should be an agreed plan on how to memorialise and protect the burial sites. They also claimed that the planned extension desecrates and undermines the identity of a marginalised, racialised community with a legacy of genocide and creates a base for accentuated violation of the rights of such communities. ‘Wanton disregard’“The wanton disregard for the site in previous developmental activities shows disdain for the history of the genocide and the new plans would effectively erase all traces of this disastrous event on the national psyche as well as that of the community,” the Nama and Ovaherero leaders said.They want the port expansion plans halted, pending consultations with the affected communities due to the importance of the site.“We urge the committee to address this matter with urgency in view of its immediate impact on the community, its long-term detrimental impact on the narration of Namibian history through the erasure of a key site of genocide, and the failure to consult and engage with the community in making a decision whose impact will further ossify structural racial discrimination in Namibia. We call on the committee to adopt a decision calling on the Namibian government to stop its activity immediately and engage in consultation with the community,” the statement noted.

Nama, Ovaherero take Shark Island fight to UN

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-04-18

Please login to leave a comment

Nama, Ovaherero take Shark Island fight to UN

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-04-18

Please login to leave a comment

Login