Echoes of the past : The legacy of the Herero-Nama genocide in Namibia

• Main Author: Lyrefelt, Jonatan
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Stockholms universitet, Socialantropologiska institutionen 2020
• Subjects: Genocide legacy; collective memory; narrative and silencing; Social Anthropology; Socialantropologi
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-193346

This thesis explores the legacy of the Herero-Nama genocide that occurred in 1904 to 1908 by examining the descendant’s narrative in contrast to the preeminent state narrative. I investigate both these narratives from the emic perspective of the Herero people in Namibia, who today are a minority group. By following the narrative, I discover the fundamental emplotments and multidimensionality in the genocide narrative imperative which are tribal democracy, nationhood and ancestral land. My informants imply that the genocide is a neglected and buried memory in contemporary Namibia, and I apply theoretical concepts such as Werbner’s immediate memory and anti-memory, but also Trouillot’s notion of silencing to understand in what way the state narrative is being amplified by the ruling government, subsequently silencing the genocide. At the same time, I also want to see how the genocide narrative is being maintained in a milieu of silencing forces. The genocide is still a sensitive topic among the descendants who feel that the dignity of their ancestors has been tarnished throughout the 20th century. In Herero religion ancestor spirits hold an utterly pivotal role as mediators between the living and god.