Abstract:
In 2015 Germany admitted that the warfare in its colony South West Africa was tantamount to genocide. Bilateral negotiations with the Namibian government resulted in May 2021 in a so-called reconciliation agreement. This is not yet ratified. This article critically examines its limitations. It explains why this – despite being a step in the right direction – has so far been insufficient and a form of tokenism. In the absence of true efforts to reconcile with the descendants of the local communities most affected by the genocide, the government-to-government negotiations have failed so far to achieve any meaningful reconciliation.
