Jeremy Sarkin Talks about His Research for Germany’s Genocide of the Herero
Jeremy Sarkin’s book, Germany’s Genocide of the Herero, tells of violent retaliation against the indigenous Herero people of Namibia when they rebelled against their German occupiers. As a result, between 60,000 and 100,000 Herero were killed. Sarkin talks about the genesis of his work, saying the book emerged out of a lecture he gave at the Law Faculty at the University of Namibia on Transitional Justice in 2001.
Sarkin says that his book will help shed light on the present-day climate of Namibia and the Herero claims of reparations, adding that the Herero genocide may have served unconsciously as a training exercise for the Holocaust:
Germany’s Genocide of the Herero: Kaiser Wilhlem II, His General, His Settlers, His Soldiers emerges out of my work in Namibia over a number of years. This came about as a result of a lecture I gave to the Law Faculty at the University of Namibia in Windhoek on Transitional Justice in 2001. I was visiting the country as an external examiner for the University of Namibia. A number of former students, including two former Directors of the Legal Assistance Centre in Windhoek, attended that lecture and recommended that I pay the Chief of the Herero a visit at Namibia’s Parliament, which I did. The Chief and I spent a number of hours talking then, and on many subsequent occasions. He then appointed me his legal advisor.
My involvement in field of Transitional Justice more generally however began when I played a role as Commissioner (from 1991) and then National Chairperson (from 1994 to 1997) of the Human Rights Committee (formally the Human Rights Commission, and before that the Detainees’ Parents Support Committee) in South Africa. This organisation lobbied and focused part of its work on dealing with the past and the establishment, appointment processes, and workings of the TRC. During the life of the TRC, I had different interactions with the Commission, including attending various hearings and meetings, as well as running a monthly seminar at the TRC (together with a TRC staff member) on topics related to the work of the Commission. My work has also dealt with the past, and with other transitional issues, in a number of countries around the world.
Book details
- Germany’s Genocide of the Herero: Kaiser Wilhelm II, His General, His Settlers, His Soldiers by Jeremy Sarkin
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EAN: 9781919895475
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