DID YOU KNOW THAT?

On This Day: In 1904 German troops opened fire on unsuspecting Ovaherero/Herero people in Okahandja, Namibia. The Ovaherero and other Namibian people were opposed to any surrender of their lands to foreign powers. Led by Samuel Maharero, th...e Supreme Chief of the Ovaherero, they had initial success in repulsing the German troops. However, the Germans had greater firepower and began a genocidal policy against the Ovaherero. Between 1903 and 1907 German troops killed approximately 65,000 Ovaherero people. The genocide was part of Germany’s imperial efforts in Africa, as many European nations attempted to acquire land throughout the continent during this time. In 1985, the United Nations' Whitaker Report classified the aftermath as an attempt to exterminate the Herero and Nama peoples of South-West Africa, and therefore one of the earliest attempts at genocide in the 20th century.
 

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