Territories of Knowledge
Rooted in Agency and Resilience, United in Justice
122 Years of Unbroken Resistance and the March to Restorative Reparation. An Ovaherero symposium as part of the opening weekend for the second season of Fractured Lifeworlds
10. October 2026
09.30-19.00
09.30-19.00
Save the Date
For free
For Youths and Adults
in English
Over October 10 and 11, Fractured Lifeworlds opens its second season with an extensive program and dialogue with representatives of the Ovaherero Genocide Foundation (OGF) and the Nama Traditional Leaders Association (NTLA). Curated by OGF Chairperson Nandiuasora “Nandi” Mazeingo and Chief Coordinator for Ovaherero Reparative Justice Prince Kamaazengi Marenga, Rooted in Agency and Resilience, United in Justice brings together prominent scholars, Namibian traditional leaders, and civil society advocates to examine 122 years of Ovaherero living history.
The program explores the harrowing conditions of survival during the Ovaherero genocide, histories of diasporic survival, the systemic devastation caused by land dispossession, displacement, and exile, as well as legal strategies and frameworks for restorative justice and the Joint Declaration.
This initiative offers an opportunity to meet those caring for, representing, and advocating for restorative justice, while critically engaging with the bilateral Joint Declaration and its Addendum between Germany and Namibia.
On October 10, we invite guests to experience Ovaherero cultural practices, rotating panel discussions, and historical folklore music throughout the enitre day.
Program
09:30 – Welcoming Words & Introduction:
Ovaherero worship and prayers led by spiritual leaders, followed by an opening poem by Prince Kamaazengi Marenga
10:00 – Panel: 122 Years of Living History & Cross-Border Survival
Historical introduction to the Ovaherero context, living history, and endurance
11:00 – Panel: Exile, Diaspora, and Rebuilding Across Borders
Panel on Ovaherero experiences of genocide and the resulting displacement into neighbouring territories, the formation of diasporic communities, and strategies of survival, recovery, and rebuilding across borders.
12:00 – Panel: Desert Crossings, Concentration Camps, and Forced Labour
Panel on the extreme conditions of survival during the genocide: from forced journeys across the Kalahari Desert into British- and Portuguese-occupied territories in present-day Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa to concentration camps and forced labour sites in Windhoek, Okahandja, Omaruru, Omburo, Karibib, Swakopmund, and Shark Island.
13:00 – LUNCH BREAK
14:00 – Panel: Dispossession, Exile, and the Loss of Sovereignty
Panel on the systemic devastation caused by the dispossession of land and cattle, forced displacement and exile, demographic collapse, and the erosion of Ovaherero political and social sovereignty, as well as the forms of marginalisation that continue into the present.
15:30 – Panel: Beyond Genocide — The Struggle for Restorative Justice & Legal Fronts
Panel on legal strategies and frameworks for restorative justice concerning the Ovaherero genocide.
16:30 – Panel: Deconstructing the Joint Declaration and Its Addendum
A critical examination of the bilateral Joint Declaration between Germany and Namibia and its addendum.
17:30 – Musical Performance: Ovaherero Folklore Music and Cultural Performance
Traditional music and folklore performances focusing on the historical memory of the Ovaherero genocide, complemented by an interactive dialogue featuring perspectives from the visiting delegation.
18:00 – Final Remarks
Conclusion with a preview of subsequent parliamentary advocacy and the coordinated push for official recognition of the Ovaherero genocide and reparative justice within the German Bundestag.
