Idea #528 – Meeting the Herero People in Namibia
Hereros are people of Southern Africa of the Bantu linguistic group speaking the héréro, established at present about 320 000 people. Most of them live in Namibia, and some groups in the Botswana where they occupy jobs little qualified as farm labourers for the countrymen, either as domestics or street vendors for the city-dwellers. In Angola, some groups been similar in Héréros, few, live the traditional life of the peoples ministers.
In 1904, Héréros lifted up itself against the German colonization of their territory. They were then victims of a wild repression ruled by general Lothar von Trotha, who declares: “all the Hereros have to leave the country. If they do not make it, I shall force them with my big artillery there. All Herero discovered within the limits of the German, armed or disarmed, with or without cattle, will be shot down. I do not accept either woman or child. They have to leave or die. Such is my decision for the people Herero.” His decision results in the first genocide of the XXth century, which leads to the 80% extermination of Héréros and 50 % of Namas. So, between 1904 and 1911, the héréro population of the South West Africa passed from 80 000 to 15 000 individuals.
While the custom wanted that the Hereros women are topless, the German missionaries, by prudery, educated the populations to dress totally, and introduced them to the sewing. The women Hereros are still dressed in long dresses which go up to the ground and cover themselves the head of this very curious victorian hat, said ” horn “. The people Herero kept the know-how of the sewing, and continuous to live on the sale of tissue and on small made articles.
Where is it ?
Opuwo, Namibia