This collective volume reinterprets the genre of resistance studies, introduces recent conceptual perspectives and considers examples of African (civil) wars and insurgent movements. Contributions... Show moreThis collective volume reinterprets the genre of resistance studies, introduces recent conceptual perspectives and considers examples of African (civil) wars and insurgent movements. Contributions: Rethinking resistance in African history, an introduction, by Klaas van Walraven and Jon Abbink. Part I (Historical perspectives): Resistance to Fulbe hegemony in nineteenth-century West Africa, by Mirjam de Bruijn and Han van Dijk; Colonial conquest in central Madagascar: who resisted what?, by Stephen Ellis; Revisiting resistance in Italian-occupied Ethiopia: the Patriots' Movement (1936-1941) and the redefinition of post-war Ethiopia, by Aregawi Berhe. Part 2 (Social inequalities and colonial hierarchies): Ambiguities of resistance and collaboration on the Eastern Cape Frontier: the Kat River Settlement 1829-1856, by Robert Ross; African mutinies in the Netherlands East Indies: a nineteenth-century colonial paradox, by Ineke van Kessel; Absence of evidence is no proof: slave resistance under German colonial rule in East Africa, by Jan-Georg Deutsch. Part 3 (Violence, meaning and ideology in resistance): The Kawousan War reconsidered, by Kimba Idrissa; 'Sawaba''s rebellion in Niger (1964-1965): narrative and meaning, by Klaas van Walraven; The vagaries of violence and power in post-colonial Mozambique, by Gerhard Seibert. Part 4 (Resistance as heritage and memory): Herero genocide in the twentieth century: politics and memory, by Jan-Bart Gewald; 'Namibia, land of the brave': selective memories on war and violence within nation building, by Henning Melber; Dervishes, 'moryaan' and freedom fighters: cycles of rebellion and the fragmentation of Somali society, 1900-2000, by Jon Abbink Show less
This article explores the social impact of the motorcar on the relationship between the colonial State, the mission, and the Herero in Namibia in the period before 1940. It looks at how... Show moreThis article explores the social impact of the motorcar on the relationship between the colonial State, the mission, and the Herero in Namibia in the period before 1940. It looks at how perceptions of space and reality changed, how information regarding these factors and society changed, and how both Herero and European missionaries were affected by, and dealt with, the introduction of the motorcar into their midst. The article disusses the introduction of the motorcar in 1904, the car and South African colonial rule, new legislation regarding the occupation of land and Herero mobility, cars and status, the disadvantages of motor vehicles, cars and farms, the disadvantages of waggons and the use of cars by missionaries. It shows that motor vehicles became an indispensable attribute of colonial rule in Namibia. The introduction of the motorcar led to the development of new hierarchies of power and status. It brought greater mobility and, consequently, contact among people, yet at the same time it led to the loss of contact between the missionaries and large sections of the Namibian population. Includes notes and bibliographical references. [ASC Leiden abstract] Show less
Writers dealing with the Herero of Botswana have tended mostly to deal with them as a single homogeneous group. Concentrating on Ngamiland during the period 1891-1906, this article outlines and... Show moreWriters dealing with the Herero of Botswana have tended mostly to deal with them as a single homogeneous group. Concentrating on Ngamiland during the period 1891-1906, this article outlines and discusses the arrival, at different times and for different reasons, of various groups of Herero into the territory. The article indicates that prior to the Herero-German war, the majority of Herero moved into Ngamiland on account of the activities of German colonizers and the Herero chief, Samuel Maharero. In Ngamiland, Herero immigrants came to form a substantial source of support for the Batawana usurper, Sekgoma Letsholathebe. Herero-speakers in Ngamiland were strongly divided among themselves. Residual resentments from events in Namibia continued to inform their relations. With the outbreak of the Herero-German war in 1904, Herero who had fled Namibia on earlier occasions now opposed the move of Samuel Maharero into Ngamiland and found themselves supported by Sekgoma Letsholathebe. Following the deposition of Sekgoma in a coup in 1906, the position of Herero who had supported Sekgoma became increasingly tenuous and this led to their move out of the area. Notes, ref., sum Show less
This article describes the contested relationship that existed between the Herero and German missionaries in Namibia between 1900 and 1940. It argues that Herero converted to Christianity with... Show moreThis article describes the contested relationship that existed between the Herero and German missionaries in Namibia between 1900 and 1940. It argues that Herero converted to Christianity with specific aims and intentions, which were not necessarily the same as those envisaged or intended by German missionaries. In taking on aspects of the modern world, through the mediation of the mission, the Herero came into conflict with the missionaries, especially in terms of their usage of particular skills, beliefs, attitudes and activities. Focusing on music and marching bands on the one hand, and funeral rites on the other, the article shows that specific forms of music, dress, and behaviour acquired by the Herero from the Lutheran mission were often transformed in ways that were considered unacceptable by the missionaries. Although the missionaries hoped to influence the everyday life of the Herero in such a manner as to conform to their ideas of what the modern world should be, in the end the Herero sought to live their lives on their own terms and on the basis of what they considered to be modernity. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum Show less
This article suggests how oral histories can retain memories of important aspects of the past which have been totally ignored in contemporary accounts or later historical studies. It shows that in... Show moreThis article suggests how oral histories can retain memories of important aspects of the past which have been totally ignored in contemporary accounts or later historical studies. It shows that in Herero oral history in northeastern Namibia, the phrase 'Ondjira ja Korusuvero' (The Road of Love, or rather, The Road of the Man called Love), which refers to the export of labour to the South African mines, is central to an understanding of the origins of the Herero-German war (1904-1908). Similarly, in Herero oral history in northwestern Botswana, 'Ekutu ra Sero' (The Sack of Sero) refers to labour recruitment to the mines in South Africa, as well as to social circumstances in the immediate aftermath of the war. The article discusses the validity of the arguments presented in these oral histories and presents archival material that substantiates Herero oral accounts of the origins of the war. It argues that Herero oral histories offer a sophisticated analysis of the causes and the impact of the war. Notes, ref., sum Show less
In January 1904 the 'Onjembo', the Herero-German war, broke out. During the course of seven months the Herero were driven back from their ancestral homes and lands and forced to retreat into the... Show moreIn January 1904 the 'Onjembo', the Herero-German war, broke out. During the course of seven months the Herero were driven back from their ancestral homes and lands and forced to retreat into the northeastern reaches of the then German colony of South West Africa, the present-day Republic of Namibia. Following their defeat at Hamakari in August 1904, the surviving Herero were driven northeastward into the Omaheke region of the Kalahari desert basin. Prior to the battle of Hamakari German commanders had already received requests from settlers for the allocation, for labour purposes, of a number of the prisoners of war which they were expected to make. The German 'Reichskanzler' recommended that missionaries be asked to encourage the Herero to surrender and that those Herero who surrendered were "to be placed in concentration camps in various parts of the country where, under guard, they could then be used for labour". The prisoners were used by both military and civilian enterprises for a wide range of activities. In 1908 the camps were abolished and henceforth the former prisoners of war were subjected to stringent labour and pass laws. Show less
On the 12th of January 1904 a full-scale war broke out in what was then German South West Africa (present-day Namibia) between the Herero-speaking people of Namibia and imperial Germany. The war... Show moreOn the 12th of January 1904 a full-scale war broke out in what was then German South West Africa (present-day Namibia) between the Herero-speaking people of Namibia and imperial Germany. The war culminated in the issuing of the 'Vernichtungsbefehl', or extermination order, by the supreme commander of the German troops in German South West Africa, General Lothar von Trotha, in October 1904. The order stated that all Herero men in German territory were to be shot or expelled. Recently, a number of authors have sought to deny the existence, or at least downplay the implications, of the 'Vernichtungsbefehl'. However, research conducted in the Botswana National Archives, where the authentic text of the order is held, as well as in other places, has brought to light evidence which conclusively proves the existence of the 'Vernichtungsbefehl' and a conscious commitment on the part of the German colonial authorities to ensure the implementation of the order. The paper presents a copy of the original document by Trotha, written in Otjiherero, as well as a literal transcription and an English translation. App., bibliogr., notes Show less
