This chapter unravels the complexities of resistance to, and collaboration with, the British colonizers of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, by the inhabitants of the Upper Kat River Valley. Since... Show moreThis chapter unravels the complexities of resistance to, and collaboration with, the British colonizers of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, by the inhabitants of the Upper Kat River Valley. Since the Khoikhoi landholders of the valley had received their land as a result of British action against the Xhosa, and had generally accepted the precepts of mission Christianity, it could on the one hand be expected that they would fight on the side of the British against the Xhosa. On the other hand, they were subjected to racist attacks by the British settlers whose farms they defended, and by British officials. In addition, the ethnic distinction, on which the British acted, between Xhosa and Khoikhoi was more tenuous than they generally assumed. As a result, in the successive wars on the Eastern Frontier, the stance taken by the Khoikhoi was often uncertain, and finally led to a minority joining the Xhosa, and thus going into rebellion against the British. Notes, ref., sum. [Book abstract] Show less
Between 1904 and 1908 imperial Germany pursued an active policy of genocide in German South West Africa, present-day Namibia. This chapter analyses the manner in which, during the course of the... Show moreBetween 1904 and 1908 imperial Germany pursued an active policy of genocide in German South West Africa, present-day Namibia. This chapter analyses the manner in which, during the course of the twentieth century, numerous people in varying contexts have sought to use the genocide perpetrated upon the Herero to further their own ends. It charts the manner in which a historical event has come to be deployed for varying and, at times, contradictory interests by German social democrats and English imperialists through to anti-Apartheid activists and postcolonial tribalists. It has been used to strengthen arguments that range from colonial policies through to claims that call for ethnic autonomy and compensation. Notes, ref., sum. [Book abstract] Show less
Between 1904 and 1908 imperial German troops committed genocide in German South West Africa, present-day Namibia. African survivors of the war were cruelly treated, placed in camps and put to work... Show moreBetween 1904 and 1908 imperial German troops committed genocide in German South West Africa, present-day Namibia. African survivors of the war were cruelly treated, placed in camps and put to work as forced labourers. This paper addresses the question of why German soldiers and settlers committed these atrocities. It argues that they were never directly ordered to commit such atrocities; instead, a social space was created in the central and southern Namibia of 1904-1908 in which the atrocities were deemed acceptable. In Germany, the concept of a German Empire with colonies developed to such an extent that it came to be seen as a necessity, a 'natural' destiny of Germany. However, the reality of the colony did not reflect the idealized image of German settlers and soldiers. In addition, events in China had indicated to German soldiers that the transgression of the limits of correct behaviour in a war situation was legitimated by the highest authority, the Kaiser. These factors, combined with the dreadful circumstances in which German volunteers found themselves in Namibia, contributed to the crimes committed. Bibliogr., notes, ref. [ASC Leiden abstract] Show less
A rising against French colonial rule in central Madagascar (1895-1898) appeared in the 1970s as a good example of resistance to colonialism, sparked by France's occupation of Madagascar. Like... Show moreA rising against French colonial rule in central Madagascar (1895-1898) appeared in the 1970s as a good example of resistance to colonialism, sparked by France's occupation of Madagascar. Like many similar episodes in other parts of Africa, it was a history that appeared, in the light of later African nationalist movements, to be a precursor to the more sophisticated anticolonial movements that eventually led to independence, in Madagascar and elsewhere. In the light of the later history of nationalism, however, it is instructive to revisit the rising of the 'menalamba' (red shawls) in Madagascar and to reconsider the episode. Notes, ref., sum. [Book abstract] Show less
This chapter examines the lack of evidence regarding slave resistance in German East Africa and the related question of whether the colonial stereotype of the 'docile slave' is true. It starts... Show moreThis chapter examines the lack of evidence regarding slave resistance in German East Africa and the related question of whether the colonial stereotype of the 'docile slave' is true. It starts with a brief surmise of the history of slavery and an analysis of slave actions in the period concerned (1890-1914). The labour history of population movements in Unyamwezi in central Tanzania is taken as a case study. The chapter concludes that the colonial stereotype of the submissive slave is highly misleading. The social heterogeneity of servility prevented slaves from taking concerted militant action. However, it should be acknowledged that this diversity was the result of protracted everyday struggles by individual slaves for a better life in their places of residence. [Book abstract] Show less
The colonial conquest of Namibia was extremely brutal. Repressive controls continued in the decades that followed as exemplified by the South African colonial administration's regulation of the... Show moreThe colonial conquest of Namibia was extremely brutal. Repressive controls continued in the decades that followed as exemplified by the South African colonial administration's regulation of the production and consumption of alcohol by the territory's black African inhabitants. Nonetheless, the colonial State's policies were inconsistent and vigorously opposed at every turn by differing sections of the black population. In this chapter, the unlikely alliance of two of the territory's Herero urban groups, the 'Otruppe', illiterate Herero men, and the female 'khari' beer brewers, is examined. During the 1920s and 1930s, they faced the colonial State's attempts to undercut and ultimately eradicate the illicit production of alcohol through the establishment of a Location Advisory Board. In so doing, they were pitted against the colonial State and a newly emerging Herero political elite. The 'angry young men' of the 'Otruppe' and the Herero women brewers proved to be an invincible alliance that managed to evade colonial regulations on alcohol. Bibliogr., notes, ref. [ASC Leiden abstract] 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
This chapter reviews the history of anthropology in Namibia, focusing on the work of Guenther Kurt F. Wagner, who was appointed as Assistant Government Anthropologist for South West Africa in 1949... Show moreThis chapter reviews the history of anthropology in Namibia, focusing on the work of Guenther Kurt F. Wagner, who was appointed as Assistant Government Anthropologist for South West Africa in 1949. Wagner's unpublished work, 'Ethnographic survey of the Windhoek district' (1951), shows that Windhoek was not occupied by antagonistic tribes in the 1950s. The study echoes Brigitte Lau's work on southern Namibia which, in contrast to the work of Heinrich Vedder, argues for an understanding of Namibian history which emphasizes cooperation instead of conflict. A new look at Wagner's work shows that in the urban area of Windhoek in the 1950s, there was more unity among the city's black inhabitants than an initial glance would seem to imply. Wagner's work is of particular relevance in Namibia today, where ethnic tension appears to be on the increase. An African Renaissance will be impossible if ethnic tensions do no decrease. Bibliogr., notes. [ASC Leiden abstract] Show less
The papers brought together in this volume were originally presented at a symposium on the culture, history and economy of the Otjiherero-speaking people - the Herero and the Himba - of Namibia,... Show moreThe papers brought together in this volume were originally presented at a symposium on the culture, history and economy of the Otjiherero-speaking people - the Herero and the Himba - of Namibia, which was held in Siegberg, Germany, in September 1997. The papers are grouped in five parts: The emergence of pastoral strategies and social developments in southwestern Africa (contributions by Andrew B. Smith, Thomas Frank, Tilman Lenssen-Erz and Wilhelm J.G. M”hlig) - Formations and transformations of pastoral societies (Dag Henrichsen, Jan-Bart Gewald, Hildi Hendrickson, Wolfgang Werner) - The economic organization of livestock husbandry in the 20th century (Michael Bollig, Itaru Ohta, Ute Stahl, Giorgio Miescher) - Conceptualizations of environment and society (Steven van Wolputte, Andreas E. Eckl, David Crandall, Christofer W„rnl”f) - Maintaining pastoral identities on the periphery (Jeremy Silvester, Thomas Widlok, Ruy Duarte de Carvalho). The papers are preceded by an introduction on the transformations of pastoral society in Namibia by Michael Bollig and Jan-Bart Gewald. Show less
Access to land is increasingly becoming a problem in Africa as a result both of population growth and tenure reforms. The standard argument for tenure reform centres on the role of uncertainty in... Show moreAccess to land is increasingly becoming a problem in Africa as a result both of population growth and tenure reforms. The standard argument for tenure reform centres on the role of uncertainty in discouraging investment on land held without long-term security. The rationale for this 'replacement' paradigm, however, can be questioned on economic, ecological and social grounds. The history of land tenure reform in Kenya, especially that of group titles in the semiarid areas, is a case in point. The Maasai pastoralists, in particular, have lost huge amounts of land, first to the Boers and other white settlers under colonialism, and now they face an influx of agricultural groups and large-scale capitalist farmers following the individualization of land held under statutory group title in the wake of the failure of the group ranches introduced in the late 1960s. The commoditization of land and the creation of a land market have led to a rapidly growing stratification in the Maasai area. A number of lessons can be drawn from the Kenyan experience, in particular of group tenure, for land reform policy in postapartheid South Africa, viz. interventions should build on local land tenure practices; group titles can be instrumental in assisting large groups of less well-off people; and movement toward individual tenure reform should be initiated only when technical and socioeconomic conditions warrant it. Show less
Among the manuscripts in the 'Umar Falke Collection at Northwestern University is a poem about .Ham_ahu 'll_ah, the 20-th century Tij_an_i shaykh and reputed 'wal_i,' born c. 1883. He was exiled by... Show moreAmong the manuscripts in the 'Umar Falke Collection at Northwestern University is a poem about .Ham_ahu 'll_ah, the 20-th century Tij_an_i shaykh and reputed 'wal_i,' born c. 1883. He was exiled by the French colonial government in the 1920s, and later in 1941, and he died in France in 1943. He attracted considerable attention since his emergence as a Sufi religious leader in West Africa, particularly in Nioro du Sahel (Mali). Although a number of scholars have written about .Ham_ahu 'll_ah and his disciples within the socioeconomic and political contexts of French colonialism, the religious aspects of the .Hamawiyya branch of the Tij_aniyya (in European writing often called .Ham_aliyya) have received inadequate attention. The poem in praise of .Ham_ahu 'll_ah, which is included in this paper in Arabic with an English translation, provides an entry into the discourse of sainthood which surrounded .Ham_ahu 'll_ah. Notes, ref. 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
De aandacht gaat met name uit naar de ontwikkeling van de infrastructuur. Daarbij wordt nagegaan in hoeverre de bestaande concepten van transportontwikkeling in (West-)Afrika de Togolese processen... Show moreDe aandacht gaat met name uit naar de ontwikkeling van de infrastructuur. Daarbij wordt nagegaan in hoeverre de bestaande concepten van transportontwikkeling in (West-)Afrika de Togolese processen kunnen helpen verklaren. Show less
