The Berlin Conference: The Herero and Nama Genocide

In this episode of The Berlin Conference series, Lucas and Luna explore the Herero and Nama genocide in German South West Africa (present-day Namibia) from 1904 to 1908. They discuss the roots of German colonial settlement, the cattle theft and land dispossession that sparked the uprising, the pivotal battles at Waterberg and the Omaheke desert, and the brutal extermination order issued by General Lothar von Trotha. The conversation covers the role of the Schutztruppe, the concentration camps on Shark Island, the medical experiments of Dr. Bofinger, and the death toll—over 75,000 Herero and 10,000 Nama. They also touch on the legacy of this genocide, including its contested label as the first genocide of the 20th century, the 1985 UN Whitaker Report, and the ongoing legal and diplomatic struggles for recognition and reparations from Germany. The episode concludes with a reflection on how the Berlin Conference's logic of effective occupation enabled colonial violence on a genocidal scale. #Herero #Nama #Genocide #GermanSouthWestAfrica #LotharvonTrotha #Waterberg #SharkIsland #Schutztruppe #Namibia #Colonialism #ExterminationOrder #WhitakerReport #20thCentury #Africa #BerlinConference #History #FexingoHistory #ColonialViolence #ScrambleForAfrica #KingLeopold Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo