Abstract
Between 1904 and 1908, about eighty per cent of the Herero and fifty per cent of the Nama perished in what is today known as the first genocide of the twentieth century that took place in today’s Namibia under German colonial rule. Over decades, the German government has not officially recognized the genocide as such. Jephta U. Nguherimo is one of the descendants of survivors of this genocide and today lives in the United States. In his poetry book unBuried-unMarked–The unTold Namibian story of the Genocide of 1904-1908: Pieces and Pains of the Struggle for Justice that he has self-published in 2019, J. Nguherimo gives insights into long-lasting impacts of the Herero and Nama genocide, into ways of dealing with painful memories, and into processes of healing in post-genocidal contexts. This art review gives an overview of the book and discusses main features of this artistic piece: the way the poems are linked to pictures, the use of different languages, the presence of nature or the importance of intergenerational bonds. It reflects on the author’s leitmotiv: dialogue, empathy and compassion, and on the impact these could have had or could have on negotiations between Germany and Namibia on the recognition and reparation of the genocide.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5038/1911-9933.15.3.1876
Recommended Citation
Pape, Elise
(2021)
"Arts & Literature: A Review of the Poetry Book unBuried-unMarked—The unTold Namibian Story of the Genocide of 1904–1908: Pieces and Pains of the Struggle for Justice,"
Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal:
Vol. 15:
Iss.
3:
13–17.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5038/1911-9933.15.3.1876
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/gsp/vol15/iss3/5
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