Activists and descendants of 1904-1908 genocide victims raised concerns over the absence of, particularly, genocide in the education curriculum.
They raised these concerns during a panel discussion ahead of the official commemoration this week.
Theatre is a powerful tool to use in telling Namibia's history and a place to articulate the pain and gains.
These sentiments were shared by two creatives who created a play titled "Coming Home Dead", a story that tells the 1904-1908 genocide.
The concentration camps established in Namibia during German colonial rule represent one of the darkest chapters in the country's history, which is the 1904 to 1908 genocide against the OvaHerero and Nama people.
Calls for reparative justice and national unity took centre stage during the Genocide Remembrance Day commemoration held at Swakopmund.
As Namibia observed the Genocide Remembrance Day through decentralised commemorations across the country, community members in Opuwo joined leaders in reflecting on the legacy of the 1904-1908 genocide against the Ovaherero and Nama people.
Human rights lawyer Norman Tjombe says international law and the right to justice for historical genocide are central to Namibia’s Genocide Remembrance Day, although he notes that the 1948 UN Genocide Convention is technically not retroactive and does not cover the 1904-1908 genocide against the Herero and Nama.
The Deputy Minister of International Relations has said the Genocide Remembrance Day should not be viewed as a tribal event for the Ovaherero and Nama communities alone, but should be viewed as an event for all Namibians.
The Ovaherero and Nama genocide remains one of the darkest chapters in Namibia's history, an era marked by deep suffering, loss and displacement. For many Ovaherero and Nama families, the painful memories of that time still live on through stories passed down from generation to generation.
The Windhoek High Court on Tuesday heard that there was no urgency to elect a new Ovaherero “Paramount Chief” after the death of the late Ombara Otjitambi Vekuii Rukoro in 2021, but there was urgency to establish a transitional committee to manage the process.
The Erongo Governor has invited residents to gather in big numbers at Swakopmund to honour the victims of the 1904 to 1908 Ovaherero and Nama genocide during Genocide Remembrance Day commemorations next week.
