BBC Pidgin of Friday, 28 May 2021

Source: BBC

Germany officially gree say dem commit genocide for Namibia hundreds of years ago

Germans wey go di kontri kill tens of thousands of Herero and Nama pipo for di early 20th Century Germans wey go di kontri kill tens of thousands of Herero and Nama pipo for di early 20th Century

Germany don officially gree say dem commit genocide during dia colonial reign of Namibia, and dem don announce support wey worth $1.34bn.

Germans wey go di kontri kill tens of thousands of Herero and Nama pipo for di early 20th Century massacres.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas tok say im kontri dey ask Namibia and descendants of victims for forgiveness.

But activists say di aid no go reach to tackle di suffering wey pipo don suffer.

Dem go pay dis money across 30 years. E go go into infrastructure, healthcare and training programmes wey go benefit di communities wey dey affected.

"We go now officially call wetin happen wetin e really be as from today: genocide," Mr Maas tok, as e add say tins wey happen during colonial-era no suppose be tins wey pipo go dey use one side of dia mouth to discus.

One tok-tok pesin for di Namibian government tell tori pipo AFP say dis one wey Germany don gree for dia past actions na "di first step in di right direction".

Reconciliation: European kontris wit Africa

Dis dey come as European kontris don begin say sorry for di bad tins dem do African kontris during dia white-man rule of di past.

On 27 May, France President Emmanuel Macron agree say im kontri follow cause di 1994 genocide for Rwanda and e hope say di African kontri go forgive France.

And for 2019, Belgium apologize say dem kidnap thousands of mixed-race children from Congo between 1959 and 1962, during dia colonization.

In di case of Italy, di former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, for 2008 promise $5bn "sorry" investment money to Libya, wey di European kontri occupy for 1911.

Wetin happun during di Namibia genocide?

Friday statement dey come after five years of tok-tok wit Namibia - wey bin dey under Germany rule between 1884 to 1915.

Di UN define genocide as when pesin kill, wit di mind to destroy, all or part of any national, ethnic, racial or religious group.

Di genocide begin for 1904 afta di pipo of Herero and Nama do I-no-gree ontop di way Germans dey take over dia land and cattle.

Germany come respond wit violence. Di head of di military administration, Lothar von Trotha, order for di kill-kill of all di population.

Dem come force di Herero and Nama pipo wey survive to go live for desert. And later, dem put dem inside jail wia dem turn dem to slave.

Many of dem die from disease, exhaustion and lack of food. Dem sexually assault some and use odas for medical experiment.

Tori be say 80% of di indigenous population die during di genocide.

Germany President Frank-Walter Steinmeier dey plan to travel go Namibia to officially apologise.

Wetin campaigners dey tok?

Laidlaw Peringanda, wey be Herero activist and chairman of di Namibian Genocide Association, say di offer of development support from Germany no reach.

"We no go accept di offer because our pipo no get hand again, dem lose dia culture and many of dem run go Botswana, South Africa and dem carry some go Togo and Cameroon," im bin tell di BBC World Service.

E also tok about how di minority pipo no get dia own land and how if dem no address am, pipo fit begin use force take any land wey dia leg touch.

Jürgen Zimmerer, professor of global history of University of Hamburg, many of di descendants of di genocide victims feel say nobody carry dem along.

"Dis na big problem if true true na reconciliation na di main focus," im tok. "How you go reconcile with di victims if di victims no dey part of di whole process?"