Racial capitalism and genocide in Namibia: A call for transformative reparations

Harry Boesak and Shaun Whittaker argue that the genocide in Namibia from 1904 to 1908 was not merely an act of racial hatred but a calculated capitalist project. This project aimed to seize land, confiscate cattle, dismantle indigenous economies, and create a landless labor force for German settler capitalism. The authors contend that subsequent systems, including land dispossession, migrant labor, apartheid, and the current extractive economy, were built upon this violent foundation of racial capitalism. They emphasize that political independence in 1990 altered leadership but left the underlying economic structure largely intact, with the consequences of genocide continuing to shape Namibia today. The article asserts that reparations should go beyond apologies and symbolic gestures to include meaningful economic transformation, such as land and wealth redistribution, greater public control over mineral resources, rural development, and universal public services. They stress that reparations must be transparently shaped with the full participation of affected communities, not just political or traditional elites. The authors also link Namibia's situation to a broader global reparations movement, highlighting that reparations alone are insufficient without a concurrent class struggle to dismantle the structures that perpetuate inequality. They conclude that a just future requires both racial justice and economic transformation, with reparations forming part of a wider effort