“Sorry for the Genocide” is a documentary journey into a complicated but shared history between Namibia and Germany that is still very much present today.
Between 1904 and 1908, German colonial troops killed up to 100,000 people in what is now Namibia, a crime that historians describe as the first genocide of the 20th century.
More than a century later, Germany wants to officially recognize this genocide and apologize with the so-called “Joint Declaration.” But the agreement is meeting with resistance within the affected communities. In particular, the descendants of the Ovaherero and Nama, as well as the San and Damara communities, who were directly affected by the atrocities, feel excluded. Their voices remain unheard in the negotiations between the two governments. They demand justice and a say in their own history.
The film gives everyone a voice in order to achieve what has failed so far—a reconciliation that involves all parties and raises the question of a shared future.