Herero Heroes

About this book

This book describes the manner in which the Herero of Namibia struggled to maintain control over their own freedom in the face of advancing German colonial control. The Herero-German war led to the destruction of Herero society in all of its pre-war facets. Yet Herero society re-emerged, re-organizing itself around the structures of the German colonial army, and beliefs of the Rhenish mission. Taking advantage of the South African invasion of Namibia in World War One the Herero established themselves in areas of their own choosing. The effective reoccupation of land by the Herero forced the new colonial state, anxious to maintain peace and cut costs, to come to terms with the existence of Herero society. The study ends in 1923 when the death and funeral of Samuel Maharero - first paramount of the Herero and then resistance leader - was the catalyst that brought the disparate groups of Herero together to establish a single unitary Herero identity.