Namibian women first endured Germany's colonial-era genocide. But for generations they have been at the forefront of not letting their people's history slip away, despite successive, repressive regimes - from German colonialism, to apartheid while Namibia was under South African rule.
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00:00Women's stories have long been omitted from colonial history, or even twisted.
00:05In Namibia, during German colonial rule, countless Nama and Ovaherero women fought for their
00:10survival.
00:11In the concentration camps, like those at Swakopmund and Shark Island, women were abused
00:15by German soldiers, who spread sexually transmitted diseases.
00:20German records from the time insinuated that women did not produce enough children on purpose
00:25as an act of resistance against colonialism.
00:28They called it a birth strike, or even race suicide.
00:32They also proposed giving rewards to those who bore many children.
00:36Still, Namibian women not only sustained their families through these traumatic events, they
00:41ensured their communities' survival.
00:44When German colonialism ended, Namibia came under white minority rule and apartheid during
00:48South Africa's administration, until independence in 1990.
00:52Today, women still fight to be treated with respect and for recognition of their historical
00:57contributions.
00:59When Herero activist Esther Mwinyangwe visited the German town of Freiburg in 2010, she found
01:04boxes with bones and skulls of Herero and Nama people in the university's archive.
01:09Together with other affected communities, she took action with government support.
01:14As a result, in 2014, these human remains were brought back to Namibia.
01:19Today, young activists have joined women like Esther Mwinyangwe to ensure that women's
01:23voices are heard.
01:25These women stand their ground, just like those before them.