Berlin, 07/07/2021
Dear Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel,
Dear Foreign Minister Heiko Maas,
Dear Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Dr Gerd Müller,
Namibia is living through a humanitarian catastrophe. The country had long had low Covid-19 infection rates, but the Southern winter has brought a very rapid increase in infections, serious illnesses and deaths. At the time of writing, the country has nearly run out of vaccines and had to stop first dose vaccinations. The Namibian Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, speaks of an existential crisis unlike any Namibia has ever experienced. So far, fewer than 5% of the 2.5 million Namibians have had a first vaccination, and less than 1% are fully vaccinated. The 7-day incidence stands at 400, and more than 500 people have died within the last 15 days. With 15 per million inhabitants, the daily fatality rate is five times higher than in neighbouring South Africa. The situation is most serious in the capital Windhoek with its 400.000 inhabitants; in all probability, the alarming positivity rate of 40% of tested persons is linked to the presence of the delta variant. The country is not only running out of vaccines, but it experiences severe shortages of oxygen, respirators, medical masks, protective gear and hospital beds, and has too few qualified health practitioners to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Hospitals are overwhelmed, and many patients have to be sent away to fend for themselves. Curfews and hygiene measures, huge civil society engagement and private efforts by actors of the Namibian economy can barely attenuate the situation.
Due to its colonial past, Germany carries a special historic and political responsibility towards Namibia – a responsibility the Federal Government has affirmed as recently as May 2021. Faced with the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Namibia, we call upon the German Government to live up to this responsibility by immediate and unbureaucratic action. Just as would be the case during other catastrophes, Namibia needs immediate support through medical relief for the treatment of severely ill patients, through the supply of vaccines and if necessary through the deployment of medical personnel.
With best regards,
Prof. Dr. Heike Becker, Kapstadt/Berlin
Prof. Dr. Michael Bollig, Köln
Dr. Larissa Förster, Köln/Berlin
Dr. Dag Henrichsen, Basel
Dr. Anette Hoffmann, Köln
Prof. Dr. Reinhart Kößler, Freiburg/Berlin
Christian Kopp, Ahrensburg/Berlin
Prof. Dr. Henning Melber, Uppsala
Initial signatories:
- Sheila Julie Akakpo, Köln
- Arbeitskreis HAMBURG POSTKOLONIAL
- Arbeitskreis Panafrikanismus München
- Margarete Arendt, Leipzig
- Dr. Bruno Arich-Gerz, Aachen
- Prof. Dr. Iman Attia, Berlin
- Prof. Dr. Thomas Bayer, Neu-Ulm
- Dr. Manuela Bauche, Berlin
- Barbara Becker, Bordesholm
- Prof. Dr. Daniel Bendix, Friedensau
- Olaf Berg, Osnabrück
- Berliner Entwicklungspolitischer Ratschlag, BER
- Berlin Postkolonial
- Dr. des. Julia Binter, Berlin
- Prof. Dr. Klaus Birkhofer, Cottbus
- Prof. Dr. Uwe Bittlingmayer, Freiburg
- Bianca Bodau, Berlin/Heidelberg
- Janntje Böhlke-Itzen, Flensburg
- Prof. Dr. Jan Börner, Bonn
- Andreas Bohne, Berlin
- Dr. Anna-Maria Brandstetter, Mainz
- Pfr. Dr. Markus Braun, Köln
- Dr. Medardus Brehl, Bochum
- Prof. Dr. Peter Breunig, Frankfurt
- PD Dr. Bettina Brockmeyer, Potsdam
- Klaus Brückner, Berlin
- Bündnis “Völkermord verjährt nicht!”
- Prof. Dr. Sebastian Conrad, Berlin
- Pascal Cromm, Aalen
- Prof. Dr. em. Helene Decke-Cornill, Hamburg
- Prof. Dr. Inés de Castro, Stuttgart
- Tahir Della, Berlin
- Prof. Dr. Ana Deumert, Kapstadt
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sozial- und Kulturanthropologie (DGSKA)
- Deutsch-Afrikanische Gesellschaft, Dafrig
- Kaya de Wolff, Tübingen
- Dr. Ute Dieckmann, Köln
- Prof. Dr. Hansjoerg Dilger, Berlin
- Hamado Dipama, München
- Prof. Dr. Gregor Dobler, Freiburg
- Dr. Hauke Dorsch, Mainz
- Prof. Dr. Dorle Dracklé, Bremen
- Prof. Dr. Heike Drotbohm, Mainz
- Prof. Dr. Andreas Eckert, Berlin
- Dr. Andreas Eckl, Bochum
- Prof. Dr. Ulf Engel, Leipzig/Berlin
- Peter Engert, Wiesbaden
- Assoz. Prof. Dr. Birgit Englert, Wien
- Corinna Ernst, Trier
- Marie Erz, Köln
- Dr. Ulrike Flader, Bremen
- Dr. Karl-Christoph Flick, Bielefeld
- Christel Fomm, Köln
- Coletta Franzke, Leipzig
- freiburg-postkolonial
- Thomas Fues, Berlin
- Thomas Gatter, Bremen
- Gesprächskreis Deutschsprachiger Namibier, Swakopmund
- Martina Gockel, Köln
- Jun.-Prof. Dr. Matthias Goldmann, Frankfurt am Main
- Dr. Clemens Greiner, Köln
- Dr. Martina Grimmig, Bremen
- Prof. Dr. Bernd-Stefan Grewe, Tübingen
- Gesa Grimme, Berlin/München
- Prof. Dr. Reimer Gronemeyer, Gießen
- PD Dr. Johannes Großmann, Tübingen
- Dr. Martin Gruber, Bremen
- Pfr. Dr. Claudia Haarmann, Sils am Domleschg
- Pfr. Dr. Dirk Haarmann, Sils am Domleschg
- Judith Hackmack, Berlin
- Laura Hartmann, Marburg
- Dr. Matthias Häussler, Bochum
- Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hein, Hamburg
- Prof. Dr. Andreas Heinz, Berlin
- Dr. Robert Heinze, Trier/Warschau
- Andreas Heinz
- Bernd Heyl, Gross-Gerau
- Werner Hillebrecht, Windhoek
- Gunter Hilliges, Bremen
- Dieter Hinrichs, München
- Prof. Dr. Manfred Hinz, Bremen
- Prof. Dr. Rolf Hofmeier, Hamburg
- Dr. Martin Hoheisel, Erlangen
- Sonja Hohenbild, Berlin
- Dr. Javier Gago Holzscheiter, Bremen
- Prof. Dr. Julia Hornberger, Johannesburg
- Rita Horstmann, Köln
- Prof. Dr. Felix Huber, Wuppertal
- Dr. Annette Hübschle, Kapstadt
- Carolin Hulke, Köln
- Dr. Justine Hunter, Frankfurt am Main
- Sarah Imani, Berlin
- Informationsstelle Südliches Afrika, ISSA
- Initiative Schwarze Menschen in Deutschland, ISD-Bund
- Uwe Jaenicke, Berlin
- Alissa Jahn, Sulingen
- Dominic Johnson, Berlin
- Jonathan Jung, Marburg
- Dr. Sandra Junglen, Berlin
- Wolfgang Kaleck, Berlin
- Linus Kalvelage, Köln
- Prof. Dr. Susan Kamel, Berlin
- Prof. Dr. Robert Kappel, Berlin
- Dr. Margrit E. Kaufmann, Bremen#
- Carolin Kaus, Wiesbaden
- Prof. Dr. Ina Kerner, Koblenz
- Liana Kindermann, Köln
- Ulrike Kirsch, Leipzig
- Dr. Sabine Klocke-Daffa, Tübingen
- Prof. Dr. Thomas Kirsch, Konstanz
- Dr. Annett Kitsche, Brandenburg
- Joachim Knab, Köln
- Simone Knapp, Heidelberg
- Prof. Dr. Michi Knecht, Bremen
- Bertchen Kohrs, Windhoek
- Michael Korbmacher, Münster
- Godwin Kornes, Freiburg
- Dr. Mario Krämer, Köln
- Dr. Michael Kraus, Göttingen
- Fabian Krautwald, Princeton/Karlsruhe
- Prof. Dr. Matthias Krings, Mainz
- Prof. Dr. Gesine Krüger, Zürich
- Sabrina Krümpelmann, Bremen/Berlin
- Martin Kühn, Flensburg
- Prof. Dr. Jan-Heiner Kuepper, Cottbus-Senftenberg
- Konradin Kunze, Berlin
- Prof. Dr. Susanne Kuss, Freiburg
- Prof. Dr. Michael Lederer, Furtwangen
- Leipzig postkolonial
- Prof. Dr. Katja Lembke, Hannover
- Dr. Tilman Lenssen-Erz, Köln
- Prof. Dr. Ilse Lenz, Bochum/Berlin
- Dr. Dörte Lerp, Berlin
- Hanns Lessing, Hannover
- Dr. Susann Lewerenz, Hamburg
- Cornelia Limpricht, Hamburg
- Prof. Dr. Ulrike Lindner, Köln
- William Blakemore Lyon, Berlin
- Dr. Jutta MacConnell, Mainz
- Hans-Christian Mahnke, Windhoek
- Mainzer Arbeitskreis Südliches Afrika, MAKSA
- Prof. Dr. Christoph Marx, Essen
- Dr Wolfgang Massing, ehem. Botschafter in Namibia
- Klaus Maßmann, Lotte
- Mnyaka Sururu Mboro, Moshi/Berlin
- Prof. Dr. Andreas Mehler, Freiburg
- Cecilia Mertens, Flensburg
- Prof. Dr. Angela Mickley, Potsdam
- Christa Morgenrath, Köln
- Dr. Frank Müller, Bremen
- Lars Müller, Hannover
- Prof. Dr. Detlef Müller-Mahn, Bonn
- Dr. Marie Muschalek, Freiburg/Konstanz
- Ulla Mussgnug, Karlsruhe
- Theo Mutter, Malsfeld
- Dr. Christfried Naumann, Berlin
- Heiner Naumann, Kleinmachnow
- Dr. Patrick Neveling, Bournemouth
- Lisa Niemann, Willingen
- Monika Nitsch, Düsseldorf
- Norbert Noisser, Frankfurt
- Prof. Dr. Nelly Oelze, Flensburg
- Österreichische Namibia-Gesellschaft
- Dr. Aisha Othman, Frankfurt
- Prof. Dr. Eleftheria Paliou, Köln
- Dr. Helma Pasch, Köln
- Helgard Patemann, Neuenkirchen
- Dr. Antony Pattathu, Tübingen
- Prof. Dr. Julia Pauly, Hamburg
- Maike Pertschy, Berlin
- Prof. Dr. Kay Pfaffenberger,Flensburg
- Prof. Dr. Kerstin Pinther, Berlin
- PD Dr. Kristin Platt, Bochum
- Ruprecht Polenz, Sonderbeauftragter der Bundesregierung für die Verhandlungen mit Namibia, Münster
- Dr. Lee J. Pratchett, Berlin
- Dr. Michael Pröpper, Hamburg
- Matthias Rebentisch, Bremen
- Howard Rechavia-Taylor, Berlin/New York
- Brigitte Reinhardt, Bonn
- Prof. Dr. Brigitte Reinwald, Hannover
- Julia Rensing, Freiburg/Basel
- Ursula Richenberger, Hamburg
- Prof. Dr. Regina Römhild, Berlin
- Dr. Verena Rodatus, Berlin
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Corinna Rohn, Wiesbaden
- Kathrin Roller, Berlin
- Helga Roth, Gross-Gerau
- Prof. Eberhard Rothfuß, Bayreuth
- Dr. Alexandra Sandhage-Hofmann, Bonn
- Regina Sarreiter, Berlin
- Prof. Dr. Walter Sauer, Wien
- Barbara Scharfbillig, Wittlich
- Ben Schernick, Windhoek
- Linda Lou Schädlich, Leipzig
- Dr. Rita Schäfer, Essen
- Prof. Dr. Albert Scherr, Freiburg
- Dr. Hans-Georg Schleicher, Berlin
- Ilona Schleicher, Berlin
- Bettina Schleier, Bremen
- Prof. Dr. Michael Schnegg, Hamburg
- Christian Scholz, Hamburg
- Prof. Dr. Katharina Schramm, Bayreuth
- Dr. Felix Schürmann, Erfurt
- Thorsten Schütte, Ludwigsburg
- Martin Schütte
- Dr. Anne Schumann Douosson, Frankfurt
- David Schwake, Berlin
- Dr. Karin Seeber, Darmstadt
- Corinna Seer, Trier
- Thomas Siepelmeyer, Münster
- Horst Simon, Berlin
- Solidarische Kirche im Rheinland
- Solidaritätsdienst International, SODI
- Helin Evrim Sommer, MdB Die LINKE, Berlin
- Paul Spies, Berlin
- Ute Stahl, Köln
- Frank Steffen, Windhoek
- Prof. Elmar Steurer, Neu-Ulm
- Dr. Holger Stoecker, Göttingen/Berlin
- Prof. Dr. Anne Storch, Köln
- Volker Strähle, Dresden
- Marion Strang-Naumann, Kleinmachnow
- Dr. Rolf Sukowski, Berlin
- Suni
- Dr. Kirsten Tackmann, MdB Die LINKE, Berlin
- Axel Thoma, Osnabrück
- Magdalena Brörmann-Thoma, Osnabrück
- Prof. Dr. Gerhard Tötemeyer, Swakopmund
- Ursula Trüper, Berlin
- Dr. Hauke Vehrs, Köln
- Vereinigung für Afrikawissenschaften in Deutschland, VAD
- Dr. Oliver Vogels, Köln
- Ottmar von Holtz, MdB Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, Berlin/Hildesheim
- Anton von Wietersheim, Swakopmund
- Claudia Wagner, Meschernich
- Lester Wand, Berlin
- Ronakeh Warasthe, Flensburg
- Dr. Heiko Wegmann, Freiburg
- Prof. Dr. Heribert Weiland, Freiburg
- Dr. Cordula Weißköppel, Bremen
- Gertrud Wellmann-Hofmeier, Hamburg
- Prof. Dr. Christa Wichterich, Bonn
- Ingeborg Wick, Berlin
- Prof. Dr. Thomas Widlok, Köln
- Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, Bundesministerin a.D., Wiesbaden
- Charlotte Wiedemann, Berlin
- Siegfried Wittig, Berlin
- World University Service (WUS) Deutsches Komitee
- Prof. Dr. Hajo Zeeb, Bremen
- Dr. Joachim Zeller, Berlin
- Prof. Dr. Bodo Zeuner, Berlin
- Christian Zimmer, Berlin
- Prof. Dr. Jürgen Zimmerer, Hamburg
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wilfried Zörner, Ingolstadt
Additional signatories:
- AFROTAK TV cyberNomads
- Amo – Braunschweig Postkolonial e.V.
- Amt für Mission, Ökumene und Weltverantwortung der Evangelischen Kirche von Westfalen
- Arbeitskreis Namibia im Ev. Kirchenkreis Düsseldorf
- Wolfgang Baar, Düsseldorf
- Bernd Bibra, Berlin
- Prof. Dr. Manuela Boatcă, Freiburg
- Dr. Nicola Brandt, Windhoek / Hamburg
- Katrin Brehmer, Palma de Mallorca
- Prof. Dr. Sabine Broeck, Bremen
- Prof. Dr. Richard Bußmann, Köln
- Joachim Dührkoop, Düsseldorf
- Dr. Iris Edenheiser, Leipzig
- Dr. Beatrix Hoffmann-Ihde, Freiburg
- Angela Jensen, Trier
- Dr. Kirsten Kappert-Gonther, MdB B90/Die Grünen, Berlin
- Dr. Victoria Kempf, Hamburg
- Adetoun Kueppers-Adebisi, Berlin
- Michael Kueppers-Adebisi, Berlin
- Dr. Jonatan Kurzwelly, Göttingen
- Lutz Mauk, Berlin
- Prof. Dr. Philipp Oswalt, Potsdam
- Prof. Dr. Barbara Plankensteiner
- Katharina Ramm, Ibbenbüren
- Dr. Uta Reuster-Jahn, Hamburg
- Lorenz Rollhäuser, Berlin
- Dr. Britta Rutert, Berlin
- Prof. Dr. Klaus Schneider, Jülich
- Alexandra Senfft, Fuchstal
- Mareike Späth, Hannover
- Fachstelle Südafrika / Südafrika Forum NRW
- Prof. Dr. Matthias D. Witte, Mainz
We would like to thank all supporters of this open letter and ask for your understanding that no further signatories can be accepted.
