Publication:
Ondjembo yo Null Vier—Fraitaxtsēs sores tsîn ge ra≠gâ (The Gun of Null Vier—
Even Friday’s Sun Sets) 
by Ixmucané Aguilar
Archive Books, 2024

As a history that has at times been ignored, underestimated, or even outright denied, the genocide in Namibia is an especially sensitive and critical matter. In the book-as-documentary The Gun of Null Vier—Even Friday’s Sun Sets, visual artist Ixmucané Aguilar engages in a long-term and collective process with Nama and OvaHerero communities who vividly recall memories and rituals of mourning caused by human loss and land dispossession under Germany’s colonization. From these personal encounters emerge a multi-layered portrait of the genocide in Namibia, consisting of living voices which insist on defending memory. Through portraits, testimonies, ancestral narratives, chants, and mourning rituals, OvaHerero and Nama people share their accounts in present-day Namibia, while also acknowledging that other communities in Namibia have similarly endured these historical crimes.  

At the book launch at HKW, marking 120 years since the Namibian genocide, guests from Namibia are hosted, including social advocates Sima Luipert and Ellison Tjirera, alongside Wolfgang Kaleck (ECCHR). They offer insights into the political and historical significance of the genocide. Ixmucané Aguilar will present the book, articulating it as a document of historical memory, while artists Nesindano Khoes Namise and Prince Kamaazengi Marenga put forth a series of performative practices with linguistic and aural interpretations. Parallel to the event, visitors are invited to engage with the book and its sonic counterpart, which broadcasts the voices featured within. The publication is available at Archive Souq Bookstore in HKW.

Programme 

16:00–16:15
Opening remarks by Wolfgang Kaleck (ECCHR), introducing the topic of the Namibian genocide in the context of international law

16:15–16:30
Ixmucané Aguilar on the book as a document of historical memory

16:30–17:30
Panel Discussion, Performance
Sociologist Ellison Tjirera and human rights defender Sima Luipert set the context for the contemporary political and social aspects related to the Namibian genocide, its connection to Germany, and its transgenerational impact. 

The panel discussion concludes with a performance by artist and activist Prince Kamaazengi Marenga that blends Otjiherero praise singing and chanting, resonating with the moment when Namibian skulls were returned from Germany to Namibia.

17:30–18:00
Performance
Performance poet and activist Nesindano Khoes Namise offers a site-specific performance in vocal gestures and movement, which explores the uses and significance of ochre, a pigmented soil in Namibia. Noting its survival up to the present day, the performance looks at how the relationship shared between people and land is an intimate one and that practices linked to nature can inform how best to be in relation to it.