The Weeping Graves of our Ancestors
Rukee Tjingaete
ISBN 9789994585403
Published by Dr. Rukee Tjingaete, 2017
From the Preface
The story flows from the sounds of gun-fire which rattled behind the rocks and valleys of our land for many years and caused the suffering and displacement of Namibia communities.
This is a story about Mbakondja, which is a common Herero name meaning "I have struggled". He symbolises many of the unsung heroes in the resistance whom we have never heard of.
The message suggest that we cannot free ourselves from the past until both the victims and the villains are atoned with Germany's imperial past in Namibia. The past is like the shade of a thorn tree that covers a pile of thorns to inflict the pain on those stepping on it... Our past is symbolised by the weeping graves of the victims, villains and martyrs that we find today everywhere in Namibia.
This novel attempts to tell a story about us that have been told by others for us. This story cries for dialogue about why affected communities are seeking reparation, restorative justice and reconciliation for the genocide that was committed against us.
