Words cannot be found : German colonial rule in Namibia : an annotated reprint of the 1918 Blue Book

The 1918 'Blue Book' report on the natives of South West Africa (now Namibia) and their treatment by Germany is based on the voluntary statements taken under oath of no less than 50 African witnesses. This testimony was combined with numerous German colonial documents to produce an indictment of German colonial policy in German South West Africa. However, within ten years of being printed, orders were issued for the destruction of all copies of the Blue Book within the British Empire. The editors of the present volume investigate how the Blue Book came into being, provide background information to the events and people described and examine the original German documents upon which much of the Blue Book material is based. Part 1 presents a survey of the history of South West Africa from the time Europeans first penetrated into it, shows the methods by which Germany proceeded to establish its dominion and gives an account of the atrocities committed against the natives, including the Hereros, Hottentots, Berg-Damaras, the Bastards of Rehoboth, the Ovambos and the Bushmen. Part 2 is devoted to an analysis of the position of the natives under the criminal law