“Our problem is that we don’t write papers”. – Co-authoring by scholar–activist tandems as a strategy to decolonize research on the Ovaherero and Nama genocide of 1904–1908: A conversation

The German colonial genocide against the Ovaherero and Nama (1904–1908) has gained significant scholarly attention in recent decades, particularly within the field of Memory Studies. While this growth has increased public recognition, structural imbalances within the scholarship persist. Drawing on empirical research in Germany and the experiences of Ovaherero and Nama descendants in Namibia and the diaspora, we explore how to more actively integrate victims and their descendants into academic debates. Co-authored by a German scholar and a Namibian reparation activist, our contribution models alliances grounded in “research in solidarity” (Kössler, 2021) and based on a shared decolonial agenda. We argue that the marginalization of oral traditions and the absence of community voices in written academic discourse reproduce colonial dynamics. Scholars must therefore value oral knowledge, and create inclusive spaces of knowledge production. We conclude by proposing principles for future scholarship in the Namibian–German context and for the broader project of decolonizing Memory Studies.