3/2025 Finnish missionaries and the Herero uprising

The Kaiser’s Holocaust: Germany’s Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism (2011) by David Olusoga and Casper W. Erichsen has recently been published in Finnish, translated by Mika Rönkkö (Vastapaino). The book provides a detailed account of the horrific genocide committed by German colonial rulers in South-West Africa in the early 20th century. Finnish readers may find particular interest in the role of Finnish missionaries, who had been working in the region since 1870, not far from the events described in the book. However, to readers’ disappointment—or perhaps relief—Finns are not mentioned in the text. In this piece, I will shed some light on their position as witnesses to the genocide.

Though Namibia, as South-West Africa is known today, might seem like a distant and unfamiliar to Finns, the presence of Finnish missionaries in the area in the late 19th century establishes a deeper connection than one might expect. In fact, this region represents the most remote part of the world with which Finns have maintained a continuous and close relationship for over 150 years. More specifically, the Finnish point of contact with what is now Namibia lies just north of the Herero-populated area, in Ovamboland.

Ovamboland, as a concept, still evokes certain images for many Finns. It is worth noting, however, that this name, like Hereroland and Namaland, originates from colonial vocabulary and is no longer used in Namibia except in reference to that historical context. The Kaiser’s Holocaust describes an era when such names were still assigned by colonial rulers. The way local people defined and named places, as well as their perspectives on historical events, differed significantly from those of the conquerors.

The first Finnish missionaries and craftsmen from the Finnish Missionary Society arrived in northern Namibia in 1870. Before settling there, they spent about a year with German missionaries in Otjimbingwe, one of the key locations in The Kaiser’s Holocaust. During their time there, they learned the Herero language, closely related to the languages spoken by the Ovambos in the north.

The distance from Otjimbingwe to Ovamboland is about 600 kilometres. The journey through roadless desert was arduous, requiring weeks of travel by ox-drawn carriages. The progress of Finnish missionary work was equally slow, as the congregation did not begin to grow until the beginning of the 20th century. The hard-won results of their efforts partly explain why the Finns sought to keep the Ovambos uninvolved in the Herero uprising. In their letters home, they lamented the fate of the Herero and expressed disapproval of German actions but refrained from outright criticism of German presence or colonialism itself.

Historian Essi Huuhka has examined the attitudes and reactions of Finnish missionaries towards the Herero genocide. Ovamboland was isolated from the rest of southwestern Africa, and colonial rule practically did not extend there. Information about the war reached Ovamboland relatively slowly, but there was awareness of what was happening to the neighboring people. News spread in newspapers, letters, and word of mouth. For example, the Finns learned about the Waterberg massacre a couple of weeks after it occurred, and some Herero refugees also arrived in Ovamboland seeking shelter.

(Swakopmund Cemetery, Namibia. Picture: Sakari Löytty)

In their correspondence, the missionaries condemned the violence committed by both sides. However, as their primary sources of information were German, their perspective was neither neutral nor entirely accurate. According to Huuhka, such condemnation of both parties was typical among missionaries in Ovamboland. Nevertheless, the Finns seemed to recognize early on that the Germans’ actions went beyond retaliation and aimed at the systematic extermination of the Herero people.

In missionary thinking, the course of events also took on spiritual meanings. Their relationship with the war was twofold: on the one hand, they felt compassion and sought to aid those in distress; on the other hand, they saw it as part of God’s grand plan, beyond human comprehension.

Though the violence was concentrated beyond the vast desert, its shadow extended to Ovamboland. One local ruler, Nehale lyaMpingana, chief of East Ondonga, launched an attack on the German fortress of Namutoni, but the conflict remained isolated. Otherwise, the Ovambos refrained from joining the war.

Martti Rautanen, a leading Finnish missionary, served as an advisor to Kambonde kaMpingana, ruler of Western Ondonga. According to historian Martti Eirola, Rautanen primarily acted as a conduit of information and an interpreter between the Germans and Kambonde. Fluent in both German and Ndonga, he influenced both sides. The Germans recognized that opening a new front in the populous north would be unwise while they were already engaged in war in central and southern regions. Similarly, Ovambo leaders saw little reason to engage in conflict as long as the Germans remained at a distance. Their decision to abstain from war was based on their own territorial interests—the same interests that had driven the Herero and Nama to resist German rule.

Rautanen is not the only Finn who acted as a mediator and interpreter in discussions between the Germans and local populations. Antti Piirainen, a craftsman among the first Finns to arrive in Ovamboland, later left the missionary society and settled in Omaruru in Hereroland. He witnessed and facilitated negotiations when the Herero of Omaruru accepted the German “protected area” agreement in 1885, a document drafted by Heinrich Göring and already signed by Herero leader Maharero.

(Battle of Namutoni Memorial site, Namibia. Picture: Sakari Löytty)

Despite the vast distance between South-West Africa and Europe, news traveled relatively quickly, reaching Finnish newspapers. Even General Lothar von Trotha’s infamous extermination order against the Herero was translated into Finnish and published verbatim.

The primary reason for Finnish interest in Namibia, however, was the missionary work that had begun decades before the Herero and Nama uprisings. Missionaries were closely followed in Finland through magazines, books, and other publications. Particularly popular were the letters from missionaries, which provided vivid accounts of daily life in Ovamboland. Returning missionaries toured congregations and schools, sharing reports from the “Empire of the Heathen.” Across Finland, supporters gathered in sewing circles and missionary meetings. The extensive and long-standing dissemination of information about Ovamboland shaped Finnish perceptions of Africa as a whole.

Interest in Namibia surged again in the 1980s as its struggle for independence gained momentum. For years, Namibia—often referred to as the Last Colony—was a focal point of global attention. The issue resonated strongly in Finland, as Martti Ahtisaari, later the President of Finland, served as the UN’s envoy and peace negotiator during Namibia’s path to independence, which was finally achieved in 1990. A Finnish battalion was also deployed as part of the UN peacekeeping forces overseeing the transition.

Thus, knowledge of Namibia has been widely accessible in Finland. However, The Kaiser’s Holocaust may still come as a revelation to many Finnish readers. While African history studies mention the Herero and Nama uprisings, the brutal German reprisals, and the overall death toll, this book presents a far more detailed and unsettling narrative of key figures and events. Like all great historical works, it brings the past to life with striking clarity. After reading it, one can no longer regard the fate of the Nama and Herero under German colonial rule as a mere historical footnote from a distant land.

For me, the book delivered an especially personal shock. Its vivid description of the concentration camps in Swakopmund, my birthplace, struck a deep chord. After reading it, the carefree enjoyment of tourists like myself in that tranquil yet undeniably beautiful seaside town, surrounded by picturesque sand dunes, now feels disturbingly incongruous.

Olli Löytty, Associate Professor of Literature and Creative Writing, University of Turku

[This is a shortened and edited version of a text published as an epilogue to the Finnish translation of The Kaiser’s Holocaust.]

Bibliography

Eirola, Martti (1992) The Ovambogefahr: the Ovamboland reservation in the making: political responses of the Kingdom of Ondonga to the German colonial power 1884–1910. Pohjois-Suomen historiallinen yhdistys.

Heininen, Simo (2024) Afrikan kutsu. Ensimmäiset suomalaiset lähetyssaarnaajat. Suomen Kirkkohistoriallinen Seura.

Huuhka, Essi (2017). ”Kamalaa kuuluu Hereromaalta”: Suomalaisten Ambomaan-lähetystyöntekijöiden suhtautuminen hereroiden kansanmurhaan 1904–1905. Suomen kirkkohistoriallisen seuran vuosikirja.

Kaartinen, Marjo, Koivunen, Leila and Shiweda, Napandulwe (eds.) (2019) Intertwined Histories: 150 Years of Finnish-Namibian Relations. University of Turku.

Koivunen, Leila, & Merivirta, Raita (eds.) (2024). Colonial Aspects of Finnish-Namibian Relations, 1870–1990: Cultural Change, Endurance and Resistance (Vol. 21). Finnish Literature Society.

Löytty, Olli (2007) Kun Ambomaa tuli Suomeen. In Suomalaisen arjen historia. Modernin Suomen synty. Chief editor Kai Häggman, Weilin+Göös.

Merivirta, Raita, Leila Koivunen & Timo Särkkä (eds.) (2021) Finnish Colonial Encounters: From Anti-Imperialism to Cultural Colonialism and Complicity. Palgrave Macmillan.

Peltola Matti (1994) Martti Rautanen – mies ja kaksi isänmaata. Kirjapaja.

Rantanen, Pekka & Ruuska, Petri (2008) Alistetun viisaus. In Anu-Hanna Anttila, Ralf Kauranen, Olli Löytty, Mikko Pollari, Pekka Rantanen & Petri Ruuska: Kuriton kansa: poliittinen mielikuvitus vuoden 1905 suurlakon ajan Suomessa. Vastapaino.