Mama Namibia: Based on True Events

by Mari Serebrov

A powerful historical novel based on true events from the first genocide of the twentieth century.

In 1904, Germany wages a war of extermination against the Herero and Nama people of South West Africa, now Namibia. Twelve-year-old Jahohora loses her family in a German ambush and is forced into the Omaheke Desert, where survival means hiding from soldiers, enduring thirst and hunger, and holding on to hope when everything familiar has been taken from her.

At the same time, Kov, a Jewish doctor serving in the Kaiser’s army, has volunteered to prove his loyalty to the Fatherland. But as he witnesses the cruelty inflicted on the Herero and Nama people, his faith in Germany, duty, and obedience begins to fracture.

Based on true events, Mama Namibia brings to life a devastating chapter of African history too often overlooked. Through the eyes of a young Herero girl and a conflicted Jewish doctor, Mari Serebrov tells a story of colonial violence, human courage, moral awakening, and the enduring resilience of a people marked for destruction. Following the original publication of Mama Namibia, Paramount Chief Kuaima Riruako appointed Mari Serebrov as the Literary Laureate of the Herero Nation.

For readers of historical fiction, African history, Holocaust and genocide studies, colonial history, and stories of survival against impossible odds.

“Mama Namibia is based on the compelling true story of an innocent Herero girl whose life portrays the suffering, perseverance, and resilience of the Herero and Nama people as they faced their most daunting test, a genocide that proved to be the training grounds for the Holocaust.”
- Kuaima Riruako, Paramount Chief, Ovaherero Traditional Authority\

359 pages, Paperback

Published October 25, 2023

About the author

A storyteller by nature, Mari Serebrov combines the investigative skills of a journalist with a passion for history. She has master's degrees in journalism and history from the University of Arkansas and has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years.

In 2013, she was named the literary laureate of the Herero Tribal Authority in recognition of her work Mama Namibia, a historic novel that puts a face to the horrors of the first genocide of the 20th century.

Reviews

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A profoundly moving book, telling a story that must be heard about a people, their lands, and the atrocities committed by a colonial power. Reading it shortly after visiting Namibia, where I met a Herero safari guide who toasted our group with a message of peace and unity, this book has given me a much deeper understanding of his people's history than I had before.

The blend of fact and fiction works well as a means of telling the history and experiences, with the author's choice to make the European character a German Jew adding an interesting twist. The book appears to be carefully researched, and the author’s note at the end adds a fascinating conclusion.

“We’re all just people,” I say, “regardless of what titles we claim or the colour of our skin. It’s a lesson too many never learn”. Mari Serebrov (Mama Namibia, 2013, p. 332).

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know a book talking about something as dark as a genocide could be so entertaining.