1996
158 pp.
8 maps, 32 historical b/w photos
Text language: German
The German colonial period in the Caprivi Strip of today Namibia is undoubtedly connected with the name of Captain Streitwolf. His own account of his work in the region, Der Caprivizipfel (1911) and the biography Kurt Streitwolf: Sy Werk in Suidwes-Afrika 1899-1914 by Ernest Lodevicus Paul Stals (1979), are to date the only publications dealing with this interesting period in German colonialism and Namibian history. Streitwolf was undoubtedly one of Germany’s most competent officers. His political insight and his achievements in one short year whilst in command as first Imperial Resident of the Caprivi Strip are astonishing.
After only a brief posting in the Caprivi, Streitwolf introduced a local administration based on traditional order and one so effective, that it still remains intact despite many political changes in the region. German administration in the Caprivi Strip came to an end in 1914, during the second term of office of Streitwolf’s successors, Lieutenants Hans Kaufmann and Viktor von Frankenberg. The surrender of the Schuckmannsburg headquarters to the troops of the British South Africa Police occurred under very unusual circumstances.
This study deals not only with the short five-year period during which Germany was in charge of the local administration, but also gives an overview of the events during the 18 years (1890–1908) that followed the annexation of the Caprivi Strip by Germany. The documents regarding this work were obtained primarily from the colonial files of the National Archives of Namibia.
The author (* 24th Dec 1924) was one of the scholarly counterparts of the Collaborative Research Centre 389 of the University of Cologne / Germany.
Under these links you will find publications of the author and further studies of the languages, history and cultures of the Kavango region / Namibia:
