Sand, Atmosphere, Memorialization: Some Reflections on the Remains of German Colonial Extraction in Namibia's Desert

In this contribution I explore infrastructural remains of diamond extraction in the context of German colonialism and the genocide against the OvaHerero and Nama in Namibia’s Namib desert. While the desert is widely understood as to cover things over, to bury them and to keep them buried, in this article I argue that the desert also uncovers, lays open, preserves. What are the conditions for the colonial and genocidal history to resurface? Expanding on the notion of remains currently discussed in the context of restitution and reparation, I explore the question of what remains byreflecting on a fieldwork trip into the extractive zone between Lüderitz and Walvis Bay, commonly known as the Northern Fields of diamond extraction