Reports from 'beyond
the line':
The accumulation of knowledge of Kavango and its peoples by the German colonial
administration 1891 - 1911
Andreas Eckl
Abstract
This paper explores the accumulation of knowledge of the Kavango region and
its peoples by analysing twenty reports on expeditions which cover a wide range
of observations. The article intends to determine the internal logic of the
accumulation of knowledge by German officials as part of the deconstruction
of colonial discourse. Kavango became a matter of interest for the colonial
administration only at a late stage. It will be shown that all reports by German
officials on the region paid tribute to the fact that Kavango was always a region
which still had to be brought under control, but actually never was. As a result,
the accumulation of knowledge was mostly limited to the economic value of the
region while interest in the Kavango peoples themselves remained weak.
Journal of Namibian Studies, 1 (2007): 7 - 37