I. Introduction: The Moments History Chooses Silence
History books are often written by the victors.
But what about the forgotten, the untold genocides?
Each year, certain names are remembered: the Holocaust, Rwanda, Khojaly…
Yet beyond these lie genocides that are absent from history books but represent some of the darkest hours in human history.
II. The Herero and Nama Genocide in Namibia (1904–1908)
Germany’s colonial regime brutally suppressed the Herero and Nama uprisings in South-West Africa.
Tens of thousands were forced into the desert and died from thirst and starvation.
“Scientific” medical experiments were conducted on victims.
Although recognized as genocide by the UN in 1985, it remains largely unacknowledged by the international community.
III. The Massacre of Pontic Greeks (1914–1923)
The Ottoman Empire carried out a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Greek Orthodox communities along the eastern Black Sea coast.
Nearly 300,000 people were either killed or forcibly displaced.
Still referred to as an “unrecognized genocide” by many historians.
While remembered in Greece, it has been largely forgotten globally.
IV. The Assyrian and Chaldean Christian Genocide (Sayfo)
Between 1915 and 1920, the Ottoman Empire systematically targeted Assyrian Christians.
Historians call this period “Sayfo” – the Year of the Sword.
More than 250,000 Assyrian, Chaldean, and Aramean Christians were killed.
These events are rarely mentioned in school textbooks.
V. Section I: The Invisible Page of History – Silence
These genocides are neither televised nor debated in international courts.
They are remembered only through family stories, nameless graves, and oral histories.
VI. What Is Genocide and Who Recognizes It?
The term “genocide” was coined in 1944 by Raphael Lemkin.
Recognition depends on political will.
Every country has its own policy of “acknowledgement or denial” regarding certain events.
VII. For the Unforgotten, We Need Monuments Without Names
If these events are not commemorated, they may be repeated.
Even if textbooks remain silent, literature, art, and documentaries can break that silence.
VIII. Epilogue: If History Is Silent, We Are Obliged to Speak
Every silent genocide is a dark mark on the face of humanity.
We may not be able to erase it, but we can write over it, remember it, and speak it into the pages of history.
Final Question to the Reader:
Do you think a genocide that doesn’t appear in history books is less significant?
Or is silence its most painful legacy?
Share your voice — Shefeq.com is your echo against forgetting.