Stuttgart (dpa) – More than 40,000 objects from the former German colony of Cameroon are stored in German museums, a very large number of which were stolen during the colonial period and ended up in the collections. After decades of hesitation, pieces of looted property from other regions are now gradually being returned. The famous Benin bronzes from what is now Nigeria have recently made headlines, and human remains from other cultures have also been transferred.
Together with delegations and representatives of traditional royal families from Cameroon, eleven German museums of world cultures want to start a dialogue on Monday (9:30 a.m.) about further returns and joint cooperation. The houses hope that a first meeting in Stuttgart will lead to personal exchange and more trust. The aim is for museums to take a pan-German approach, said the director of the Linden Museum in Stuttgart, Inés de Castro. “We want to look for ways of restitution and sustainable cooperation with Cameroon.”
Many things were acquired unethically
According to de Castro, the museums, each of which has more than 500 Cameroonian objects in their collections, will be represented at the dialogue meeting. The largest Cameroonian collection in Germany is kept in the Linden Museum.
“Many of these cultural assets found their way into our homes unethically,” de Castro told the German Press Agency. Museums therefore wanted to make their contribution to reparations by coming to terms with the colonial legacy. There have been isolated discussions and projects so far. “It is now very important for us to put these returns and the question of further cooperation with Cameroon on a broad basis. And we want to manifest more strongly that we are ready to do something.”
The museums do not attach any conditions to the restitution, said de Castro. «And we don’t just lose, even if it hurts to give something away. But we also benefit, we gain a lot from the exchange.” She expects that many objects can remain in German collections, for example as long-term loans, in exhibitions or through agreements with rightful owners.
Cameroon was a German colony for a long time
Cameroon was a German colony from 1884 to 1919. During this time, objects such as musical instruments, textiles, weapons, jewelry, architectural elements, everyday objects, ritual statues and masks were brought to the German Empire. Most recently, the study had “Atlas of Absence. Cameroon’s Cultural Heritage in Germany” by a group of scientists led by the art historian Bénédicte Savoy, who teaches in Berlin, in collaboration with seven German museums, addresses the issue of returns.
The return of initially 20 valuable Benin bronzes from museums in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Stuttgart and Dresden/Leipzig to Nigeria caused a stir at the end of 2022. More than 1,100 of the works from the palace of what was then the Kingdom of Benin, which is now part of Nigeria, have so far been found in German museums. The objects, which are made of bronze as well as ivory and other materials, mostly come from British looting in 1897.
2024-01-15 03:21:15
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