Germany returns stolen colonial treasures to Namibia as reparations continue

A German museum has agreed to return a collection of Namibian antiquities on an indefinite loan.

The decision is part of reparations for a period of colonial rule during which Germany committed a genocide against the Namibian people.

The Berlin Ethnological Museum will return 23 ancient items of jewellery and other artefacts that were taken between 1884 and 1915, when Namibia was part of German South West Africa, a colony of the German Empire.

Imperial German forces killed between 24,000 and 100,000 people between 1904 and 1908 when the colonial power quashed an uprising of the Herero, Nama and San people. Many were driven into the desert to die of dehydration, while others were imprisoned in concentration camps.

In 2021, Germany and Namibia signed an agreement which formally acknowledged Germany’s role in the genocide. Germany also agreed to pay €1.3 billion in reparations, to be paid over 30 years.

The Berlin Ethnological Museum’s decision to return the Namibian treasures is part of a push to reconcile with the former colony.

“The collections reflect colonial, and in some cases extremely violent, processes of appropriation, the Museum said.

“They also show the creativity and ingenuity of the Namibian people.”

The artefacts, selected by Namibian experts, include a vessel with three heads, a doll in traditional dress, various hair accessories and spears.

This is a step in the process of re-evaluating “the long and complex history between Namibia and Germany,” said Esther Moombolah, director of the National Museum of Namibia.

“We call on all our future partners to follow the example of this institution,” she added, saying that Namibians “should not have to fly to see our cultural treasures” kept by museums abroad.

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