Africa's looted art | DW Documentary
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Published 2020-09-02
European museums proudly present art and cultural artifacts from all over the world. But until recently, many of them have never considered their own complicity in the brutal ways in which the pieces were acquired. Only slowly are they starting to include the people to whose ancestors these artifacts once belonged in their decisions, although European colonial overlords pillaged and looted them in the first place.
The issue of restitution is taking on a new urgency in Germany, last but not least because of the controversy surrounding Berlin's Humboldt Forum, which is home to non-European collections. It's estimated that more than 1.5 million artifacts from all around the world are held in storage at Germany's ethnological museums. The Linden Museum in Stuttgart alone holds 60 thousand pieces from Africa. How many of them were stolen? And how do museums address the fact that their colonialist collectors had blood on their hands?
This documentary takes an African perspective on some examples, including valuable bronzes from Nigeria, an ornamental prow of a boat from Cameroon, and what is known as the Witbooi Bible from Namibia.
What do the people in the African countries where the pieces originated think about all this? What are the views of researchers, museum directors, artists and curators? What emotions arise when the frequently painful past is stirred up and examined? And how significant is the issue in the context of problems such as poverty, hunger and corruption in former colonies?
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All Comments (21)
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If they could, they would have carried the pyramids, taj mahal, Great Zimbabwe and all 😀
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The moral of the documentary is: Never trust foreigners bearing gifts.
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As a Chilean person I first thought "maybe this is something I could not relate too much" and then I remembered that the british museum refused to exchange a brand new moai 🗿 for the one they stole and have on exhibition. It literally contains the soul of an important person for the rapa nui people. Colonization is something that hit us hard in our history and culture. And sometimes we overlook that is something we need to heal.
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These artifacts must be return to their respective destinations. Europeans need their own artifacts that depict their histories, give Africans back what belong to them.
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The same people will tell you, you have no history .
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Not just Africa. British Museum in London has almost nothing British in it. But it does have a huge collection of everything from around the world. And they call it British..
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Stolen items, when discovered, should be returned with apology ! you cant be a proud thief!
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Can yall stop calling these pieces simply "art"? They stole deities, gods, pieces of culture and whole belief systems. This is so much more than art. This is identity and life.
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The sad truth about this matter is an African must beg a German for the right to possess something that was never German. The real issue is Africans lack of power to take without asking.
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If someone burgles your house you don't have to prove you are a fit person to get your property back.
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You will never see documentaries like this on western television.
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When you go to thier museum they have nothing to show only stolen items from the same people they look down upon.
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Imagine the arrogance you want to loan us our property back na wah oh.
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Stealing art is stealing the extention of one's soul.
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I cried through this entire documentary. It's hard to understand how the descendants of Europeans can live with the legacy of such brutal and barbaric history of atrocities. As an African American it's hard to live without the knowledge of my heritage. Matter of fact it's unbearable. Who am I? Where is my culture, my people, my motherland? I have no idea of my ancestral heritage beyond my grandparents who have always pleaded with me to never forget I am an African. Oh yes, as stated in the documentary, "when you rob a people of their cultural heritage you steal their soul." My soul was stolen from me and I have long felt numb. Living in a society where I was not wanted and to which I never felt connected. It always felt as if something was missing. Yet, when I am amongst my brothers and sisters from the continent I always felt more comfortable. Where do we all go from here? We all need resolutions so we can move forward. I can no longer ask God for help. I ask you, all of mankind for help. As an African American with little knowledge of my ancestral heritage I fully understand the importance of culture, RETURN ALL LOOTED ARTIFACTS so the children of Africa can maintain their culture, their ancestral history, and most important, their soul. Peace to all.
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To give those artifacts back is to admit we were the first of humanity on this earth.
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The irony claiming a group has no history yet having there history in your museums cannot have your cake a eat it too
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Does Africans tell Europeans how to deal with their artifacts??
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The level of entitlement is so mind boggling. The thought that thieves are debating the best way to handle giving back property to its rightful owners is just beyond beyond to me.
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Exactly why All African’s in America or The Continent of The Great Africa should Connect and Heal Together ‼️‼️
