Since the ceremonial return of numerous so-called Benin bronzes from German collections to Nigeria in 2022, the media has been somewhat quiet about the restitution of cultural assets and human remains. This conceals the ongoing efforts of politicians, museums and civil society. Behind the scenes, research is being carried out and there are often fundamental discussions between some of the main actors in the North and South. Controversial issues include how quickly the process is progressing, whether the governments in the ex-colonies or the ex-metropolises are more of an obstacle, who should even be involved in complex negotiations and whether reparations for past injustices should not also be paid. This Freiburg Africa Talk provides inside knowledge and attempts to establish an interim status.
Lecture: Richard Tsogang Fossi. He holds a doctorate in German studies with a focus on literature, culture, colonial history and memory, was a guest curator at MARKK in Hamburg, project collaborator at the TU Berlin and part of the collective of authors of the Atlas of Absences. Cameroonian Cultural Heritage in Germany (Berlin 2023)
Discussant: Fiona Siegenthaler. She is the Africa consultant at the Linden-Museum Stuttgart. Her research focuses on contemporary African art and the diaspora.
Moderator: Andreas Mehler
This event is part of the Colloquium Politicum of the University of Freiburg. It is organized in cooperation with the ACT - Africa Centre for Transregional Research and the Arnold Bergstraesser Institute.