Schlagwort: Civil Society
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Germany’s new guidelines on colonial belongings & ancestral remains
In October 2025, the federal government, the states and local authority associations adopted guidelines on the handling of colonially appropriated cultural belongings and ancestral remains in German institutions. As the analysis presented here shows, many questions remain unanswered regarding the details and implementation of these guidelines.
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Portal „Collections from Colonial Contexts“ of the German Digital Library
The portal ‘Collections from Colonial Contexts (CCC)’ of the German Digital Library (DDB) aims to create centralised and transparent access to information from German museums that is already available in digital form in the short term. Experience to date suggests that the portal has so far been little used by actors from the contexts of…
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Reappraisal of German colonialism: many individual measures, no overall concept
This text analyses the German government’s response in August 2025 to an enquiry by the Green Party. In it, the government emphasises its willingness to come to terms with Germany’s colonial history. How this will happen depends largely on ideas and political pressure from civil society. It is crucial that the institutional and financial weaknesses…
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Historic breakthrough for German restitution policy on colonial contexts
With its recent visit to Germany, Cameroon’s official Restitution Committee has achieved a historic breakthrough for the return of culturally appropriated cultural heritage. Belongings from museums in Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart and Bremen are to be returned in a ‘first wave’ in September 2025. The Federal Foreign Office should set up a task force for the…
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Interim assessment of the debate on the looting and restitution of Cameroon’s cultural heritage in Germany
In his presentation at the Munich Museum Fünf Kontinente on May 8, 2025, which can be accessed in full in this blog post, Prof. Albert Gouaffo (Université de Dschang) took a critical look at the status of the Cameroonian-German restitution process. And he identifies conditions that need to be met on both the Cameroonian and…
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German restitution policy on colonial contexts
The change of government in Berlin is the right time to take a critical look at Germany’s restitution policy for colonial contexts. The so-called traffic light coalition has set some things in motion here, but it has also left serious work to be done. It is now largely up to civil society to push ahead…
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Appell an Bundesregierung zur Tansania-Ausstellung
Die Ausstellung „Geschichte(n) Tansanias“ von National Museum of Tanzania, Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz und Stiftung Humboldt Forum in Berlin soll danach in Dar es Salaam gezeigt werden. Doch die Weiterreise ist gefährdet, da auf deutscher Seite keine Mittel zur Verfügung stehen. Der Appell fordert die neue Bundesregierung zur Mitfinanzierung auf.
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Germany’s new government wants to intensify decolonial reappraisal
The coalition agreement of Conservatives and Social Democrats in Germany contains remarkably positive statements on dealing with the colonial legacy. However, it is not declarations of intent that count, but rather concrete steps towards implementation. Civil society and governments in former German colonial territories are increasingly calling for credible measures to recognize historical guilt, repatriate…
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Workshop at University of Dschang on Cameroon’s cultural heritage in Germany
Report in English and French about workshop and exposition at the University of Dschang in January 2025 on the „Atlas of Absence: Cameroon’s cultural heritage in Germany“. The event highlighted the relevance of addressing colonial legacies for youth, including the return of looted belongings.
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Episode 01 of podcast „Decolonial Memories“ with Flaubert Djateng
In episode 01 of new podcast „Decolonial Memories“, Flaubert Djateng (coordinator of Zenü Network in Cameroon) talks about efforts for return of ancestral remains and cultural belongings translocated to Germany.