Workshop at University of Dschang on Cameroon’s cultural heritage in Germany

What is at stake for youth in addressing colonial legacies?

The workshop-exhibition, held at the University of Dschang (Campus A) from 9 to 10 January 2025, brought together experts and researchers to focus on a common challenge: Informing young students, raising awareness and popularising knowledge about Cameroonian cultural belongings in Germany. The event is part of the second phase of the research project „Reverse History of Collections“ funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft which intends to popularise the knowledge generated in the production phase of the book „L’Atlas de l’absence. Cameroon’s cultural heritage in Germany„.

Germany’s colonial looting

The programme, consisting of a panel discussion and a guided tour (Day 1) and an exhibition open to the public (Day 2), highlighted current and future issues concerned with the Cameroonian cultural heritage taken away during the German colonial period from 1884 to 1914.

Relevance for young people

The discussions at the event revealed that the question of Cameroonian cultural heritage in Germany is a matter for everyone. It needs to be thought through in a collaborative dynamic between governments, cultural institutions and local communities. This exhibition-workshop helped to identify concrete avenues for action and reflection to accelerate the cultural repatriation of Cameroon’s heritage, with particular emphasis on the role to be played by young people. The most astounding fact was that young students, almost totally submerged by Western values, were until now quite unaware of the existence of this rich heritage taken from their ancestors and held captive in Germany.