Germany to create council to oversee restitution of colonial-era acquisitions

"Germany's culture minister Wolfram Weimer described the new council as "an important step in responsibly handling cultural property and human remains from colonial contexts" that will help "shape ongoing and future restitution processes more effectively"."

"The German states and government agreed in 2019 to repatriate artefacts in public collections that were taken "in ways that are legally or morally unjustifiable today" from former colonies, describing their return as "an ethical and moral duty"."

"Several countries, including Cameroon, Tanzania, Ghana and Togo have set up state structures and restitution bodies in response to moves by western museums to return artefacts acquired in the colonial era."

"Museums in Germany not only acquired items expropriated from the German colonies in Africa, but also-via purchases and gifts-artefacts looted from territories under the rule of other European nations."

The German government and 16 states have formed a Coordination Council for Returns of Cultural Property and Human Remains from Colonial Contexts. This council will include representatives from various levels of government and aims to enhance the restitution processes for cultural items acquired unjustly. Germany's culture minister emphasized the council's role in managing these items responsibly. The initiative follows a 2019 agreement to repatriate artefacts deemed ethically and morally unjustifiable, encouraging institutions to conduct provenance research.

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