Baden-Württemberg has many artistic objects that were stolen from their countries of origin during the colonial period. Religious objects are also included. The country is also open to talks about restitution when a king from Cameroon visits.
Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – After the agreement on the return of a revered figure from Cameroon by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, the king of the Nso people is hoping to get back all existing objects from his kingdom. King (Fon) Sehm Mbinglo I said on Thursday during a visit to the Linden Museum in Stuttgart that it is not a question of museum works of art that should be presented. Rather, they are spiritually and traditionally important to the well-being of his people. “They only make sense together,” said the king. “Taking one and leaving others is not an option.”
Fon Sehm Mbinglo I had previously demanded the return of royal objects for his people. “According to the current state of knowledge, the return request will mainly include the royal and cultic objects of Kumbo in the northwestern province of Cameroon,” said the Ministry of Science. “It is not yet known how many objects are involved.” A spokeswoman said no promises of a return had been made either. Questions about the history of the object and its acquisition would first have to be clarified as comprehensively as possible. In the meantime, there have also been requests for return from other Cameroonian groups, the spokeswoman said.
Baden-Württemberg’s position is clear, said Science Minister Petra Olschowski (Greens). “We are fundamentally open to the reclaiming of cultural assets that were acquired in a colonial context in an unethical manner that is no longer justifiable today,” she emphasized. She sees the visit of the Fon and his delegation as a possible prelude to “an intensive exchange with the applicants,” Olschowski told the dpa.
The Fon was very satisfied with the visit and the discussions. “Returning the items would be a turning point in the history of my people,” he told dpa. “But it’s about all objects,” he emphasized again. “If you consider some to be more important than others, it would be like considering one of your children to be more important than the others.”
According to earlier information from the ministry, the Linden Museum has a total of around 45 objects from the region in its inventory, including chains, hoods and a throne stool. Last June, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation decided to return the statue of Ngonnso, which is revered as the mother goddess. The figure comes from the historical kingdom of Nso and came to the collection of the Ethnological Museum of the State Museums in Berlin in 1903 as part of a gift from colonial officer Kurt von Pavel.
As a colony, Cameroon was part of the German Empire from 1884 to 1916. However, the initially friendly contacts between the Nso and the German expeditionary forces became increasingly hostile. Ultimately, all uprisings and resistance by the Nso were put down by the Europeans, and the population had to endure a new system of taxation, administration and work.
