Germany Is Returning Artifacts Stolen From a Namibian Freedom Fighter During Its Colonial Rule

Title: Germany Is Returning Artifacts Stolen From a Namibian Freedom Fighter During Its Colonial Rule
Author: Henri Neuendorf
Media Outlet: Artnews.net
Publish Date: February 15, 2019

“The German city of Stuttgart will return artifacts looted from the country’s colony in what is now Namibia on March 1 during a ceremony with Namibian president Hage Geingobin.

German state minister for science Theresia Bauer will travel to Namibia to hand over a whip and bible from the collection of Stuttgart’s Linden Museum that once belonged to Namibian national hero Hendrik Witbooi, a leader in the fight for independence against the German colonizers during the Nama-Herero uprising.

“The restitution of these objects is for us the beginning of a reappraisal of German-Namibian colonial history,” Bauer said in a statement published on the Linden Museum website.

The ceremony is taking place in Witbooi’s hometown of Gibeon, where a museum is being built and will eventually house the items. In the meantime they will be safeguarded by the state.