Africa's looted art | DW Documentary

Africa’s colonial overlords brutally stripped it of countless cultural treasures. Now, the fate of these items is being hotly debated in Europe and Africa as well. Some say the pieces should be returned, while others have reservations.

European museums proudly present art and cultural artifacts from all over the world. But until recently, many of them have never considered their own complicity in the brutal ways in which the pieces were acquired. Only slowly are they starting to include the people to whose ancestors these artifacts once belonged in their decisions, although European colonial overlords pillaged and looted them in the first place.

The issue of restitution is taking on a new urgency in Germany, last but not least because of the controversy surrounding Berlin’s Humboldt Forum, which is home to non-European collections. It’s estimated that more than 1.5 million artifacts from all around the world are held in storage at Germany’s ethnological museums. The Linden Museum in Stuttgart alone holds 60 thousand pieces from Africa. How many of them were stolen? And how do museums address the fact that their colonialist collectors had blood on their hands?

This documentary takes an African perspective on some examples, including valuable bronzes from Nigeria, an ornamental prow of a boat from Cameroon, and what is known as the Witbooi Bible from Namibia.

What do the people in the African countries where the pieces originated think about all this? What are the views of researchers, museum directors, artists and curators? What emotions arise when the frequently painful past is stirred up and examined? And how significant is the issue in the context of problems such as poverty, hunger and corruption in former colonies?

——————————————————————

DW Documentary gives you knowledge beyond the headlines. Watch high-class documentaries from German broadcasters and international production companies. Meet intriguing people, travel to distant lands, get a look behind the complexities of daily life and build a deeper understanding of current affairs and global events. Subscribe and explore the world around you with DW Documentary.

Subscribe to:
DW Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW39zufHfsuGgpLviKh297Q?sub_confirmation=1#
DW Documental (Spanish): https://www.youtube.com/dwdocumental
DW Documentary وثائقية دي دبليو: (Arabic): https://www.youtube.com/dwdocarabia

For more visit:
http://www.dw.com/en/tv/docfilm/s-3610
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/dwdocumentary/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/dw.stories

DW netiquette policy: https://p.dw.com/p/MF1G88

source

Top black actors | Worth Sharing Videos

If you look at the history worldwide, Black people have contributed more than anybody else. They have contributed to almost Read more

Logic – Soul Food (Official Audio)

The official version of Logic's "Soul Food" audio off his 'Under Pressure' album which is out now on Visionary Music Read more

How US schools punish Black kids | 2020 Election

For the 50 million kids who attend public schools in the US, the 2020 election is personal. Watch more 2020 Read more

Malcolm X on Front Page Challenge, 1965: CBC Archives | CBC

In this clip from 1965, after leaving the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X appears on CBC-TV's 'Front Page Challenge' weeks Read more

I Have a Dream speech by Martin Luther King .Jr HD (subtitled)

I Have a Dream" is a public speech that was delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. Read more

Oprah was a Prisoner of Her Own Past | Oprah Winfrey Inspirational Documentary | Goalcast

✪This one important person in Oprah Winfrey's life wanted nothing to do with her until she was famous. Years later, Read more

Best of Michael Jordan’s Playoff Games | The Jordan Vault

Relive the BEST OF Michael Jordan's playoff games through the years! Subscribe to the NBA: https://on.nba.com/2JX5gSN Full Game Highlights Playlist: Read more

Michael Jackson – Smooth Criminal (Official Video)