Advertisement 1

Germany returns 27 sets of colonial-era Namibian remains taken for pseudo-scientific racial experiments

The repatriation of the remains is a reminder of Germany's short-lived past as a colonial power in Africa which included the bloody suppression of a Herero and Nama uprising

Article content

BERLIN — A Namibian delegation is taking possession of the remains of 27 of their countrymen whose bones were taken by German colonial forces more than a century ago for pseudo-scientific racial experiments.

Before the handover of the remains, Germans and Namibians gathered Wednesday for a church ceremony in Berlin.

Members of the clergy walk past two skulls displayed during a handing-over ceremony of human remains that were brought to Berlin during its colonial rule of the African nation on August 29, 2018 in the French Church in Berlin.
Members of the clergy walk past two skulls displayed during a handing-over ceremony of human remains that were brought to Berlin during its colonial rule of the African nation on August 29, 2018 in the French Church in Berlin. Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images
Demonstrators display a banner outside the venue where a handing-over ceremony takes place for human remains that were brought to Berlin during its colonial rule of the African nation on August 29, 2018 in the French Church in Berlin.
Demonstrators display a banner outside the venue where a handing-over ceremony takes place for human remains that were brought to Berlin during its colonial rule of the African nation on August 29, 2018 in the French Church in Berlin. Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images
Article content

The repatriation of the remains is a reminder of Germany’s short-lived past as a colonial power in Africa which included the bloody suppression of a Herero and Nama uprising between 1904 and 1908 that left tens of thousands dead.

German Lutheran Bishop Petra Bosse-Huber told the group “we intend to do something today we should have done many years ago, namely to give back mortal human remains of people who became the first victims of the first genocide of the 20th century.”

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.

Advertisement 2
Advertisement
Article content
Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest National Stories
    This Week in Flyers