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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
A delegation from the Maka and Omvang communities in eastern Cameroon is paying tribute to their ancestors on a trip to Freiburg and Stuttgart. The remains of five of their ancestors have been stored in the anatomical collection at the University of Freiburg since 1907. This is the first delegation from Cameroon to visit their ancestors in a German collection.
More than 120 years after the end of German colonial rule, many human remains are still being kept in European museums or anatomical institutes. Entire skeletons or body parts were brought to Europe for ‘scientific purposes’ as a result of wars or so-called punitive expeditions, executions, but also grave robberies. This also includes the bones of the five Maka ancestors, which the colonial officer Major Hans Dominik donated to the Alexander Ecker Collection at the University’s Institute of Anatomy in 1907.
During their trip to Freiburg, the seven delegation members, headed by Sa Majesté Bertrand Effoudou, Chef Supérieur of the Maka-Bebend d'Atok, honoured their ancestors with a ceremony. Afterwards, they met Prof. Dr Andreas Mehler and Dr Anika Becher from the Africa Centre for Transregional Research, which has accompanied the provenance research on the ancestors of the Maka, among other things. In addition to an exchange with Dr Mathias Kunz, Head of the University Archives, the delegation also spoke with Prof. Dr Kerstin Krieglstein, Rector at the University of Freiburg, and Prof. Dr Michael Schwarze, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs.
Repatriation of human remains to Cameroon
“We wanted to restore our connection to our ancestors. We have seen them, we have touched them, we have communicated with them. We expect to learn the truth about the use of our ancestors’ bodies and how to proceed to bring them back to Cameroon,” said Sa Majesté Bertrand Effoudou after the ceremony.
The University of Freiburg considers it part of its historical and ethical responsibility to return human remains to their communities of origin and explicitly supports the repatriation of the human remains of the Maka ancestors.
“Unfortunately, we cannot undo the wrongs and suffering that our researchers committed in the past. But we will do everything we can to heal the wounds and – where possible – return the ancestors to their homeland. We are also supporting the repatriation of the ancestors in the hope that their honourable memory can be restored,” explained Kerstin Krieglstein.
Descendants had no information about the whereabouts of their ancestors
Even today, more than 120 years after the events, the communities of origin of the posthumously looted human remains often have no information about the whereabouts of their ancestors. The Maka and Omvang communities in eastern Cameroon were also unaware that their ancestors were taken out of the country after their violent deaths. In a research project financed by the German Lost Art Foundation, the origin of these people could be proven. In August 2024, exploratory research was conducted among the Maka and Omvang communities in eastern Cameroon. A team led by Professor Dr Albert Gouaffo (University of Dschang) carried out this study as a subcontractor of the Africa Centre for Transregional Research at the University of Freiburg. It was supported by the Ministry of Science, Art and Culture of Baden-Württemberg.
“In our discussions with the delegation, we have now laid the foundations for the remains of the five people to be repatriated to Cameroon. It was an important event for them, but also for us,” added Andreas Mehler.
After their visit to Freiburg, the delegation travelled on to Stuttgart, where they met with the Baden-Württemberg Minister of Science, Petra Olschowski. They also visited the Linden-Museum in Stuttgart, where numerous cultural artefacts of the Maka people are stored in the archives. This is the first time that a delegation from Cameroon has visited their ancestors in a German collection.
The University of Freiburg and the reappraisal of its colonial past
A central concern for the University of Freiburg is to continue to critically examine the history of the Alexander Ecker Collection and the handling of human remains from colonial contexts, and to establish a culture of remembrance that also highlights disreputable aspects of the University's history. This has been done so far, for example, in the context of various research and teaching projects, such as the project “Restitution der Würde” (“Restitution of Dignity”) funded by the Volkswagen Foundation and the Eucor project “Human Remains in University Collections – Comparisons and Entanglements”.
In cooperation with the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts, the University of Freiburg has already returned human remains from the Alexander Ecker Collection on multiple occasions. These include the remains of 13 Iwi Kūpuna to Hawaii in 2023, the remains of eight Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to Australia in 2019, and the remains of 14 people to Namibia in 2014. The repatriation process of the Maka ancestors’ remains could begin after an official request for their return is submitted to the government.
Contact
University and Science Communications
University of Freiburg
Tel.: +49 761 203 4302
E-Mail: kommunikation@zv.uni-freiburg.de
https://uni-freiburg.de/en/a-delegation-from-cameroon-commemorates-ancestors-at-...
The delegation at their meeting with Rector Prof. Dr. Krieglstein.
Copyright: Michael Spiegelhalter / University of Freiburg
Merkmale dieser Pressemitteilung:
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Geschichte / Archäologie, Kulturwissenschaften
überregional
Buntes aus der Wissenschaft
Englisch
The delegation at their meeting with Rector Prof. Dr. Krieglstein.
Copyright: Michael Spiegelhalter / University of Freiburg
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