Paper short abstract:

The restitution of cultural objects from the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, Germany to the National Museum of Namibia in July 2022, has contributed to broader understandings of the importance for the maintenance of cultural identity, and has drawn attention to decolonization in Germany and Namibia.

Paper long abstract:

After decades of loss of cultural objects and social injustice, many colonized peoples are seeking to revive traditional values and cultural practices as part of a process of renewal intended to strengthen cultural identity, and provide a stimulus for new creativity. The restitution of cultural objects has contributed to broader understandings of the importance for the maintenance of cultural identity, and the protection of cultural diversity. 23 museum pieces from Namibia, including jewelry, tools, fashion and dolls were loaned back from the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, Germany to the National Museum of Namibia in July 2022. The items were chosen for their particular historical, cultural and aesthetic significance. This paper will explore how Namibian people seek to restore cultural values and identity and renew their cultures through the objects that have been returned. The sacred and ceremonial artefacts have immense contemporary value as resources for cultural renewal for indigenous peoples that have lost most of their heritage materials during the colonial era and are now seeking to recover from the effects of post-genocide/colonial trauma. This paper will conduct extensive provenance research with communities of origin in order to include more oral histories and memories from the source groups. In this way, the ongoing discussions around the return of 23 artefacts from the Berlin Ethnological Museum are an integral component of a larger set of decolonizing efforts and shifting relationships that are still influenced by the effects of German colonization in Namibia.