Germany Confronts Its Colonial Past Amid Calls for Justice

Germany has acknowledged some of its colonial crimes but has yet to offer full reparations or take comprehensive responsibility.

Compared to other European powers, Germany was late to colonialism. It established control over huge swaths of Africa from 1884, through the colonies of German South West Africa, Cameroon, Togoland, and also German East Africa, in what today is Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. Germany’s colonial past, particularly its role in regions like German East Africa (modern-day Tanzania) and German South West Africa (now Namibia), has left a lasting impact.

As Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a speech, Germany’s colonial policy was marked by injustice and violence. It was an inhuman and racist policy. In the meantime, Germany has taken some steps, such as recognizing the genocide of the Herero and Nama people in Namibia, but activists argue that more needs to be done, including formal reparations and a deeper reckoning with its colonial legacy.

Activists like Mnyaka Sururu Mboro have been instrumental in pushing for the return of cultural artifacts and human remains taken during colonial rule. Mboro, now 73, is from the same area near Mount Kilimanjaro that was once ruled by Mangi Meli, king of the Wachaga people. From 1885 to 1919, the region was part of German East Africa, a huge colony almost three times the size of present-day Germany.

Mboro grew up with stories about the king whom the Germans hanged from a tree with 18 other leaders in March 1900. The head is believed to have been cut off by German soldiers and taken to Germany by the colonial administration, However, authorities have not been able to confirm this claim. Thus, a key focus of his work is the repatriation of human remains stolen from colonies like Tanzania and brought to Europe and Germany for racist research.

Germany has officially recognized the genocide of the Herero and Nama people in Namibia but has stopped short of offering formal reparations. Berlin continues to grapple with its colonial legacy, as activists advocate for deeper acknowledgment and reparative actions. For instance, efforts have been made to rename streets and public spaces that previously honored colonial figures, such as Carl Peters, a controversial figure in German East Africa.

However, critics argue that development programs proposed as compensation are insufficient and fail to address the full scope of reparative justice. Activists and descendants of those affected by colonial violence believe that a clear strategy must be developed to define comprehensive reparations, including the form, timeline, key milestones, recipients, and the scale of compensation for the affected communities and states.

References
www.apnews.com/article/germany-colonialism-human-remains-tanzania-dcfa6fd319520d346c59b84ae6311874
www.africanews.com/2025/03/21/berlin-faces-colonial-past-as-activists-call-for-change/
www.independent.co.uk/news/germany-berlin-namibia-african-tanzania-b2719193.html
www.sle-berlin.de/en/development-policy-discussion-days-epdt/colonial-continuities/
www.adk.de/de/projekte/2018/koloniales-erbe/symposium-I/teilnehmer/mnyaka-sururu-mboro.htm
www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dech.12840