Germany to return 500-year-old monument to Namibia

Germany to return 500-year-old monument to Namibia

(summary) 

(CNN) Germany is set to return a 15th Century artifact it took from Namibia known as the Stone Cross. 

Minister of State for Media and Culture Monica Gruetters on Friday said the gesture showed that Germany was committed to accounting for its colonial past.

The 3.5-meter high navigation landmark, erected by Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão, was first placed on Namibia's coast in 1498. 

( from https://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2019/05/17/germany-to-return-15th-century-stone-cross-to-namibia/ )

It was taken to Germany in 1893 after the area became a German imperial protectorate and is on display at the German Historical Museum in Berlin.

The Stone Cross, which bears the Portuguese coat of arms, was featured on old world maps, the museum said.

In June 2017, the Namibian government formally requested its return.

France President Emmanuel Macron last year ordered the return of 26 artworks to the Republic of Benin more than a century after they were removed from the West African nation.

The British Museum in London in 2018 also said it will return Benin bronzes looted by British soldiers to Nigeria.

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