Berlin faces colonial past as activists call for change
Berlin, a city that has witnessed centuries of history, now grappling with the painful legacies of its colonial past
READ MORE : http://www.africanews.com/2025/03/21/berlin-faces-colonial-past-as-activists-call-for-change
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Berlin, a city that has witnessed centuries of history, now grappling with the painful legacies of its colonial past
READ MORE : http://www.africanews.com/2025/03/21/berlin-faces-colonial-past-as-activists-call-for-change
Subscribe on our Dailymotion channel and receive all the latest news from the continent.
Africanews is available in English and French.
Website : www.africanews.com
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/africanews.channel/
Twitter : https://twitter.com/africanews
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NewsTranscript
00:00Berlin, a city that has witnessed centuries of history, now grappling with the painful
00:06legacies of its colonial past.
00:12The shadows of German colonialism stretch through the streets, museums and neighbourhoods.
00:17Activists and scholars are now calling for a reckoning with this dark chapter.
00:22I knew since 1984 that there are some traces of colonialism all over here in Berlin and
00:30in Germany.
00:32For instance, the names of streets where you find the colonial criminals being glorified
00:40or the so-called pioneers, the founder of the colonies.
00:47While activists push for change, others, including experts, say Germany's colonial history is
00:53often ignored, especially in schools where the focus is mostly on the world wars and
00:58the Holocaust.
01:01Look at the school books for history, colonialism is almost missing.
01:05And of course, the historical memory of the Germans concerning the 20th century was especially
01:10heavily covered by the Second World War, the Holocaust.
01:17As Germany confronts its colonial past, there's a growing call for a critical reflection on
01:22how Western modernity was built, recognising the contradictions and injustices that have
01:28shaped the world today.
01:34We must ask ourselves critically on whose shoulders Western modernity was built, with
01:40what contradictions and injustices and what consequences this has for our world today.
01:46In 2021, Germany acknowledged the genocide of the Herero and Nama in Namibia, but reparations
01:52remain unpaid.
01:53Meanwhile, Berlin's African quarter is slowly removing its colonial ties, one street name
01:58at a time.