German President Asks Forgiveness For Colonial Crimes In Tanzania
Wednesday, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed his “shame” for crimes committed during Germany’s colonial rule in Tanzania and vowed to increase awareness of the atrocities in his own nation.
“I would like to ask for forgiveness for what Germans did to your ancestors here,” Steinmeier said during a visit to the Maji Maji Museum in the southern city of Songea, according to a transcript of his speech.
Tanzania was part of German East Africa, which saw one of the bloodiest disturbances in colonial history between 1905 and 1907.
Experts say between 200,000 and 300,000 members of the indigenous population were brutally murdered during the so-called Maji Maji Rebellion, mostly as a result of the systematic devastation of fields and villages by German troops.
Steinmeier expressed “shame” at the events and stated that Germany was prepared to collaborate with Tanzania on “communal processing” of the past.
ALSO READ:
- KRA Shocks Workers: Benefits Tax Skyrockets to 13%
- Activist Boniface Mwangi Sentenced to Two Months in Prison For Contempt Of Court
- DCI Summons NTV Journalist Kenneth Ruto Over Police Camp Attack Story
“What happened here is our shared history — the history of your ancestors and the history of our ancestors in Germany,” he said, promising to “take these stories with me to Germany so that more people in my country will know about them”.
“I want to assure you that we Germans will search with you for answers to the unanswered questions that give you no peace,” he added.
Steinmeier visited the museum on the last day of his three-day trip to Tanzania. On Tuesday, he also opened the door for the return to Tanzania of artifacts stolen during the colonial era.
After meeting President Samia Suluhu Hassan in Dar es Salaam, he stated that Germany was willing to cooperate on “the repatriation of cultural property and human remains.”
Steinmeier’s trip coincides with a visit by Britain’s King Charles III to Kenya, also anticipated to be dominated by conversations about the colonial era.
German President Asks Forgiveness For Colonial Crimes In Tanzania
