The German embassy in Yaounde hosted a reception at the National Museum on Tuesday evening to celebrate the National Day of the Federal Republic of Germany, an event staged at a time the debate over the colonial history between both countries has gained momentum.
Talks about the restitution of more than 40,000 Cameroonian artefacts within German museum storage facilities, including the venerated Ngonnso statute, which were looted during the colonial period have increased in the country in recent months.
And the German Ambassador to Cameroon, Corinna Fricke, is aware. She told guests at the ceremony that the process of identifying and returning the Cameroonian heritage objects from German museums is ongoing and many of the objects have already been identified.
“Exchanges take place between our governments, between experts and within civil society. An inter-ministerial committee is leading the process on the Cameroonian side and we are in close cooperation with the committee,” the German diplomat said.
Ambassador Fricke disclosed that an exhibition on German colonial past in Cameroon has been scheduled for the weeks ahead at the National Museum, and that the event will be another key moment in the restitution process.
Cameroon was a German protectorate from 1884 until the First World War. Research shows this played a significant role in the accumulation of these artifacts.
Cooperation pillars
The celebration in Yaounde took place two days before the official October 3 National Day of Germany – a historic date that marks the European nation’s unification.
Besides the unity and history of the country, the day also serves as an opportunity on the broader significance of multilateral cooperation and strengthened relationships.
On the occasion, the German envoy to Cameroon spoke on the importance of Germano-Cameroonian ties. The diplomat pointed to the close cooperation between Berlin and Yaounde in four priority areas; health, good governance, agriculture and natural resource management, saying consultations have taken place on the future of cooperation between the two nations.
Bilateral relations between Germany and Cameroon, Ambassador Fricke said, go beyond cooperation between governments.
“German SMEs took part in the PROMOTE business fair, [Cameroonian] traditional leaders travelled to Germany and the Women’s Convention for Peace was able to bring the prestigious German Africa Prize to Cameroon last November. It is precisely the diversity of our relations that is remarkable and worth preserving,” Ambassador Fricke stressed.
Diverse invitees
Members of government, members of the diplomatic corps, members of the civil society, the media and some prominent politicians were among the guests at the 34th German National Day celebration in Yaounde.
Conspicuous among the members of government were the Minister Delegate to the Minister of External Relations in charge of the Commonwealth, Felix Mbayu; the Minister of Arts and Culture, Bidoung Mkpatt; the Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Alamine Ousmane Mey; the Minister of Youth Affairs and Civic Education, Mounouna Foutsou; the minister of Decentraslisation and Local Development, Georges Elanga Obam; and the Minister of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicraft, Achilles Basseliken III.
Meanwhile, Barrister Akere Muna, who was recently endorsed by a coalition of opposition parties as their candidate for the 2025 presidential elections; Hon. Cabral Libii, National President of the Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation (PCRN); and Hon. Tomaino Ndam Njoya, leader of the Cameroon Democratic Union (CDU), were also present.
Civil society activist and President of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA), Barrister Felix Nkongho Agbor Balla, was also present at the 2024 German National Day reception.
Ace Cameroonian musician Jacques-Greg Belobo, who was accompanied by a group of instrumentalists, treated guests of the German Ambassador to live music. And of course, there was also munching and boozing with abundant alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages for everyone.
