Photo exhibition on German colonialism in Cameroon holding in Berlin

A photo exhibition on German colonial occupation of Cameroon opened is currently holding at the Mitte Museum in the Tiergarten Rathaus in Berlin.

The images, from the Federal Archive of the German government, show the different stages of German presence in the African country and they remind of the German colonial history in the continent.

 

The exhibition titled “Was treiben die Deutschen in Africa?” (“What are Germans doing in Africa?”), holding from 12 July – 30 August 2019, also shows the continuation of ties between both countries even after Cameroon ceased to be a colony of Berlin.

Germany took colonial possession of Cameroon in 1884 after the Berlin conference at which the African continent was partitioned by the then European imperial powers.

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Germany lost its African colonies, including Cameroon, Togo, Tanzania, Namibia and present-day Rwanda and Burundi, after losing the First World War. The relationship between Cameroon and Germany however continued with both countries maintaining close ties. Today more than 20,000 Cameroonians live in Germany.

 

Even though the exhibited photos, taken by Germans, show only their perspective of this important part of their common history, exhibition visitors will gain insights into peaceful and conflict-laden encounters and relationships between German merchants and colonial officials with Cameroonian workers, politicians and traditional leaders.

Femi Awoniyi

„Was treiben die Deutschen in Afrika?“
Deutschland und Kamerun in Fotos aus dem deutschen Bundesarchiv (1880 bis heute)
Mitte Museum, Rathaus Tiergarten, Mathilde-Jacob-Platz 1, 10551 Berlin
12 July – 30 August 2019
Entry: Free

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