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German colonialism

Until 1918, the German Empire ruled over colonies in Africa, Asia and Oceania. The systematic violent oppression of the people living there is only gradually being dealt with.

Skip next section Reports & Analysis

Reports & Analysis

a close up of a sculpted brown face

Should Germany return Nefertiti bust to Egypt?

Should Germany return Nefertiti bust to Egypt?

An Egyptian archaeologist has demanded the repatriation of the iconic Queen Nefertiti bust from her Berlin exile.
ArtsOctober 25, 2024
A old postcard showing people posing next to a railway, around the photo is a handwritten note in Kurrent.

AI meets colonialism: Germany develops new research tool

AI meets colonialism: Germany develops new research tool

To untrained eyes, Germany's colonial era files are indecipherable. Now, artificial intelligence can help researchers.
CultureAugust 12, 2024
Director Samuel Ishimwe is seen from the back as he interviews his aunt in a schoolroom. Cameraman Robert Richter is standing to his right, and Sam's uncle is seated across from Sam.

Rwanda: From colonialism to genocide

Rwanda: From colonialism to genocide

A DW documentary traces the arc from German colonial rule to the genocide in Rwanda.
CultureApril 2, 2024
A sign on a beach demarcates a "Whites only" area in South Africa during the 1970s

Scientific racism's roots in colonization

Scientific racism's roots in colonization

Anthropologists used Germany's colonial conquest in Africa to promulgate racist theory, and create racial hierarchies.
HistoryApril 2, 2024
German troops prepare for war in this archive photograph

When colonial Germany committed genocide in Namibia

When colonial Germany committed genocide in Namibia

Between 1904 and 1908, German colonial authorities committed genocide of Ovaherero and Nama people in Namibia.
HistoryApril 1, 2024
German officers recruit Togolese men in traditional dress into the army

Togoland: Germany's first and smallest African colony

Togoland: Germany's first and smallest African colony

Togo was promoted as "a model colony." But it was a self-serving myth for German colonial administrators.
HistoryMarch 18, 2024
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Skip next section In the spotlight

In the spotlight

Berlin train driver Martin Dibobe stands by his train in Berlin

The man who revealed the flaws of German colonial ambitions

Quane Martin Dibobe became a pioneering human rights activist and challenged Germany's exploitative colonialism.
HistoryFebruary 22, 2024
File photo shows the Adolph Woermann steamer docking

How German merchants drove colonialism in West Africa

German businessmen saw immense profits in colonial-era trading, and could count on German military support.
HistoryJanuary 30, 2024
Sign showing the town of Lüderitz

Shady deals: How German colonists bought an empire in Africa

Dodgy land contracts by German merchants helped legitimize German colonial claims in Africa.
HistoryDecember 6, 2023
German President Steinmeier in Tanzania

German president apologizes for colonial crimes in Tanzania

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier apologizes for the Maji Maji massacre and other German colonial abuses in Tanzania.
PoliticsNovember 1, 202305:01 min
The Molelia family receives DNA results from Valence Silayo (r)

Tanzanians demand return of ancestral skulls

Colonial-era skulls, looted as war trophies, have been matched by DNA tests to Tanzanian families — who want them back.
SocietySeptember 22, 2023
Mandenga and Emilie Diek sit with their daughters Erika and Doris

Making Afro-German history visible

The Afro-German Diek family has been living in Germany since 1891, but are still fighting for recognition.
CultureAugust 10, 2023
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