Your Excellency President John Dramani Mahama,

Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,

Ministers,

Members of the Diplomatic Corps,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you to the Government of Ghana for organizing this conference on Reparatory Justice,

for highlighting the importance of colonial legacies,

and for inviting Germany to contribute to this important and moving discussion.

Germany appreciates Ghana’s leadership in advancing dialogue on these issues.

We welcome the opportunity for an open and respectful exchange.

And we look forward to continuing this conversation with partners in Ghana and around the world.

Germany stands by its historical responsibility.

We do our utmost to actively address the legacy of our colonial past through dialogue with affected countries and societies.

One priority is our engagement towards the return of ancestral remains and cultural property from the colonial context.

For Germany, this commitment is part of a broader conviction.

The dark chapters of history must not be forgotten.

We cannot change the past.

But confronting history honestly is essential if we want to build a better future.

A future in which such injustices are never repeated. Never again.

This conviction guides Germany’s approach today.

And today’s symbolic gesture reflects that commitment.

It reflects Germany’s commitment to enabling the return of these objects.

The catalogue we hand over today documents the results of extensive provenance research on four objects from Kpando in Ghana’s Volta Region:

two war drums,

and two war horns.

They formed part of the heritage of the Dagadu rulers of Kpando.

They accompanied important moments in community life.

They carried history, memory and authority.

The research documented in this catalogue has helped us better understand the circumstances under which they came into German possession.

They came into German possession during the colonial period, in a context marked by profound power imbalances and structural colonial violence.

Understanding these histories matters.

Because behind every object lies a societal, a human story.

And behind every collection lies a history that deserves to be examined with honesty and care.

This is why Germany actively supports provenance research as a key instrument for enabling transparency and returns.

The Kpando objects are not the end of the story.

The catalogue also includes information on further provenance research projects concerning cultural property from German colonial history.

It reminds us that this work is ongoing.

And that much remains to be done.

Germany has therefore established a Contact Point for collections from the colonial context to assist those searching for ancestral remains and cultural goods.

We have established a national online database to improve transparency regarding collections.

And we have started structured bilateral dialogues on returns with partners such as Tanzania and Cameroon.

And we are also looking forward to starting a dialogue with the Ghana Focal Team.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

As I come to the end of my remarks, let me underline one final point.

The title of this catalogue captures our approach in three simple words:

Transparency.

Research.

Return.

These four objects from Kpando stand at the centre of today’s symbolic gesture.

But they also point beyond themselves.

To a broader effort to better understand the histories of collections from the colonial past.

To greater transparency.

To continued dialogue.

To enabling returns.

And to our responsibility of engaging with history,

to carry remembrance into the future.

Germany remains committed to this path.

Thank you very much.