turns. out the darkest leaves are actually. in forty five minutes p.w. . i'm not laughing at the germans but sometimes they are placed and laughing with the. things deep into german culture. you don't seem to take that as groundhog day i'll delete stuff that's all that they know i'm rachel join me for me to get on the golf course. hello and welcome tots twenty one. but lynn has a new landmark the humbled forum is set to open in late summer in a replica oppression palace and it's long been one of germany's most hotly debated and ambitious cultural projects. if this were

a place that will welcome the world customs on it. in terms of investigation into the provenance of the artifacts the humbled form has lost ten years if i. may quote say where. the whole board or one of the school's justices. in the history of. the genesis of the humboldt forum and the challenge is now focused this week on the twenty one but let's go back to the beginning. on september seventh nineteen fifty the government of the german democratic republic blew up the berlin city palace. it didn't fit with the ideology of the new socialist state. dominating the district of berlin mitta it had been the residence of prussian kings in the german kaiser for over two centuries now it was history. the palast de republic was built in its place the seat of the east german

parliament the foxconn and a venue for key events. german reunification heralded the end of the people's palace in one nine hundred ninety the building was closed due to as best as the discussion regarding the new image of berlin mr had begun. fans of the building fought to keep their power last year very public others advocated for the reconstruction of the prussian palace even erecting a huge market beside in the summer of one nine hundred ninety three. a third option a modern new building seemed to have no chance. on july fourth two thousand and two the german bundestag voted with a clear majority to reconstruct the old historic city palace. down to the tiniest detail a computer simulation was created. a lot of work.

but nothing compared to the reality of executing the project. that the public can to be demolished then international architects were invited to tender their ideas italian architect from costello won the tender his design is based on the baroque original just the eastern for sun it is modern. but what are the new palace be used for that's an issue that sparked a lot of debate the idea that one in the end is to create a forum for world cultures housing berlin's extensive non european collections in tandem with the european art on the neighboring museum island. the humboldt forum is named after the famous researcher and universal scholar alexander one hundred. construction began in june two thousand and twelve the government is providing five

hundred ninety million euros funding an extra one hundred million euros have been collected in donations to reconstruct the baroque facade. aside from the building itself the current focus is on the objects displayed inside restitution of colonial era at. the facts is a matter of heated debate and when the new met him you see i'm contacting along. a gruesome murder carved in stone and discovered by chance in guatemala in the nineteenth century. incredible boat from oceania fit for the high seas but without a single nail. and a cave from china where buddhist monks prayed over one hundred thousand years ago. treasures from berlin's enormous collection. prussian rulers started these

collections over two hundred years ago today they belong to the prussian cultural heritage foundation the key player in the new book for. around five hundred thousand exhibits will be on display from all continents mostly acquired in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. known busta here competition to be the provenance of the history of the exhibits there biographies how they were made what their original function was how they were acquired and how they made their way into various german collections that's a part of the research on these objects which has become a key focus in recent years. and it's not an emotional wreck and in focus could. the times when cultural artifacts could simply be put on display in european museums are over. the flagship project at their home board forum is raising questions about the provenance and history of objects shedding light on german colonialism

a chapter of german history which was long suppressed in the public consciousness. were these items stolen looted. or acquired by illegal means. the humble forum has announced that it will host twenty thousand exhibits from berlin's ethnological collections. over one thousand of them are from africa. from the late nineteenth century until one nine hundred eighteen the germans had four african colonies the native population was not only exploited brutally enslaved robbed and killed. during this period the german kaiser received on valuable gift the lavish throne of the king of bomb in northwestern cameroon at the time a german colony. what is the significance of such

a gift when it is not among equals the sculptures and basques where they purchased or are they the spoils of war. oftentimes i think we have to deal with this issue openly and transparently and face up to our past for it's a unique opportunity for the humble foreign we can only find a new way into the future by working together jointly with the countries and peoples of origin and by reappraising our past together. depression cultural heritage foundation has been carrying out provenance research for over ten years but recently it's been more intensive and rigorous no doubt as a reaction to the public debate and protests from organizations representing the victims of the restitution of certain objects that were proven to have been acquired by illegal means has taken place in the glare of the media is hammer on parting afraid that his cultural collections good slowly diminish. his answer

is diplomatic. there is no museum director in the world who can singlehandedly decide which objects should be rested to take from their museum it's a decision of the state boards and organizations have to make these decisions and so i think it's important to create a national or as i prefer to see. a a european international consensus on how the restitution should take place to have some kind of ground rules on how to proceed. this could take a while in the meantime exhibits have been on the move to their own board for at full speed the ethnological museum in berlin datta where the collection was housed up to now has been closed for some time the last visitors came here in january twenty seven hundred since then things have been packed. restored. and dusted off. the famous south

seas boat said to be put in a disinfestation covered to prevent any harmful insects from moving with them. transporting larger objects is a challenge in daraa a wall was broken through and a gap was left in the facade of the farm which was closed up after the exhibits were put in. none of these objects can be moved again easily they'll soon have pride of place in this exciting contemporary exhibition. was in the museums are no longer temples of contemplation they're more like social libertarius that's why it's so fascinating to work in that the humble foreign will be an extremely attractive place to visit. within the next five years from its plans to set the framework for returning cultural artifacts taken from the african countries of origin. two of the experts advising president emanuel mccraw on the issue you took time out to talk to twenty one.

for we are forty six years old is an economist from senegal. and you did serve or you also forty six is a professor for art history in berlin and paris both are advisors to french president manuel my call. in a speech in brooklyn or france over nov twenty seventh teen mom called announced that france would be restitution looted art and artifacts from its former colonies serve or i'm sorry britain a feasibility study on this issue with some politically explosive content. if you do level there are around ninety thousand objects in the french national museums and we were able to prove that two thirds of them entered the collections during the colonial era either spoils of war or through scientific expeditions purchases gifts or bequests. if appropriation of the property occurred against the will of

the people we researched whether there are restitution claims in the countries of a strong regional. strategy to begin the phone always does that in most cases there was no permission to take the objects that plenty of reports confirm this also whether with scientific expeditions and feel of your vessel we recommend that if there is a restitution claim the objects should be returned without any great difficulty. as a comedian in the media we read about a fear that museum showcases will be empty in five years. is that realistic is this list of yours that any thought for it no it's not the objects that came into the collections over centuries and they won't all be returned within five years. and since then it's obvious to consider mt has a few key pieces which are very important for the history or identity of the country of origin we're talking about a few hundred at most not tens of thousands of objects in the same thousand and

four how with the reactions to president for us to choosing artifacts or looted art with us to. give you their reactions we heard well fareed we traveled through fool african francophone countries to talk to a colleague's. in the republic of panini the memory of the destruction of the kingdom by the french the memory of french colonial history is still very strong. as they ought to do is to everybody remembers that there was a king that he was sent into exile and that the palace was burned down. perhaps not everyone knows that two thousand objects then found their way to paris but once you know that objects came to paris as a result of this plunder well these are previous schoolchild can put two and two together those who can't take notes. and along with that african curators

have thought about how to fill the empty spaces left in european museums off to the restitution for me this means important consideration of the relationship the exchange between africa and europe we have a book off in your book every which is now been published in german you describe how africa is always described from outside as a continent in decline dying and riddled with catastrophes. what does the current debate about restitution say about the way europe perceives africa today of africa is an interesting way we are now hearing arguments which reveal a deep seated cum dissension towards africa that there are no museums there or that africans are incapable of taking care of their own works of art or cultural heritage not everyone is saying it out loud but many people are convinced that the objects would be much safer in europe and it would even be for the good of africa if they were kept in europe. it means we have

a lot of work ahead to decolonized the european perception of africa. the poorer nya n. ce provenance research has only really just got going yet the humble foreign member len is about to open in twenty nineteen how can that work that's giving him as what this was in my recommendation would be that the museum is published. inventor a is this would basically mean that we see museums in the same way as libraries a library without a catalogue is just a pile of books of the law and a museum without an inventor e which is available to the public is simply a pile of objects that no one really knows what to do with my advice on fun come what good is it what does this debate mean to you personally but to the sort of him as with. the me it's important to show the dark side of museums that normally only show us their best science as const behind the transparency of the provenance of the stories of where the objects actually come from that's very important to me it's vision now we have this debate and everyone knows that the background of these

collections is a difficult one. for me and that's a big step. toward it and i mean thanks for talking to us here than. the multi-disciplinary humboldt lab tanzania project explores questions of cultural heritage with reference to the tanzanian antti facts appropriated during the years of german colonial rule. a plate with mysterious who scription brought to berlin in eight hundred ninety six as a cheap wardrobe. for years it was mistaken for a gong. after one hundred twenty years it's true purpose has finally come to light . the photos and we showed pictures of it to scribes know the city of kill workers who want to wear this object had originally been expropriated and they were able to decipher the writing presence of heart and. it turned out to be

a story from the qur'an. which clearly showed that this object was a protective thomas. protection perhaps in the battle against german colonial rule. for three years the humbled tanzania examined objects that had found their way to the ethnological collections as war trophies and spoils objects that the german occupiers in east africa had often taken with brute force. and get us up by the comments like that in a way you could say it was a sort of collective morning with these colleagues it brought up so many emotions. about seven thousand kilometers further south in darkness a lot more turns and use government sits. tucked away between modern

skyscrapers or witnesses to the country's colonial past the germans created these botanical gardens nearby the national museum partner of the home bowed down zinnia . there over ten thousand artifacts from former germany's down for a good still stored in berlin alone. it was a shock knowing that they have a lot of court actions that belong to the congo or the former german clue no question but. these connections were not on display and we have laws by this storage so no one knew where that the company i knew or the german knew. the university of dar es salaam also help to determine the origins and meanings of what was found a difficult process. the fact and that's most of these objects if they were planned and their. main that it is

a very fit with information about the biography. so. lies an hour and a half north of darkness alone it was the capital of former german east africa between eighteen eighty five and nineteen eighteen the dream of the german empire of being a colonial power finally came true. for tanzania it was a nightmare. this is where they hang those who dared to rebel against forced labor inflated taxes corporal punishment between one thousand nine hundred five in one thousand nine hundred seven some three hundred thousand tons of mean people died in what became known as the monkey mudgee rebellion a scorched earth policy. today the buildings are rented by the invaders are crumbling germany is willing to support restorations but there is no talk of restitute their massive theft of cultural assets. back at the museum in dar es

salaam the historical section hardly shows any african exhibits of german colonial rule an empty space that could be filled with plates like this inscribed with us from the qur'an. if they were in spanish inscriptions which. inspired the fight at the end of the day they would have made you the. money. so that. because if we had. you know. what would returning these objects mean for historians and museums. i think it took a milestone for the academy and its fights because now

they will have all of the. heritage. things to look on and to reflect on into the research and again this is the time for africa that's right in their own history. the first small step has been made. the findings and interpretations made by the african partners of the trans and mia will be incorporated into the tanzania collection. for. the. just so tough going to his to. for there would be present and that's it would be extremely disturbed when all of that is nothing about it but you have a sentry interpretation. does the humbled

foreignness completion curage is a thinking about how to best showcase the many exhibits we met director hans might do for a tour of what's still very much a work in progress. germany's most prominent construction site is approaching the finish line for six and a half years workers have been busy here day and night one hundred thousand square meters and six hundred million euros of pure construction costs all according to plan they say. it's still hard to believe that by the end of twenty nineteen berlin will finally be rid of the scaffolding. the burrow for side is almost completely reconstructed just like the modern east wing. the famous truth of courtyard is still surrounded by scaffolding and it looks like a building site on the inside to. here in the main entrance hall. plans to receive the first guests to the forum later this year. alford and yes and built as

a border security guard with a symbolic just. maybe a private tour they could share salt and bread the tradition in many cultures is all they could blow out alexander from humboldt's birthday candles two hundred fifty of them isn't about fun at them if they stuck. at xander for homework the impressive scholar and explorer predicted human induced climate change back in one thousand nine hundred known centuries later experts from all fields will come together here under his name to discuss further challenges of our age globalization colonialism digitalisation. is even though it's not just a museum an exhibition space it's also a conference center and event location with a theater and dancing and food you can go up to the roof or a view of berlin film scene it's got a lot to offer that's why they call it a forum it's got a permanent program and a changing program. and fix and program. a program that will fill these grandiose

rumors the building has been a challenge for construction workers and exhibition organizers a line. at first all that will open is a berlin show to see world cultures the audience will have to wait until twenty twenty and still are to imagine our masks clint axes and bronze plates we're looking here but it don't vote for him they're optimistic that if the eyes of the architecture helps the interior it won't just be plain identical exhibition halls the rooms differ greatly and that opens up all sorts of possibilities of how to set the scene for each exhibition and with each new temporary exhibition we'll see a different signature design mix in the hands of. in one show room a wooden wall this is where several of the controversial bening bronzers are to be displayed that were stolen from africa one hundred twenty years ago france will

return the ones it took but berlin has yet to make up its mind so for now the. busts day. but they'll be moved to the humbled forum and displayed with video recordings that will include critical voices from their place of origin today's nigeria. and one can see he principle is to offer a space for other voices it isn't only the curators who tell us about their view of things but we are asked other researches and people from the societies of our region what it means to them today. we also asked critics of the exhibitions of at the not equal museums this will give our form many different voices was refused to make the top. dog at all promises that not only should the story of the original significance of an object be told in their own board forum but also the story of its acquisition but also goes where objects from former german colonies yet the current discussion regarding african cultural heritage is causing tension dealing

with it responsibly remains a challenge yes country it's important to me that we don't lead this discussion the europeans shouldn't decide on restitution alone it should be a joint decision with the countries of origin of the humboldt forum should be a place where this discussion can take place and where we present something that tells a story. like these objects from tanzania. a special exhibition will focus on the joint german african provenance research. and of honesty also don't you see the exhibition on tanzania is a result of this research it will later moved to dar es salaam and the prussian cultural heritage foundation wants some of these exhibits which were spoils of war to stay in tanzania. returns or near an exhibition will be shown in their home board forming a second out of twenty twenty after the opening phase which will last for

a whole year alexandr for home boats two hundred fiftieth. earth day will be celebrated on september fourteenth in an almost empty building. the humble old forum construction site will be around for some time a work in progress. from ops twenty one today by play re. and the fetus then.

the but. never possible chain reaction of. the bat around six hundred years ago. the renaissance. architects. scientists and artists. took. the darkest blade to the

subtler. fifteen d.w. . and here it is a chain reaction of arrests. began around six hundred years ago in the renaissance the revolution in flash enable us many people became aware of their abilities and strengths in a new way there was an outpouring of self-confidence mentions it's the first. our. culture. is to join.

this. t.w. . i was here when i arrived here i slept with six people in a room. it was hard i wish. i even got white hair. language . this gets me little but you need to instruct it's the same you want to know their story. of fighting and reliable information for margaret. would want her sons in law enforcement. but a lot of these could be dangerous. floods and droughts climate change become the main driver of mass migration you could not write any

kind of peace not if you want them probably more than to come to. the context of sorts of your thirty years on t w. this is d w news live from the issues house and for lack of a leaves more than a dozen people dead authorities raided the home of a suspected terrorist linked to the east of bombings seizing explosives isis uniforms on flags we'll hear from our correspondent in the sri lankan capital also coming up mozambique says the promise of another giants like bill still in the can

it unleashes high winds and trench raids on the country the u.n. wants of massive flooding ahead. on venice claim.