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People holding a large banner reading "Rassismus tötet!" during a protest on a street.
DW

Efforts to decolonize Berlin as UN calls for reparations to right ‘historical wrongs’

Annelise Finney reports for DW’s Inside Europe about the global process of historical reckoning — requiring former colonizing countries to come to terms with the darker sides of their past — with a focus on Berlin’s efforts.

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In this file photo, people hold a banner reading “Racism Kills” as they attend a demonstration ahead of a ceremony renaming the street Petersallee into Maji-Maji-Allee, at the so called African Quarter, in Berlin, Germany, Aug. 23, 2024.

Markus Schreiber/AP/File photo

Late last month, the UN passed a resolution urging reparations for slavery’s “historical wrongs.”

It’s the latest — and most dramatic — moment in an ongoing and global process of historical reckoning, which requires former colonizing countries to come to terms with the darker sides of their past.

Six years ago, for example, Berlin became one of a handful of European cities reassessing its relationship to European colonialism. The local administration funded efforts to “decolonize” the city landscape in partnership with Afro-German organizations.

From our partners at Deutsche Welle, DW, Inside Europe’s Annelise Finney reports.

Click on the player to hear the full story.

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