Dig Where
You Stand
Thousands of ancestral remains - human body parts - are held in Berlin institutions. Why are they here? How did they get here? What’s going to happen to them?
There may be no more visceral example of the legacy of German colonialism than the huge number of dead bodies still being held in Berlin to this day. Even today, bits and pieces of these victims of imperial power continue to turn up.
"Why are there so many dead bodies - so many ancestral remains - in Berlin museums?"
Part 1 & 2 of the 3-part series
Episode 1: The Kidnapped Dead
We’re introduced to the topic of ancestral remains through the ongoing search for Mangi Meli’s head - removed after his murder in 1900, and missing ever since. How did these remains get to Berlin, and where are they being held? Who collected them? And we explore the lasting impact on the affected families and communities today.
Episode 2: Why can’t we give them back?
Episode two of Dig Where You Stand examines one of the darkest chapters of German colonial history: The genocide of the Herero and Nama peoples in German South West Africa. In 2011, Germany finally returned 20 skulls from its collection of stolen ancestral remains held at Charité hospital - and the result was a diplomatic scandal. This episode is about the politics behind repatriations, and the symbolic power these ancestors still hold.