The female figure, known as Ngonnso’, will be returned to the kingdom of Nso’ in northwestern Cameroon. It was taken by colonial officer Kurt von Pavel and donated to Berlin’s Ethnological Museum in 1903. “Bring Back Ngonnso,” a civil society initiative, has been campaigning for the statue’s return for years, as the Nso people say they have suffered numerous calamities since the statue was stolen. “The Ngonnso’ has a central role for the Nso’, as she is considered a mother deity,” the foundation said in a statement. Foundation president Hermann Parzinger said that objects do not need to have been taken in an unjust context, like looting, for them to deserve repatriation. “The special — especially spiritual — significance of an object for the society of origin can also justify a return,” Parzinger added.
SOURCE: CNN