The Documentary Podcast

Returning Germany’s stolen skulls


Listen Later

In 1900, German colonial officers executed 19 Tanzanian leaders, including Akida Kiwelu, and shipped their skulls to Berlin for scientific study. Thousands of such skulls and ancestral remains stolen from Germany’s past colonies are still kept in Berlin museums to this day. In an administrative building in Berlin, Zablon Kiwelu encounters his grandfather’s skull for the first time. DNA testing confirmed a genetic match to this skull, held in an anthropological colonial-era collection of thousands of skulls known as the S-Collection. But despite proof of his heritage, Zablon cannot bring his grandfather home for a proper burial.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Documentary PodcastBy BBC World Service

  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3

4.3

1,602 ratings


More shows like The Documentary Podcast

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,722 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

365 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,044 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,462 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

951 Listeners

The History Hour by BBC World Service

The History Hour

586 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,805 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,069 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,930 Listeners

The Interview by BBC World Service

The Interview

368 Listeners

Lives Less Ordinary by BBC World Service

Lives Less Ordinary

593 Listeners

Discovery by BBC World Service

Discovery

960 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

434 Listeners

Science Weekly by The Guardian

Science Weekly

418 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

736 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

838 Listeners

Today in Focus by The Guardian

Today in Focus

994 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,189 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

753 Listeners

Cyber Hack by BBC World Service

Cyber Hack

1,628 Listeners

The Global Story by BBC World Service

The Global Story

288 Listeners

The Explanation by BBC World Service

The Explanation

26 Listeners