00:00This Berlin museum houses 34 stone statues from the San Agustín Archaeological Park in Huila.
00:06They were illegally extracted from Colombia more than 100 years ago,
00:11But the German cultural authorities do not want to return them.
00:15Because?
00:16Berlin has not made any public statement, but we had access to the bilateral negotiation file.
00:22The Germans initially claimed that the civilization that made those statues over a thousand years ago no longer exists.
00:28And that's why Colombians don't have a direct connection with them.
00:32Furthermore, Colombia was not actually a German colony.
00:37And that is why they do not apply the international laws and treaties that oblige Germany to return stolen goods to its citizens
00:44former colonies.
00:45But they are ignoring something important.
00:47Conrad Preuss, the German ethnologist who pioneered the archaeological exploration of San Agustín Park,
00:54When he removed the statues from Colombian territory, he knew that what he was doing was illegal.
00:59The press of the time recorded that the inhabitants of the town of San Agustín were complaining.
01:04And there are letters from his personal archive that show that he was just as aware.
01:09who lied in a document presenting the statues as mineral objects.
01:14When Delicant received those letters in Germany, they said, of course, that this was new information and that they would...
01:20to be re-evaluated.
01:21However, that was over a year ago and now the negotiation is stalled.
01:26In 2023, Germany repatriated two Kogi masks that Preuss had also taken from Colombia.
01:32At that time, the German Minister of Culture was Claudia Roth.
01:35We asked him about the statues of Saint Augustine and he told us this.
01:38If it is proven that Preuss actually broke the statues and declared them minerals, this would constitute illegal appropriation.
01:47It would simply be theft, and that is unacceptable.
01:51In that case, the statues should be returned and compensation should also be considered.
01:58Germany proposes sharing the statues on loan.
02:01However, Colombian diplomacy has been firm on this matter.
02:04Heritage is not to be shared.
02:06Meanwhile, the indigenous people of Anacuna in San Agustín are performing rituals to prepare the territory where they hope that
02:13Bring back the statues.
02:14For them, more than archaeological objects, these are pieces that contain the souls of their ancestors.
02:21And just as Colombia, Egypt, Tanzania, Greece, Australia and other countries are demanding answers from Germany and other countries of the
02:29global north
02:30that they return objects that they have in their museums and that were acquired illegally.
02:34And what do you think? Do you believe that Germany should return all the objects from its museums?
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