The federal government is trying to achieve "deepened cooperation" with Nigeria and is returning traditional art objects to their place of origin in a "long overdue step".
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Minister of State for Arts and Culture, Claudia Roth (both Greens), traveled to the Nigerian capital Abuja on Sunday for this purpose.
Johannes Leithauser
Political correspondent in Berlin.
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On her departure, Baerbock said that the return of the 20 cultural objects grouped together under the name "Benin Bronzes" could not "heal all the wounds of the past", but first of all it could show that Germany "is serious about coming to terms with its dark colonial history". , and second, helping to open a new chapter of deeper collaboration.
Baerbock said Nigeria is Africa's largest democracy with a population of 210 million and forms a voice "that carries weight internationally".
Nigeria's role as the seat of the Regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as a "pillar of the African Union" and as an "important troop provider in UN peacekeeping missions" results in numerous interests in cooperation with Germany.
Hope in the fight against Boko Haram
Germany is interested in stabilizing the Sahel states in northern Nigeria in terms of security and development policy and wants to support the country, which consumes and exports large amounts of fossil fuels, in converting to a pollution-free energy economy.
The German Foreign Minister also pointed to current signs of hope in the security situation in Nigeria, which had been shaken by acts of terrorism by the Boko Haram militia in recent years.
The fact that around 100,000 fighters and supporters of this terrorist group have surrendered since last year gives hope "that an inclusive, democratic society can manage to build social and political defenses against terrorism".
It is important to involve the local population.
In this sense, Germany will continue to engage in Nigeria, said Baerbock.
The Benin Bronzes are metal plaques and sculptures from the 16th to 18th centuries.
They once adorned the royal palace in the Kingdom of Benin in present-day Nigeria and ended up in European museums as looted art after the British invaded at the end of the 19th century.
Nigeria is one of the most important oil producing countries in the world and is one of the member states of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Income from oil exports contributes significantly to government revenues.
During her three-day visit, Baerbock also wants to travel to north-eastern Nigeria to see how German support is helping to rebuild several villages that were destroyed by Boko Haram.
