The world wide debate on the restitution of collections from colonial contexts has long reached Switzerland. It is now gaining new momentum from Bern: the Usakos Railway Workers’ Collection – a collection of everyday Namibian artefacts appropriated in the context of colonial violence – is scheduled to be repatriated to Namibia in 2027.

Restitution concerns us all. At this event, everyone is invited to join the conversation and engage with experts on the practice of returning cultural heritage. The discussion will focus on what happens to collections after restitution. What opportunities and challenges does it present for the museums that return objects and for the communities of origin that receive them? And how can civil society help shape these processes?

Moderated by Henri-Michel Yéré – the event will feature real-time German transcription using an AI-based solution.

The panel is held in partnership with the University of Bern as part of the research colloquium of the Chair of Modern History.