[imc-sa] Press declaration 'Anticolonial Africa Conference Berlin 2004'

[info at africa-anticolonial.org]

Anticolonial Africa Conference Berlin 2004
c/o Forschungsgesellschaft Flucht und Migration
Gneisenaustr. 2a
D-10961 Berlin
Germany
www.africa-anticolonial.org

PRESS RELEASE

Berlin, 15th November 2004

>From 11th to 15th November 2004 the Anticolonial Africa Conference 2004
took place in Berlin – Kreuzberg, Germany. For two years, a group
consisting mainly of African refugees and people from Germany was
preparing this conference. During the past four days around 250 people met
daily to take part in presentations, films, discussions, an exhibition and
workshops.

On thursday, 11th November 2004, a commemoration ceremony took place at
Neue Wache (Unter den Linden) to commemorate the victims of the colonial
wars led by Germany.

The demand addressed at the German government was to add the following
inscription to the already existing tablet:
"Every colonialism is a crime against humanity.
The Federal Republic of Germany commemorates the people in Africa, Asia,
and Oceania who were harmed, deprived of their dignity, chased away, and
killed by German colonialism. The FRG apologizes to the descendants."

In the afternoon of friday, 12th November 2004, about 400 people
participated in an anticolonial demonstration. On saturday, 13th November
2004, an anticolonial city-tour was offered, tracing "colonial sites" in
Berlin.

Topics of the conference were:
- Crimes of colonisation (with an emphasis on the genocide of Herero and
Nama in colonial Namibia and their ongoing struggle for an apology and
reparations)
- Fortress Europe (external and internal European borders, refugee camps
in Northern Africa)
- Exploitation of Africa (natural resources and wars / conflicts in Africa)
- Resistance against colonisation

The conference adhered that the current politics concerning development
aid and migration are pervaded by colonial structures.
The central demand of the conference is: Apologies and Reparations for
Colonisation.

During the conference the demands were advanced:
1. End of all wars, no military protection for the exploitation of
resources, no export of weapons to Africa, no intervention (war) troops
from Europe to Africa, no refugee management by NGOs.
2. Interrupt colonial mentalities, no 'export of democracy' to Africa,
acknowledgement of African resistance against the ongoing colonisation.
3. Compensation – legalization – the right to residence, acceptance of
political responsibility for colonial rule by all signature countries of
the Berlin Congo Conference, obligation of reparations, legalization of
residence, open entry to Europe.
One demand has been substantiated: German owners, amongst others the
families Oetker and Schleyer, have to make restitution of their farms in
Namibia, which are not serving for their living, to the Namibian
population without compensation.
4. Abolish all racist laws, stop deportations, closing of deportation
prisons and "departure centres", abolish the refusal of entry and work and
the "Residenzpflicht". No refugee camps in Northern Africa and anywhere
else.
5. Adoption of an antidiscriminatory law.
6. Immediate debt relief.
7. Sculls and parts of bodies, which were used for hereditary and
racial-biological research, have to be send back immediately to their
countries of origin and to receive a dignified burial.
8. Return of the robbed objects of art and culture.

On monday, 15th November 2004, at noon the conference was completed with a
protest rally at the Reichstag. Back then, all important decisions of
colonial politics were taken in the Reichstag. Today 120 years ago at noon
Bismarck inaugurated the Berlin Africa Conference where all colonial
powers met to divide Africa amongst themselves. A banner of 25 metres
demanded "Apologies and Reparations for Colonisation", the crimes of
colonisation were denounced in different African languages.

For further questions we are at your disposal at 0049-163-805 27 72 or
info at africa-anticolonial.org.

You can find more information also at http://www.africa-anticolonial.org
or http://de.indymedia.org/2004/11/98375.shtml (mostly in German,
translations will follow soon)