Ngonnso
Ngonnso is of cultural significance to the Nso people. She is believed to be the founder of Nso kingdom.[1] After her death, a wooden statue nearly a meter tall covered with cowrie shells was created in her honor as a symbol of hope and peace.
In 1902, this statue was taken by Kurt Von Pavel, and donated to Berlin's Ethnolgical Museum in 1903.[2]
History
[edit]Ngonnso founded the Nso kingdom following a conflict with her two brothers. After her death, a statue was made in her honour. This statue was stolen by Kurt von Pavel and donated to the Berlin Ethnolgical Museum in 1903.[3]
Cultural significance
[edit]Ngonnso is considered mother deity, a symbol of hope and peace.[4]
She has an integral connection to the founding history of the Nso kingdom. The statue is named after a princess, who left Rifem in the Adamawa Region of Cameroon during the fight against the choice of a successor to the throne, and later established a new kingdom called Nso. As a deity, rituals are performed around her to ensure the survival and livelihood of the community. In order to ensure passing of historical knowledge and cultural practices form one generation to another, stories and oral history about Ngonnso are told.[5]
Reparation efforts
[edit]The initiation of the statue's return to Cameroon was considered by the Foundation board because of the integral role it plays in the Nso Kingdom.[6]
Asides Ngonnso, other twenty seven royal and cultural objects of the Nso kingdom kept in Linden Museum are being negotiated to be officially returned.
Sylvie Vernyuy Njobati's effort in bringing Ngonnso back home
[edit]In 2008, Njobati started a campaign to bring back this statue home. The dialogue intensified in 2021 through her Bring Back Ngonnso initiative, made Hermann Parzinger, the president of Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK) agreed to the return, and Njobati delivered a signed official restitution request.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Chakanetsa, Kim (16 June 2023). "Cameroon's Ngonnso: 'My fight to bring our sacred stolen statue home". BBC Home. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ Dohyee, Shuimo Trust (12 December 2024). "Bring back Ngonnso". Africa Is a Country. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ Awosika, Tomisin (5 July 2022). "120 Years After It Was Stolen, Germany Is Returning Ngonnso' to Cameroon". The Republic. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "What's the statue of Goddess Ngonnso that Germany is returning to Cameroon after 120 years?". Firstpost. 2022-06-30. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ Africa, Open Restitution (29 January 2025). "The Restitution Journey of Ngonnso from the Nso Kingdom in Cameroon". Open Restitution Africa. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
- ^ Berlin, Staatliche Museen zu (27 June 2022). "Ethnologisches Museum: Returning the Ngonnso' to Cameroon". Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
- ^ "Ngonnso, the Covenant Box of the Nso Fondom". Access Point Africa. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2025.