A/HRC/55/44/Add.1 E. Dealing with the past 76. How to deal adequately with the past was a question gaining increasing attention during the Special Rapporteur’s visit. Whose narrative about the past is being told, and whose historical perspective is heard or pushed aside, are questions at the core of cultural rights. As one person told the Special Rapporteur, only that which is memorialized is made relevant. 77. The Special Rapporteur commends the work carried out by Germany in dealing with the difficult legacy of the two world wars of the twentieth century. Numerous museums, monuments, exhibitions, documentary productions and history textbooks have contributed to addressing the consequences of the Nazi regime, the realities of the Shoah and the impact of the division of Germany and Berlin after the Second World War, as well as to developing a strong consciousness about this legacy. Efforts have also been made to draw parallels between those chapters of history and the events and challenges of today. 78. The Special Rapporteur observed that, despite all the above-mentioned excellent work, other groups persecuted during that period, such as the Roma and Sinti and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, have been given much less attention in the historical narratives. Whereas museums dedicated to Roma and Sinti or to LGBTIQ+ issues, such as the Schwules Museum in Berlin, are great initiatives, such perspectives of twentieth-century German history, and the struggles and contributions of those persons to rebuilding the country, should also be included in other museums that cover those periods of history and be recognized nationally. 79. The lack of knowledge about the persecution of Sinti and Roma in general, including its absence in the educational system, may have contributed to the persistence of structural discrimination against them.15 Efforts to combat that structural discrimination and address stereotypes in public representations and in the media through familiarity and understanding of Sinti and Roma culture need to be strengthened. More generally, curricula that reflect the cultures and histories of the whole population of Germany and address difficult questions of the past beyond the main narrative are important tools for promoting cultural rights. 80. Narratives about the reunification of Germany are reportedly told from the perspective of the western part of the country, and there is not much space for the narrative of eastern Germany, or for the experiences of being a migrant from the German Democratic Republic at that time. This historical perspective is, however, important in understanding Germany today and assimilating all the relevant lessons of that period of history. 1. Colonial history 81. Emphasis on the twentieth-century wars may have limited the resources for addressing other important historical periods, such as the colonial past of Germany. That period is reportedly only briefly mentioned, if at all, in the history curricula in schools, and is not generally well known to Germans. Shortly before the visit, the use and presentation of ethnographic artifacts in the collection of the Humboldt Forum, and the underlying structural racism the collection highlighted, was being widely discussed. As a result, representatives of concerned communities were invited to inform the debates of certain museums, and other institutions adopted a more participatory approach or strengthened their provenance research. These were all voluntary measures, however, and in other public institutions, including a zoo, colonial representations remain unchallenged. 82. The Special Rapporteur was impressed with the debate surrounding the restitution of colonial artefacts currently in Germany. Work to prepare the restitution of the Benin bronzes to Nigeria, completed in July 2022, is said to have started over 10 years ago. Representatives of the Foreign Office seemed very conscious of their responsibility for requesting and encouraging truly participatory processes from their counterparts, which is commendable. 15 16 The report of June 2021 of the independent commission established by Parliament on the issue (p. 77) found that the effects of the Nazi genocide and the failure to counter anti-Roma racism are still evident today. See https://dserver.bundestag.de/btd/19/303/1930310.pdf (in German). GE.24-01816