A Story of German Guilt But Not So Much German Fault

This is one of those historical German stories that I tell....which leads you to some beliefs, and a twist or two.

Back in 1484....the kings court of King John II, laid out a commission to a Portuguese guy by the name of Diogo Cao.  He was 32 years old at this point....considered an efficient navigator (a guy with maps) and had explored to some degree. 

Basically, what King John II wanted was a route to India.  This was eight years  prior to Columbus.

As part of this journey, Cao's ship was to carry stone crosses (Padroes) to identify an area as they came upon it.....as King John II territory.  Conquered lands....so to speak, or just plain 'markers'.

So Cao came upon what is identified as Cross Cape, Namibia today.  They dragged the stone cross to the sand dune area overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, and for roughly four-hundred years....that cross sat there.

Around 1884, the Germans (under Chancellor Bismarck)  started a settlement (maybe up to around 2,000 Germans) there in Namibia.  Around nine years pass, and one day....someone (never known who) settled upon the idea of removing the stone cross and transporting it to the German Historical Museum.  Two to three years pass, and a replica monument (German-made) is erected. 

I assume there is some ceremony but little is said about this second erection or how things went that day.

It was not quiet the same as the original.  Folks noticed this, and various comments existed about the newer and 'lesser' stone cross. 

So roughly 110 years go by, and some private donations flow in.....to buy up a new stone cross (a better one).  It was erected, and oddly enough....the old stone cross (the replacement one) still sits there.

Now I bring up this whole story about the cross business because this week.....some German committee of PhD folks and museum curators decided that original King John II stone cross (sitting in the German museum for over 140 years) has been requested back by the Namibian people.  The museum folks agreed, and this week signed the paperwork to ship it back.

So three stone crosses there next to each other?  No one says.  The condition of this 500-year-old cross?  Unknown. 

Should there even be any German guilt?  This stone cross wasn't even representing the Kaiser or German government.  There was a German who made the decision to remove the King John II cross, but that's about the extent of 'guilt'.