A 'stolen' diamond or a royal gift? demand that the UK give back the 500-carat Great Star of Africa diamond.
Following Queen Elizabeth II's passing, there are increasing calls in South Africa for the British royal family to give back the biggest known clear-cut diamond.
The diamond, also known as the Great Star of Africa or Cullinan I, was cut from a larger stone that was mined in South Africa in 1905 and given to the British royal family by the colonial rulers of South Africa. It is now mounted on the Queen's royal sceptre.
Since the Queen's passing, there have been more requests for the return of the Great Star of Africa and other gems as well as appeals for repatriations. Many South Africans believe that Britain shouldn't have been allowed to buy the gems.
National Dialogue
The passing of the Queen has sparked a discussion about colonialism and its connection to her legacy. The ownership of the gem and requests for the payment of restitution have been the subject of media debate in South Africa.
Thanduxolo Sabelo, an activist, told local media that "the Cullinan Diamond must be returned to South Africa with immediate effect" and added that "the minerals of our nation and other countries continue to profit Britain at the expense of our people."
A petition calling for the repatriation of the Great Star of Africa and its exhibition in a South African museum has received more than 6,000 signatures.
A South African Member of Parliament, Vuyolwethu Zungula, urged his country to "claim for all the damage Britain has caused" and also "demand the return of all beaten gold and diamonds. stolen by Great Britain".
When South African President Cyril Ramaphosa tweeted his praise for the Queen, some South Africans hijacked messages to complain about the return of the Big Star diamond.
One wrote "Did you ask her when she will bring back the South African diamond?", while another posted in response to King Charles III's ascension to the throne saying, "The first call of mission to return the South African diamond!"
A royal gift or a 'stolen' diamond?
 |
| Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Imperial State Crown and carrying the Orb and scepter after her coronation. Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images |
According to the Royal Collection Trust, the body that oversees the royal collection of the British royal family, the Cullinan diamond was presented to King Edward VII (the British monarch at the time) in 1907, two years after it was discovered. in a private mine in Africa. . from the South. Former province of the Transvaal.
“It was sent to Asscher from Amsterdam to be separated in 1908,” he added.
Weighing around 3,106 carats in its natural form, the diamond was originally "the size of a human heart", Royal Asscher said.
Supporting the British Monarchy's claim to the gem, Royal Asscher explained that the gem was purchased by the Transvaal South African (British-ruled) government and given to King Edward VII as a birthday gift Japan.
A professor of African politics at the University of South Africa, Everisto Benyera, refutes this account. He told CNN that "colonial transactions are illegal and unethical."
"Our story is that the entire Transvaal government and the Union of South Africa and the mining syndicate are illegal at the same time," Benyera said, asserting, "Receiving a stolen diamond The Great Star is a blood diamond . . . A private company (mining), the Transvaal government and the British Empire are part of a larger network of colonies."
Queen's death brings back painful memories of British colonial rule
According to Royal Asscher, the Cullinan diamond was cut into nine large stones and 96 smaller pieces. The largest stone was named the Great Star of Africa by King Edward VII, who also named the second largest cut stone the Lesser Star of Africa.
The largest diamond is placed on the monarch's scepter with a cross and the second cut stone is mounted in the royal crown. Queen Elizabeth II has been seen in many portraits wearing these diamonds.
"The late Queen of England flaunted these diamonds for over half a century," said Leigh-Ann Mathys, national spokesman for Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), an opposition political party. in South Africa, told CNN. Mathys accused the British colonists of stealing land and appropriating mines owned by natives.
“Our appeal is to repatriate all colonial flights, of which the flight of the Great Star of Africa is one,” she said.
"We are not calling for it to be returned, as it implies that there was a valid agreement under which the Royal Family borrowed the diamond in one country and another," Mathys told CNN.
African countries have been fighting relentlessly to recover cultural artifacts looted by colonial armies. Last month, a museum in London agreed to return 72 items looted from the Kingdom of Benin in southern Nigeria during a British military campaign in 1897.