South African citizens are calling on Britain to return the world’s largest diamond, known as the Star of Africa, which rests on the royal scepter that King Charles III will wield at his coronation, scheduled for this Saturday ( 6).
With 530 carats, the diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1905 and presented to the British monarchy by the colonial government in the country, then under British rule.
Now, amid a global conversation about artworks and artifacts that were looted during colonial times, some South Africans are calling for the diamond to be brought back.
“The diamond needs to come to South Africa. It needs to be a sign of our pride, our heritage and our culture,” said Mothusi Kamanga, a lawyer and activist in Johannesburg who created an online petition, with nearly 8,000 signatures, calling for the diamond to be returned.
“I think African people in general are starting to realize that decolonizing is not just letting people have certain freedoms, but also taking back what was expropriated from us.”
Officially known as the Cullinan I, the diamond on the scepter was cut from the Cullinan diamond, a 3,100-carat stone quarried near the city of Pretoria.
A smaller diamond cut from the same stone, known as the Cullinan II, adorns the Imperial State Chorus, which is worn by British monarchs on ceremonial occasions. Along with the scepter, it is kept with the other crown jewels in the Tower of London.
A replica of the entire Cullinan diamond, which is about the size of a man’s fist, is on display at Cape Town’s Diamond Museum.
“I believe that the diamond should be brought back home because, in the end, they took it from us while oppressing us,” said Mohamed Abdulahi, who lives in Johannesburg.
But not everyone has such a firm opinion on the subject.
“I don’t think it matters today. Things have changed, we are evolving,” said Dieketseng Nzhadzhaba.
“What mattered to them in the past, that thing about being superior, doesn’t matter to us anymore.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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