In the remote corners of southern Tanzania, a painful history has been unearthed. Over a century ago, during the brutal German colonial occupation, local resistance fighters were publicly executed and their remains stolen—their skulls and bones shipped back to Europe for racist pseudoscientific experiments. For the descendants of these ancestral heroes, the fight to reclaim what was taken and lay their spirits to rest has been a long, overlooked struggle. But a powerful new documentary is finally shining a light on their search for closure and atonement.
Confronting a Brutal Colonial Legacy
The municipality of Songea in southern Tanzania bears the scars of a dark past. From 1885 to 1918, this region was under the brutal rule of German colonialists, who faced dozens of local uprisings against their occupation. The deadliest was the Maji Maji war from 1905 to 1907, in which an estimated 300,000 people died as the Germans crushed the resistance with ruthless force.
The colonialists publicly hanged revolters to terrorize the population into submission. But their cruelty went even further—they stole the skulls and bones of some of those executed and transported them to Germany. There, the remains were subjected to the racist pseudoscience of phrenology, which was used to bolster false claims of European superiority over Africans.
Families on an Emotional Quest
For the descendants of those whose remains were stolen, the pain and outrage has been passed down through generations. Now, over a hundred years later, they are on a mission to bring their ancestors home and lay them to rest with the dignity they deserve. The heart-wrenching documentary The Empty Grave follows two Tanzanian families in their complex quest to reclaim the remains, directed by German filmmaker Agnes Lisa Wegner and Tanzanian Cece Mlay.
“The question of ancestral remains was not something that I had thought had happened here. It almost changes your worldview about how you perceive your familial relationships.”
– Cece Mlay, co-director of The Empty Grave
In Songea, John Mbano, a legal officer, and his wife Cesilia, a history teacher, are searching for the skull of Mbano’s great-great-grandfather, Nduna (sub-chief) Songea Mbano. A leader of the Ngoni people, Nduna Songea was hanged in 1906 for resisting German rule during the Maji Maji war. His head was then cut off and sent to Berlin.
The Mbanos’ emotional journey takes them to Berlin, where they plead their case to German officials and visit the institutions that still hold thousands of human remains looted during the colonial era. “Spiritually, the head of the person is everything,” John Mbano tells the German minister. “So, when his head was cut [off] and sent somewhere else, that means the whole community lost its ideas, rituals.”
Lingering Trauma Across Generations
Another family followed in the film is that of Mangi (Chief) Lobulu Kaaya of the Meru community, who was hanged in 1900 and his skeleton taken to Berlin. His remains were later sent to the US, where descendants Felix and Ernest Kaaya are navigating the complexities of repatriation. In a heartbreaking scene, Ernest visits the tree where his ancestor was executed, overwhelmed by the realization of how much he suffered.
“He suffered. He really suffered, if they did that to him,” Ernest says through tears as he touches the tree. This raw moment captures the very real intergenerational trauma that continues to impact the descendants. Co-director Mlay called it one of the most challenging scenes to film, as “the reality of the work that you’re doing meets the camera.”
Pushing for Truth, Reconciliation and Return
For many Tanzanians, the dark history of German colonialism has long been buried—both literally and figuratively. But as more African nations push for the repatriation of cultural artifacts and human remains stolen during the colonial era, the momentum is growing to confront the past and demand justice.
- 2022: Germany returns skulls and skeletons to Namibia, including those of Indigenous people murdered by German forces during the early 20th century.
- 2021: German museum returns two mummified Maori heads to New Zealand, acknowledging they were stolen by a German collector in the 19th century.
- 2019: Austria returns skull of Maori warrior chief to New Zealand, 140 years after it was taken following his execution for resisting colonial rule.
Last year, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier traveled to Tanzania, where he met with the descendants of Nduna Songea Mbano. In a historic gesture, Steinmeier publicly apologized for Germany’s colonial atrocities and vowed his nation would work to locate and return the human remains of Songea and others.
“The producers’ priority has been to make sure the film plays in the spaces where the families are from. Not only to pay respect to the families alive and dead, but also to give confidence to more people to come forward and speak about potentially missing ancestors.”
– Amil Shivji, co-producer of The Empty Grave
While symbolic, these acts of atonement are only the beginning. For the Mbano, Kaaya and other families, the fight to bring their ancestors home continues. But in sharing their stories, they are pushing their nations to confront the truth, seek reconciliation, and finally lay to rest the spirits and remains that never should have been taken in the first place.
Note: This article contains discussions of colonial violence and trauma that some readers may find distressing.
