Citizens of former British colonies are demanding the return of precious gems.
The Imperial State crown has disputed diamonds. PDO
Queen Elizabeth’s after his death, in addition to condolences, the discussion has also turned to the contradictory history of Britain. Colonialism in particular has come into focus with the injustices experienced by the people who lived in the colonies.
According to several newspaper claims, the jewels used in the queen’s crowns and scepters were stolen from former colonies such as South Africa and India.
One of the disputed diamonds is the 317-carat Cullinan II, also known as the Second Star of Africa, which is part of Elizabeth’s Imperial State crown. Its value has been estimated at no less than 460 million euros. The crown can currently be seen on Elizabeth’s coffin.
The original diamond was found in South Africa in 1905 and has since been divided into up to a hundred different pieces. The value of the entire rough diamond is estimated at more than 2 billion euros.
The same crown can be seen on top of the queen’s coffin. PDO
There are different opinions about the diamond ending up in Britain, because according to British history, it was gifted by the king For Edward in 1907.
According to The South African magazine, Britain describes the diamond as a gift from the country and a gesture to symbolize friendship and peace for its ruler. However, according to South Africans, the diamond was taken from a country weakened by the Boer Wars.
Originally the diamond was named the star of Africa, but in Britain the diamond was named after a diamond magnate and mining entrepreneur of Thomas Cullinan by.
According to Historia magazine, Cullinan had bought valuable land at a ridiculous price from a landowner impoverished by the wars, and the diamond was found by one of the 2,000 miners who worked for him.
Deep scars
Now, after Elizabeth’s death, the diamond has been more aggressively demanded back to South Africa, because despite previous requests, Queen Elizabeth had not agreed to return the stone. During his entire life, he also did not apologize for the bloody colonialism experienced by the former colonies, nor did he admit the human rights violations that occurred in the countries.
According to the British newspaper Mirror, a representative of the South African ANC KwaZulu-Natal party Thanduxolo Sabelo shared their deep frustration at how the minerals of their war-torn country have benefited wealthy British royals. The scars of colonialism still leave the country and some other African countries.
– We have experienced deep, shameful slavery. We still have a lot of unemployment and increasing crime his [Elisabet] and with the oppression and destruction caused by his ancestors.
The country’s citizens have also criticized the South African president Cyril Ramaphosa for showing condolences to Britain for the Queen’s passing and not demanding the diamond back.
The crown made for the Queen Mother contains the disputed Kohinoor diamond. PDO
According to Time magazine, jewels have also been stolen from other British colonies. One of the most famous is probably the Kohinoor diamond. The Indians have said that the precious stone in question was usurped from the British, only 10 years old, from the then ruler of the country From Maharajah Dunjeep Singh.
The Kohinoor diamond is in a crown made for the Queen Mother in 1937.
Sources: Time, Mirror, Historia magazine, South Africa