President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany expressed "shame" on Wednesday for crimes done in Tanzania during Germany's colonial reign and pledged to increase awareness of atrocities in his own country.
"I would like to ask forgiveness for what Germans did to your ancestors here," Steinmeier said during a visit to the Maji Maji Museum in Songea, according to a translation of his address.
Tanzania was part of German East Africa, which experienced one of the bloodiest revolutions in colonial history from 1905 to 1907.
Did you read this?
Experts estimate that between 200,000 and 300,000 indigenous people were brutally slaughtered during the so-called Maji Maji Rebellion, primarily as a result of German troops' methodical destruction of farmland and villages.
Steinmeier expressed his "shame" at the incidents and stated that Germany was willing to collaborate with Tanzania on a "communal processing" of the past.
"What happened here is our shared history -- the history of your ancestors and the history of our ancestors in Germany," he said. He said he will "take these stories with me to Germany, so that more people in my country will know about them."
"I want to assure you that we Germans will search with you for answers to the unanswered questions that give you no peace," he added.
The museum visit came on the final day of Steinmeier's three-day tour to Tanzania, during which he also opened the door to the return of objects looted during the colonial era.
He said Germany was willing to work with Tanzania on "the repatriation of cultural property and human remains" after meeting President Samia Suluhu Hassan in Dar es Salaam.
Steinmeier's tour coincides with King Charles III of the United Kingdom's visit to Kenya, which is likewise anticipated to be dominated by discussions concerning colonial history.
