Some South African citizens have called for the United Kingdom to return the “Star of Africa”, the world’s largest diamond, which is set in the royal sceptre that King Charles III will hold at his coronation on Saturday.
The 530-carat diamond, which was dubbed ‘Star of Africa’ was discovered in South Africa in the year 1905. It was eventually presented to the British Monarchy by the colonial government in the country two years later, as the country was under British rule at that time. Now, during this period where countries are returning artifacts and artwork that were taken during the colonial era- vis a vis Finland returning Namibia’s Power Stone, some South Africans have asked for the diamond to be brought back.
Mothusi Kamanga, a Johannesburg based lawyer and activist who promoted an online petition that has amassed about 8,000 signatures, said, “The diamond needs to come to South Africa. It needs to be a sign of our pride, our heritage and our culture…I think generally the African people are starting to realise that to decolonise is not just to let people have certain freedoms, but it’s also to take back what has been expropriated from us.” Another Johannesburg resident, Mohamed Abdullahi, said, “I believe it should be brought back home because, at the end of the day, they took it from us while they were oppressing us.”
However, other residents differ with this opinion, as Dieketsend Nzhadzhaba said, “I don’t think it matters any more. Things have changed, we’re evolving. What mattered for them in the olden days about being superior … it doesn’t matter to us anymore.”
The diamond on the sceptre, officially known as Cullinan I, was cut from the 3,100-carat Cullinan diamond, which was mined close to Pretoria. The Imperial State Crown that British monarchs don on ceremonial occasions is set with a smaller diamond cut from the same stone known as Cullinan II. It is stored at the Tower of London with the other crown jewels and the sceptre. The Cape Town Diamond Museum has a reproduction of the whole Cullinan diamond, which is roughly the size of a man’s fist.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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