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Royal gift or "stolen" pearl? Britain is being asked to return the world's largest diamond

2022-09-15 20:21:31Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Royal gift or "stolen" pearl? Britain is being asked to return the
Queen Elizabeth II

Calls are mounting in South Africa for Britain's royal family to return the world's largest known diamond, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Known as the Great Star of Africa or Cullinan I, the diamond was cut from a larger gemstone that was mined in South Africa in 1905 and given to the British royal family by South African colonial authorities. It is currently placed in a royal scepter belonging to the Queen, writes CNN.

Royal gift or "stolen" pearl? Britain is being asked to return the

Demands for the return of the Great Star of Africa and other diamonds, along with calls for repatriation, have intensified since the Queen's death. Many South Africans see buying jewelery from Britain as illegal.

The Queen's death has opened up a debate about colonialism and how it relates to her legacy.

South African media have debated ownership of the gemstone, along with demands for reparations.

"The Cullinan diamond must be returned to South Africa with immediate effect," activist Thanduxolo Sabelo told local media, adding: "Our country's minerals and those of other countries continue to be exploited by Britain at the expense of our people."

More than 6,000 people have signed a petition calling for the Great Star of Africa to be returned and displayed in a South African museum.

Royal gift or "stolen" pearl? Britain is being asked to return the

A member of the South African parliament, Vuyolëethu Zungula, urged his country to "seek reparations for all the damage done by Britain" and also "seek the return of all the gold, diamonds stolen from Britain".

According to the Royal Collection Trust, which oversees the royal collection of the British royal family, the Cullinan diamond was presented to King Edward VII (the British monarch at the time) in 1907, two years after its discovery in a private mine in South Africa, the province of old Transvaal.

Weighing around 3,106 carats in its natural form, the original diamond was "the size of a human heart", says Royal Asscher.

Supporting the British monarchy's claim to the gem, Royal Asscher explains that the gem was purchased by the Transvaal government of South Africa (run by British rule) and given to King Edward VII as a birthday present.

A professor of African politics at the University of South Africa, Everisto Benyera, disputes this narrative. He told CNN that "colonial transactions are illegal and immoral."

“Our view is that all the governments of the Transvaal and the Union of South Africa and the associated mining unions were illegal,” Benyera said, arguing that: “Receiving a stolen diamond does not absolve the recipient. The Big Star is a blood diamond … The private (mining) company, the Transvaal government and the British Empire were part of a larger network of colonialism”.

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