It is time to return Africa’s stolen artifacts
The theft of African artifacts and the wanton pillage of its socio-cultural heritage by the West is not a new spectacle.
As the colonialists gradually left their host countries decades following the latter’s independence, many spirited away pieces of priceless art either as collector’s items for their enjoyment, or for sale to museums and art auctions.
It is only in recent years that the victims of this theft realised that the stolen artifacts are actually irreplaceable, and started lobbying for their return.
Consequently, the art traffickers changed tact and have been conspiring with the custodians of the relics to continue with the illicit trade.
This injustice has gone on unabated, threatening to strip African countries an invaluable part of their cultural wealth.
It is also a human rights issue, since it has robbed communities of their dignity and self-identity, and even income generating activities.
The situation is almost getting out of hand, which prompted the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) last month to warn of the existence of a trafficking scam in African cultural artifacts being undertaken using fake Unesco stamps.
Further, Unesco’s assistant director-general for culture, Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, noted that “Not only is it rife in Africa, whose cultural heritage has long been the victim of looting and destruction, but it has exploded more recently in the Middle East in connection with the conflicts in Iraq and Syria.”
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, which was signed in 1970.
But, in Unesco’s admission, it is only in the last five years that the UN body has actively operationalised the treaty by helping several countries domesticate its provisions in their national laws.
Not much progress has been achieved on restitution and compensation. According to latest accounts, 90 per cent of Africa’s cultural heritage currently lies outside the continent.
One of the most treasured African artifacts is the Benin Bronzes in exhibition at the British Museum in London, which were reportedly looted by British troops in 1897.
In addition, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is a repository of treasured African art works.
African artifacts in Europe’s top museums in Germany, the UK, France, Belgium and Austria are estimated to be more than 430,000, excluding private wealthy collectors who have refused to surrender looted items to rightful owners.
The major reason of the current owners’ possessiveness is the exotic mystic around these works of art.
They cannot fathom the genius that crafted such masterpieces, centuries ago when Africa was supposed to be a really dark continent. There is also a sense of envy, of owning someone’s soul.
But there is no pride in holding hostage other peoples’ history. The main excuse given by the foreign beneficiaries is that they are in safe hands, which would not be the case if they were still at source.
This might be so, but it does not negate the fact that they belong to someone else.
Ironically, the current owners either flatly refuse to return the items, or demand a refund of their expensive investment.
As part of the new normal of offering recompense of wrongdoing and compensating past injustices, it is only fair that Western museums and art collectors own up and start returning stolen art to Africa.
The continent is at a place where it needs to draw strength from its rich history to make a paradigm shift in its governance.
But this cannot happen when it looks back to nothingness, like it never had kings, queens, and kingdoms. —The writer is a communications expert and public policy analyst —[email protected]
