The road to restitution is paved with good intentions. But the reality is different, at least for France, which has long been at the forefront of this issue and is now lagging behind.
As proof of this, a framework bill to facilitate restitutions, which was due to be submitted to Parliament in April but was then postponed until the fall, could be put off indefinitely.
When Madonna adopts a braided hairstyle or Rihanna poses with a Nefertiti crown, the internet goes wild, denouncing “cultural appropriation.”
But the fact that the West has appropriated African heritage moves almost no one…
Contrary to Emmanuel Macron’s commitments in 2017, only 27 items have been returned to African countries, lament three museum and restitution officials from Benin, Nigeria, and Senegal. They call for ‘rethinking relational ethics.’
