Her analysis is supported by theoretical perspectives from memory studies and the social sciences, including AníbalQuijano’s theory of coloniality and power, Homi Bhabha’s conceptsof hybridity and the ‘third space,’ and Paul Ricoeur’s work onmemory and forgetting.
These frameworks illuminate how individual and collective experiences of rupture continue to shape con-temporary identity formation.
Methodologically, the study integrates historical and anthropological perspectives with qualitative observation and interdisciplinary scholarship.
A reflexive narrative is used to explain how the author’s positionality and personal history shape the interpretation of events, emphasizing the relationship between subjective memory and wider historical forces.
The essay argues that Nigeria’s continuing social divisions and political instability are rooted in colonial rule and its capitalist foundations.
It demonstrates that post-colonial cultural memory in Nigeria is dynamic, continually reconstructed and politicized as communities confront trauma, resist erasure, and reclaim historical continuity.
And restitution is more than symbolic; it is a step toward healing historical wounds, restoring cultural dignity, and reaffirming collective memory.
Memory, trauma, and cultural loss are not abstract – they are lived experiences that shape both individual and national identities. The restitution of looted heritage is not just the return of objects; it isan ethical and political act, asserting that history rightfully belongs to those who lived it.
