Manlio Frigo: Many African countries are becoming more proactive in their quest for the repatriation of their cultural heritage. They increasingly participate in international conventions and adopt more effective policies in these areas.
This shift is evidenced by a series of examples, such as the restitution to Nigeria by the universities of Cambridge (2019) and Aberdeen (2021) of bronzes looted by British soldiers in 1897 from Benin City, in southern Nigeria.
Additionally, Germany and Nigeria signed a pre-agreement for the restitution of Benin bronzes (more than 1,000 items), starting in 2022.
The Niamey Declaration, adopted by the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) Ministers of Culture, demonstrates a commitment to intensify cooperation.
The Charter for African Cultural Renaissance of 2006 stresses the need to establish mechanisms whereby cultural property protection would become the responsibility of citizens, communities, societies, and states.
One such mechanism would be to introduce a framework for action on negotiations for the return of illicitly trafficked cultural property from the continent.
