The Asante expect full restitution from the British for the artefacts the British Army stole from Kumase in 1874. Loans were only accepted as opportunities to further explore means of full restitution.
A noticeable event was the French legislator’s refusal to pass a general law to facilitate the restitution of looted African artefacts. France seems determined to retain its illegal detention of looted African artefacts.
Opoku wonders whether the British Government under the Labour Party will revert to the old ping-pong game where the government responds to restitution demands that it is up to the British Museum to decide and the museum replies that it depends on the government.
His book selection:
Sela K. Adjei and Yann LeGall(eds.) Fifteen Colonial Thefts
Jos van Beurden, The Empty Showcase Syndrome – Tough questions about cultural heritage from colonial regions
The best is: Françoise Vergès, Programme de désordre absolu, available in English, A Programme of Absolute Disorder: Decolonizing the Museum. (2)
