What is the goal of the restitution of cultural artifacts? How can restitution be turned into an expression of appreciation for cultural heritage? And what role do the actors play in the restitution process?
In their book Was ist Restitution? (What is Restitution?), Kodzo Gavua and Hans Peter Hahn discuss these and numerous other aspects of restitution, which they understand not as a one-time act but as a process.
Restitution begins long before the actual restitution, and it does not end with cultural artifacts arriving at their destination. Rather, restitution requires long-term cooperation and unites those involved in the interest of creating lasting value for the restituted objects.
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Kodzo Gavua is Associate Professor of Archeology and Heritage Studies at the University of Ghana and Chair of the Ghana Focal Team on Restitution and Reparation.
Hans Peter Hahn is Professor for Ethnology at the Goethe-Universität in Frankfurt am Main.
