ECONOMIC VALUE OF THE RESTITUTION OF AFRICAN ART
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Do you feel that African leadership understands the value of our appropriated material culture and possesses the will to fight for repatriation and the preservation of our cultural heritage?
Macron’s historic pledge didn’t come out of the blue. In 2016, Patrice Talon, the president of Benin, made an official request to the French foreign ministry calling for the return of items stolen during the occupation of the country at the turn of the 20th century. The request went unheeded at the time, but less than a year later, an open letter signed by lawmakers and civil society groups from both Benin and France was sent directly to then President François Hollande demanding the return of some 4,500 to 6,000 “colonial treasures” to West Africa. Dr Same Mdluli, Head of Standard bank Gallery helps us understand the economic value of the restitution of African art.
Macron’s historic pledge didn’t come out of the blue. In 2016, Patrice Talon, the president of Benin, made an official request to the French foreign ministry calling for the return of items stolen during the occupation of the country at the turn of the 20th century. The request went unheeded at the time, but less than a year later, an open letter signed by lawmakers and civil society groups from both Benin and France was sent directly to then President François Hollande demanding the return of some 4,500 to 6,000 “colonial treasures” to West Africa. Dr Same Mdluli, Head of Standard bank Gallery helps us understand the economic value of the restitution of African art.
