Artefact Repatriation: Colonial Ghosts Haunt Europe's Museums

Colonised Africa in 1914, the only
independent nations being
Liberia and Ethiopia.

As a result of the scramble for Africa 1880-1914, most of the continent was invaded and annexed by European powers (Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Italy and Spain). As a result of this, cultural property from these countries was taken away and displayed as trophies in European museums, and this prompted the desire for museums elsewhere (the US for example) to also be able to acquire display such items. The UNESCO Convention against the export of illicit cultural goods adopted in 1970 called for the return of cultural property taken from a country but it did not address historic cases, including from the colonial era. With museums fearing they could be forced to return artefacts, former colonial powers have been slow to ratify the convention: France only did so 1997, Britain in 2002, Germany in 2007 and Belgium in 2009.

Expatica Belguim (Art Repatriation: colonial ghosts haunt Europe's museums' Expatica Belgium, 21st November 2018),  gives a useful overview of disputes over artefacts in Europe looted from former African colonies.

Photo still from Marvel's Black Panther.

Britain is one of the prime culprits. The British Empire in Africa included lands in North Africa, such as Egypt, much of West Africa, and huge territories in Southern and East Africa.The country's museums and collectors are a prime destination for looted African art. So far many museums have refused to entertain the notion of letting the 'natives' of their former colonies claim their heritage back:

The British Museum holds a major collection of bronzes from the African Kingdom of Benin that were seized by the British army in 1897. Nigeria, which today covers the ancient territory, wants them returned. The museum says it is ready to send them back but only on loan. London's Victoria and Albert Museum has also said it is open to the long-term loan to Ethiopia of jewellery and manuscripts looted by British soldiers in 1868 when they stormed the Fortress of Magdala during the reign of Emperor Tewodros II. Ethiopia is demanding the return some of the most significant "treasures of Magdala", including a royal crown. Leader of the opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, has promised to return stolen art to its countries of origin should he become prime minister. 

Another major coloniser was France, though most of these colonies were in the Saharan region, but military escapades elsewhere also led to artefacts being taken away. In total, France occupied or colonized, at various times, at least 20 current or former countries in Africa. The nation was a foremost player in the continent’s European colonization and several African nations are still dependent protectorate territories.

In 2016 Benin demanded the repatriation of a part of its treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey. They include totems, sceptres and sacred doors from the Royal Palaces of Aboma, which French troops took between 1892 and 1894 and are exhibited in the Quai Branly museum in Paris. While that request was initially denied, it has since found a more sympathetic hearing from French President Emmanuel Macron.

The article then goes on to mention the speech of Macron in Burkina Faso in November 2016 when he promised to "return African heritage to Africa". It then goes on to mention the recent report of  French art historian Benedicte Savoy and Senegalese writer Felwine Sarr to draw up the conditions that proposes modifying France's heritage law to allow the restitution of cultural works if bilateral accords are struck between France and African states.

Germany is also considering what to do with the items stolen from its colonial-era African empire, which ran from 1884 to the end of the First World War. Among Germany's colonies were German Togoland (now part of Ghana and Togo), Cameroon, German East Africa (now Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania), and German South-West Africa (now Namibia).

In September 2017, minister of culture Monika Gruetters suggested a model similar to that used by the German Centre for Lost Cultural Property. The centre seeks out owners of art plundered by Nazis in order to return the items. The debate could ignite again in 2019 when a major new ethnological museum, the Humboldt Forum, opens its doors. Its collection includes artefacts taken from former German colonies.

The Humboldt Forum in Berlin, will house a major collection of objects from Africa and Asia. Bénédict Savoy resigned from her position on Humboldt Forum’s Advisory Board in a surprise move last year, and this preceded her appointment by Macron to contribute to the French report. 

Belgium was also a coloniser and controlled two colonies during its history: the Belgian Congo from 1885 to 1960 (the personal property of the country's king, Leopold II, rather than being gained through the political or military action of the Belgian state) and and Ruanda-Urundi from 1916 to 1962.

Belgium's debates over its colonial past have coalesced around the vast transformation of the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, near Brussels. It was built in the 19th century under King Leopold II to showcase Belgium's presence in the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. The renovated museum will reopen in December after five years and promises to offer a "critical view" on colonialism. But in September a collective of associations, universities and Congolese personalities published an open letter demanding the restitution of its works of art. "We can not base intercultural dialogue on former pillaging by colonial murderers: stolen cultural goods must be repatriated," they said.