The restitution of cultural property looted from former colonies is at the heart of a major summit taking place from August 22 to 24, 2023 in Accra, organized by the Open Society foundation. This event brings together nearly 61 personalities from cultural, political and civil society circles on the African continent.
The objective of this summit is to carry out an in-depth reflection within the pan-African political, intellectual and cultural community on the restitution of the African cultural heritage. It also aims to unite artists, academics and traditional chiefdoms in order to harmonize a common vision of the restitution of looted artefacts.
According to art critic Franck Hermann Ekra, “restitutions are too serious things to be left to the States”. It highlights the need to create a coalition to obtain an effective return of worship and cultural heritage to their communities of origin.
During these three days of the summit, the participants will share good practices, draw up an inventory of the missing pieces, discuss the infrastructures necessary to accommodate these returned properties and reflect on the creation of an African Fund intended to facilitate restitutions.
The organizers also hope that politicians will take concrete action to facilitate restitution by breaking down the legal and economic barriers that sometimes hinder this process. They must also support the common African position on this issue, a roadmap initiated by the African Union but still little applied by governments.
This summit of the Open Society Foundation is an important step in the reflection and action around the restitution of looted cultural property. It brings together key players on the African continent to work together towards a common vision and concrete solutions