Cotonou (AFP)
The restitution by France to Benin of 26 works of art announced in 2018 will be "in the course of 2020, perhaps at the beginning of 2021," the French Minister for Culture Franck Riester.
The Beninese government has yet to define the place that will host this restitution which, added the minister, will be done either through a "discount" or directly by a transfer of property "if French law is passed by then".
After having mentioned the principle of a restitution of works in 2017 in Ouagadougou, French President Emmanuel Macron had announced in November 2018 that France would deliver "26 works claimed by Benin" without delay.
Visiting since Sunday in Cotonou, the French Minister of Culture had a meeting with the Beninese President Patrice Talon, before attending a presentation of the flagship tourist projects that France "will support according to what it can bring" .
Benin and France have also signed a joint work program reporting on "the circulation of works of art, in particular in the form of loans and exhibitions". Benin thus expects from France "support for the implementation of museology and museography adapted to local particularities and taking into account international standards".
During the joint press conference concluding this visit, the Beninese Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, Jean-Michel Abimbola, welcomed "the commitment of the French President to return these works" and "the opening of a broader discussion, regarding all of some works. "
"We agreed on the restitution of the works in several stages," he said.
© 2019 AFP