Restitution of works of art: Africa at the forefront

Audio 19:30

Large royal statuettes from Dahomey at the Quai Branly museum in Paris.

(Illustrative image) REUTERS / Philippe Wojazer

By: Frédérique Lebel

22 min

A French president who promises the return of African works of art.

It was in Ouagadougou in 2017. Three years later, where are we? 

Publicity

The National Assembly in

has just passed a bill on the restitution of 30 Beninese works of art and one Senegalese work looted during the colonial period.

A first step or just a drop of water?

When we know that 90% of African cultural heritage is located abroad. 

went to interview the main players in this vast project. 

And Austria, which is a model

in terms of restitution of works of art looted by the Nazis, must now respond to the demands of countries, such as Mexico.

The latter has just requested the return of an Aztec headdress which is in the Weltmuseum in Vienna.

in Vienna.

It is a quarrel that has lasted for two centuries. 

The Parthenon marbles

, one of the jewels of the British Museum in London, are claimed by Athens.

The sculptures which were on the acropolis, were renovated by Lord Elgin, British archelogue in the 19th century.

Even Unesco is unable to organize mediation.

Back to the origins of the dispute with

in Athens.  

A few days before the Halloween party,

we have chosen to tell you about witches in Accents d'Europe.

A term that is not used in an innocuous way and which has been used a lot to discredit women in power.

Proof with the word

in English, the witch.

The explanations of

, our correspondent in London.

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• Africa

• Patrimony

• France

• Burkina Faso

• Benign

• Senegal

• Arts

• Austria

• Mexico

• UK

• Greece

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