Restitution of works in Benin: in Paris, a farewell ceremony with strong symbolic value
President Emmanuel Macron looks at a 19th century royal statue of a half-man, half-bird of King Ghezo, at the Quai Branly museum in Paris, during the restitution ceremony of 26 works in Benin, on October 27, 2021. REUTERS - POOL
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4 min
France announced this Wednesday the restitution of 26 works in Benin so far exhibited at the Quai Branly museum in Paris.
A ceremony was organized, chaired by Emmanuel Macron and in the presence of the head of Beninese diplomacy, Aurélien Agbenonci.
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The “homecoming” of these iconic works should be final on November 9 when they leave Paris by cargo plane.
A few hours before, Emmanuel Macron will receive at the Elysee his Beninese counterpart Patrice Talon to "
formally
validate
their transfer of ownership
", announced the French president during the ceremony.
After seeing the 26 works of art, gathered in an exhibition, Emmanuel Macron considered "
particularly moving
" to participate in "
this farewell ceremony as some would say, reunion
" rather, for "
these long awaited works
" at the Benign.
It is "
a page of Franco-Beninese relations which opens today
", added the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Benin, Aurélien Agbenonci.
By welcoming the fact that the two countries thus offer "
a model of cooperation which aims to be exemplary
" at the international level.
►
To read also: Restitution of royal treasures: "It's a victory for the new dialogue between Benin and France" [International guest]
Among the 26 royal treasures are totem statues from the ancient kingdom of Abomey as well as the throne of King Béhanzin, looted during the sacking of the Abomey Palace by colonial troops in 1892.
The director of the museum,
Emmanuel Kasarhérou
, spoke of his “
great joy
” in handing these pieces to “
expert hands
” in Benin, stressing the importance “
that the heritage of each country is sufficiently represented in each country
”.
A process hailed but also criticized
The French head of state pledged during a speech at the University of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in November 2017 to make temporary or permanent restitution of African heritage in France possible within five years.
Commissioned by the President of the Republic, researchers Bénédicte Savoy and Felwine Sarr had submitted a report allowing the process of the restitution in 2018 of the royal treasures claimed by the authorities of Benin.
Their report had drawn up a return schedule and an inventory of the tens of thousands of objects that the settlers brought back from Africa.
He had been hailed but also criticized by certain museum directors, concerned about the “
circulation of works
” of “
universal character
”.
During the ceremony this Wednesday Bénédicte Savoy spoke of an exceptional event by noting that France, "
so long deaf to the demands of Africa
", thus becomes "
the first country in the world to return
" works to an African country.
Who could have imagined only four years ago that we would be celebrating today, in Paris, and in ten days, in Cotonou, the restitution by the former French colonial power to the current Republic of Benin of the most prestigious pieces, the most beautiful and best known of its artistic and dynastic heritage?
[...] Anybody.
Bénédicte Savoy, academic
Julien boileau
"Not the fact of the prince"
Finally, a law was passed in December 2020, allowing exceptions to the principle of “inalienability” of works in public collections, because they had been the subject of characterized looting, making these restitutions possible.
With the restitution in Benin, "
there is no fact of the prince, even less of a president,
" Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday, stressing that it was part of his policy to relaunch Franco-African relations on new bases.
Without going into details, the French president indicated the need to "
define a new law
" to "
establish a doctrine and precise rules
" so that the process of renditions continues.
Even if, he said, "
the goal is not to renationalise the heritage
" and "to
get rid of all the works
" coming from abroad.
Two Beninese curators have been in France for more than a week to organize the return of the works.
Where will the works go in Benin?
In Benin, the 26 works returned will first go to a storage place, explains the director of the Quai Branly museum.
Then they will be presented in other places in a lasting way: at the old Portuguese fort of Ouidah and the governor's house, historic places of slavery and European colonization, located on the coast, pending the construction of a new museum in Abomey.
According to experts, 85 to 90% of African heritage is outside the continent.
Since 2019, in addition to Benin, six countries - Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Chad, Mali, Madagascar - have submitted restitution requests.
At least 90,000 works of art from sub-Saharan Africa are in French public collections.
70,000 of them at Quai Branly, including 46,000 who arrived during the colonial period.
►
To listen and read also: JM Abimbola: the restitution of these Beninese works of art "is only the beginning" [Guest Africa]
The works returned to Benin are on
display to the public
until Sunday, October 31 at the Quai Branly museum in Paris.
(With
AFP
)
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