Should the Artifacts stolen from Africa be Returned?
I recently wrote an article on the different artifacts stolen from Africa. It is easy to say return the stolen artifacts like Kay Valley had shared in her comment on that article. I shared the same sentiment as Kay, but the further I researched the more I realised that it was more complicated than I originally thought. I realized that repatriation had several layers of complexities. It is not as easy as saying — Oh the masks at the London Museum are from Benin, let us return these masks to Nigeria on the next available flight. Here are some of the things I found:
Lack of Proper Cataloging
The option of returning the artifacts to the rightful owners presents a myriad of problems. Most of the artifacts are locked up in museum storage facilities without proper documentation and details. Producing a thorough and precise inventory of these artifacts would involve extensive research and cooperation among diverse stakeholders, including museums, governmental bodies, scholars, and local communities. There is currently no incentive to carry out proper and thorough cataloging of artifacts by organizations and institutions that gain from these artifacts being in their possession. This does not mean cataloging efforts are not being carried out, some of which are led by African countries themselves, and others by…
