Colonization : France act on the restitution of objects d'art in Senegal and Benin

The government has examined this Wednesday, the first draft of the law allowing the transfer of cultural works to their countries of origin initiated by Emmanuel Macron in 2017.

France will formalize the return of a sword history in Senegal and in the coming months to 26 heritage objects in Benin in the framework of his decision to return cultural works taken during the colonisation of Africa.

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The government has examined this Wednesday, the first draft of the law allowing the transfer of cultural works to their countries of origin, that the president and Emmanuel Macron had initiated in his speech in Ouagadougou, on 28 November 2017, on a re-foundation of the cultural partnership between France and Africa.

That restitution "is a very strong commitment made by the president of the Republic for the african youth to have the opportunity to access their heritage, their history in Africa," explained the government spokesman Gabriel Attal at the end of the council of ministers. It is "one of the issues of key importance to a relationship of friendship new between France and Africa," according to him.

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To do this, the draft law allows, "for a limited derogation to the essential principle of inalienability applies to the French public collections", the transfer to Benin from the property of 26 items looted during the sacking of the palace of the kings of Abomey by French colonial troops in 1892. These totems and spectres, currently kept at the Musée du Quai Branly, Jacques Chirac in Paris, will be exhibited in a public place in Benin.

A maximum period of one year

In Senegal, the France shall relinquish formally a sword that the former French Prime minister Edouard Philippe was symbolically handed over in November last the president Macky Sall. This weapon is historically significant because it was owned by El Hadj Oumar Tall, a war leader and muslim scholar who has conquered in the Nineteenth century, a vast territory that straddles the Senegal, Guinea and Mali, and has fought against the French colonial army.

"In both cases, the draft law provides for a maximum period of one year to surrender, by the French authorities, of these works," says the government, which has not indicated if new works were to be returned to other countries such as the Ivory Coast.

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Emmanuel Macron had announced these decisions at the end of 2018 on the basis of a report of the university Bénédicte Savoy, the College of France, and Felwine Sarr, of the University of Saint-Louis in Senegal, who have identified 90 000 african works in French museums.

Their work has been challenged by other experts and museums such as the Quai Branly, which features the most important collection of primitive art. They expressed concern about the politicization of the debate and the arguments, according to which all the works deposited with them since the settlement have been dishonestly acquired or looted, and need to be made.

They focus on the "movement" of the works between France and Africa, instead of the refunds, except when, as is the case for statues of the Royal palace of Abomey, the looting by French soldiers was obvious.