Mainstreaming the Discourse on Restitution and Repatriation within African History, Heritage Studies and Political Science

The recent upsurge of interest in restitution and repatriation debates by practitionersand scholars might offer appropriate chances for true interdisciplinary research.Not only should historical, anthropological and legal studies take part in such aconversation, but also, political science, archaeology and heritage studies. Resolutelyand systematically giving voice to both African stakeholders and African researchersis an imperative. In this introduction, the fresh start of a rich debate is traced, providingthe framework for processing and understanding current debates and practices ofrestitution. Essential and neglected questions are formulated. Detected voids call forthe mainstreaming of a new discourse on restitution and repatriation to play a pivotalrole in the epistemology of these allied disciplines and training

Demands for restitution – a recent phenomenon? Early histories of human remains violations in Namibia

Current demands by Namibian families and communities for restitution of humanremains and so-called ethnographic objects in European collections are rooted inmuch longer traditions of restitution demands than is generally anticipated. In thispaper I discuss pre- and early colonial human remains violations and African protestand resistance, which triggered principal restitution, demands and fostered a critiqueof colonial scientific practices, all of which resonate in current restitution politics.

Looted Nigerian heritage – an interrogatory discourse around repatriation

The colonial assault on African culture and heritage culminated in the indiscriminate looting of African cultural resources, many of which are icons in public and private museums and institutions in Europe and North America. Many more are in auction houses and art galleries outside the continent. While there is no comprehensive audit of these materials, they are estimated to run into hundreds of thousands. In this paper, attempts are made to identify the different genres of looted Nigerian materials in Europe and North America. Factors that have continued to exacerbate the looting of the country’s cultural resources are identified and attempts are made to suggest possible strategies for the repatriation of these looted treasures.

Reflections on the issue of repatriation of looted and illegally acquired African cultural objects in Western museums

This paper addresses the issue of repatriation/restitution of African cultural objects in Western museums by analysing the terminology used to discuss the demands of return by African states and people. After analysing these used terms which differ slightly from one another, the paper overviews the various types of cultural objects that ended up in European museums. The chapter finally discusses the destinations of the reclaimed cultural objects in postcolonial Africa by showing that not only the original contexts of these cultural objects have changed, but also that the countries asking for the return of these objects should work toward cohering identities for the benefit of all.

Restitution and beyond in contemporary museum work: Re-imagining a paradigm of knowledge production and partnership

Today, anthropological museums have to reach out to external stakeholders toreprocess and reappraise the history and acquisition of their collections. They aremuch more than mere interpreters of a past heritage, but institutions having a placein contemporary history to debate and shape ever-evolving cultures grounded inboth local and global concerns. The paper explores these questions using theexample of an ongoing trilateral museum partnership in knowledge generationbetween Uganda and Switzerland.

Looted and illegally acquired African objects in European museums: issues of restitution and repatriation in Ghana

Ghana’s post-independence governments have made a number of requests for the return of looted and illegally acquired Ghanaian cultural objects in the collections of European museums. While the majority of those requests were denied, a few were honoured. This paper assesses three of the demands and the aftermath of their return. It also examines the preparedness of heritage institutions and museums in Ghana inrelation to issues of restitution and repatriation. The paper identifies the numerous challenges confronting the museum and heritage sector in Ghana and concludes by calling on policy makers, traditional authorities, universities and the government of Ghana to deepen public awareness of cultural heritage, invest more in museums and heritage institutions to function well and revisit earlier demands that were denied.

Restitution and return of looted royal heritage: the role of Ghanaian chiefs and queens in sustaining heritage traditions

In interrogating this discourse on the restitution and return of looted royal objects, ourrole and input in this conversation as traditional leaders in Ghanaian communities areinevitable. This is in the light of the fact that the source of most of these looted royalart objects unlawfully placed in German and some European museums are from theVolta Basin area of Ghana, formerly part of German Togoland. We argue that factoringin the views of chiefs and queens, being traditional leaders of communities inAfrica, provides a better understanding of the origin and contexts of the use of mostof these pirated cultural objects highlighted in the restitution and repatriation debates.

The restitution debate and return of human remains: implications for bioarchaeological research and cultural ethics in Africa

The calls for repatriation and restitution of African objects and human remains in unlawful Euroamerican custody are gaining global momentum. This paper examines how bioarchaeological analyses are done on legitimately excavated or acquired human remains. Such studies are assessed in tandem with the negative eugenicist practices associated with the looted African human remains that were studied in Europe and America during the periods of slavery and colonization in Africa. It further examines the issues surrounding the repatriation of human remains and discusses the implications of this practice on the ethics and cultural rights of societies in Africa. Excavated human skeletal remains from Begho are examined within their culturalcontext as a Ghanaian case study. By exploring these issues, we are of the view that the complexities in the nature of acquisition and return of human remains requires a holistic comprehension from multiple points of view rather than from a single subjective perspective. Such multiple approaches must include the need for adequate provenance and bioarchaeological research to bear on the contexts and practices associated with the anthropology of death in the societies of origin.

A Critical Look at Ghana’s Human Capital Development Agenda: Where Do We Go From Here?

This lecture explores the extent to which Ghana has paid sufficient strategic attention to the development of skills, competencies and capacities which would propel consistent socio-economic development. It argues that many initiatives and efforts have been made in the area of education. However these have been unfocused, disparate, not strategic and wasteful. Five policy and implementation gaps are identified and five recommendations are proffered for urgent consideration by policy makers.