AfricaUnion<p><a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/Europe" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Europe</span></a> has <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/stolen" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>stolen</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/Africa" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Africa</span></a>’s <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/heritage" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>heritage</span></a>. Will justice prevail? </p><p>The <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/collections" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>collections</span></a> of the world’s most famous <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/museums" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>museums</span></a> largely consist of <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/African" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>African</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/artifacts" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>artifacts</span></a> looted during the <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/colonial" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>colonial</span></a> era. As of today, less than one percent has been returned to Africa </p><p>In the course of wars and the <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/colonization" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>colonization</span></a> of Africa, Western countries were involved in looting hundreds of thousands of objects of African art. <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/Museums" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Museums</span></a> were used by <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/governments" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>governments</span></a> to contribute to the establishment of <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/colonialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>colonialism</span></a> and to <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/legitimize" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>legitimize</span></a> conquests.</p><p>A report prepared by <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/French" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>French</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/art" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>art</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/historian" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>historian</span></a> Benedicte Savoy and <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/Senegalese" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Senegalese</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/economist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>economist</span></a> Felwine Sarr, commissioned by the French government in 2018, states that between 90% and 95% of Africa’s material <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/cultural" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>cultural</span></a> legacy is housed outside of the African continent. Meanwhile, the <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/inventories" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>inventories</span></a> of Africa’s national <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/museums" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>museums</span></a> barely exceed 3,000 cultural objects.</p><p>Almost all African countries lost their most important cultural artifacts during the era of <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/European" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>European</span></a> exploration and subsequent <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/colonization" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>colonization</span></a>. The objects that remained in Africa had less <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/historic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>historic</span></a> and cultural value than the ones that were brought to European museums. Over the past several decades, the West has repeatedly received <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/restitution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>restitution</span></a> claims from African countries.</p><p>Agenda 2063 – Africa’s long-term development plan, which was adopted by the African Union in 2015 – has identified the protection of cultural <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/heritage" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>heritage</span></a> as one of the continent’s main priorities. According to this framework document, all African cultural property should be returned to the continent by 2025. But will this ambitious plan be realized? </p><p>English <a href="https://www.azerbaycan24.com/en/europe-has-stolen-africa-s-heritage-will-justice-prevail/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">azerbaycan24.com/en/europe-has</span><span class="invisible">-stolen-africa-s-heritage-will-justice-prevail/</span></a> </p><p>French <a href="https://www-azerbaycan24-com.translate.goog/en/europe-has-stolen-africa-s-heritage-will-justice-prevail/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=fr&_x_tr_hl=fr" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www-azerbaycan24-com.translate</span><span class="invisible">.goog/en/europe-has-stolen-africa-s-heritage-will-justice-prevail/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=fr&_x_tr_hl=fr</span></a> </p><p><a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/Afrika" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Afrika</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/afrique" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>afrique</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/africa" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>africa</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.africa/tags/%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A7" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>افريقيا</span></a></p>