Belgium plans to hand back colonial loot to DR Congo

Africa Museum in Tervuren, Belgium. Source: Jorisvo via Canva
Africa Museum in Tervuren, Belgium. Source: Jorisvo via Canva

According to The Art Newspaper, the Belgian government plans to hand back colonial loot to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) starting in 2022.

An expert commission will classify thousands of museum artefacts into three categories:

  • Those that were unequivocally looted and whose ownership should be immediately transferred to the DRC
  • Those that were legitimately acquired and can remain in Belgian public ownership
  • Those with unclear provenance

Objects in the last category will initially remain in Belgium’s possession but their legal status will be changed so they are no longer “inalienable” – a move that means they can be removed from the federal collections, The Art Newspaper explains.

Read the full article on The Art Newspaper website.

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