Archeologist: “Returning plundered artifacts will restore heritage to the brilliant cultures that made them”

A display of Benin Bronzes at the British Museum
A display of Benin Bronzes at the British Museum. Image: Rtype909 Wikimedia CC BY-SA 3.0

As an archeologist who works in Africa, the debate on returning artifacts plundered during colonial times has a very real impact on Mark Horton’s research.

“I benefit from the convenience of access provided by Western museums, while being struck by the ethical quandary of how they were taken there by illegal means, and by guilt that my colleagues throughout Africa may not have the resources to see material from their own country, which is kept thousands of miles away.”

Horton concludes his commentary by saing that the report commissioned by the French president, Emmanual Macron, offers hope that “Africa’s rich cultural heritage can be returned, restituted and restored to the brilliant cultures that made it”.

Read full article at CNN.









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