Back to Africa: Restitution of African Heritage

Catalog description

In 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron issued the Ouagadougou declaration in favor of returning African heritage (art, artifacts, human remains, sacred objects, treasures) that had been looted by colonial powers and were currently held by French museums. The struggle for restitution of African Heritage, however, did not begin with a French President’s declaration. Throughout colonialism and accelerating with national independence, Africans have been fighting for the return of their heritage. In this course we will explore this struggle. We will begin with an overview of African art and its function within African societies, focusing on Western African countries. We will then turn to the violent history of colonialism and the looting of artifacts and their display and trade in Europe and America. The different arguments made for and against restitution, the realities of how to care for heritage when it returns to Africa, and the ambivalence of Western Museums and role of organizations like The African Union in demanding restitutions, will all be considered. Questions addressed in this course will include: What has been Africa’s contribution to global culture? What is the history of colonial looting… and the struggle for African restitution? What are the best strategies for the struggle to return Africa’s heritage to Africa? And how does a people’s past help imagine a future? To engage these questions, we will read primary and secondary texts, and take field trips to New York City Museums.