LONDON, United Kingdom, Jan 22 – France and Germany have set wheels in motion to return more items plundered from former African colonies. Sissia said the research teams seeking to clarify the provenance of the African items will need to be led by mixed French and German members from academia and the nations’ museums but must also have partnerships with African nations and collaborate closely with African professionals. The establishment of the fund followed France’s President Emmanuel Macron promising in 2017 to “do everything possible” to return items to African nations that had been looted by colonial France. Paris followed that up by returning 26 items to the West African nation of Benin in 2021. “France and Germany have understood that this issue is essential for today’s dialogue with African countries,” he said.
