By Kodjo Adams, Eugenia Otenwaa
Accra, Dec. 13, GNA- Professor Kodzo Gavua, a pan-Africanist has called for an intensive education on the plunder of African cultural heritage objects and systems and the need for their return.
Professor Gavua, also the Principal Investigator, African Cultural Heritage Programme (ACHP), University of Ghana, said such efforts would help safeguard the nation’s cultural legacy and contribute to tourism and scholarly research.
“The process of restitution has begun, but restitution is not limited to retaining or repatriating our entities, Prof. Gavua said during this year’s Africa Restitution Workshop in Accra.
“It is a process that will be completed in the long run when we repair damages that have been caused not only to Africans but also to Europeans,” he said.
Progress in the restitution of African cultural heritage items has made notable strides, with several countries successfully reclaiming artefacts and human remains from international institutions.
However, the path to full restitution remains a complex challenge.
Recent successes include the return of human remains to Namibia from Germany, artefacts to Nigeria, and cultural items to the Republic of Benin and Côte d’Ivoire.
Ghana has also received some items, although some were returned on temporary loan arrangements.
Professor Gavua said that the returned artefacts would serve as valuable educational resources to re-educate the public about the importance of preserving cultural heritage.
“Documentaries about the artefacts will be produced and shared on social media platforms to inform, and books will be produced for children to learn and understand their cultural systems,” he said.
Addressing concerns about preserving returned artefacts, Prof Gavua dismissed fears about storage and conservation.
“We still have holders of local knowledge with us today who keep and conserve some of those entities we find in our sacred places, in the shrines, in the palaces,” he assured.
He mentioned that successful restitution required a unified continental approach rather than individual country efforts. ”Working as individual countries will not help us. Let us speak with one voice as a people,” he said.
Professor Kwasi Nkrumah Boadi, Convenor, ACHP, stated that restitution was not merely about bringing materials back but restoring mindsets.
He stated the need to bring African institutions, culture, and systems back to their roots.
Professor Boadi said ACHP had already conducted extensive workshops across the country to address the complex challenges of returning cultural heritage items.
Prof Ciraj Rasaol from the University of Western Cape, Cape Town, emphasised the importance of restitution as a process of healing and restoration, rather than simply a physical return of objects.
He noted that the concept of restitution needed to be built into a movement, involving pressure from civil society and young people, to advocate for the return of Africa’s cultural heritage.
GNA