Restitution of African heritage: challenges and reflections

The McCord Stewart Museum, in collaboration with Nigra Iuventa, presents a two-part event:

Restitution of African heritage: challenges and reflections
President Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 speech at the University of Ouagadougou was the catalyst in France for a profound change in the understanding of certain parts of the public collections held throughout the country. This awareness—whether slow or rapid, voluntary or forced—has materialized in recent months through numerous new initiatives and measures.

This conference offers an overview of the progress made, first politically, then legally and professionally, reflecting genuine ethical shifts that have long been awaited by countries formerly colonized by France. Several examples of projects carried out in a French museum context, in partnership with African institutions, will be presented, covering the sharing of inventories, the cross-study of collections preserved in France, and the challenges of returning heritage to the African continent.

Keynote by Émilie Salaberry (Musée d’Angoulême) followed by a discussion with Daphnée Yiannaki (Université du Québec à Montréal).