Addis Ababa: Professor Hakim Adi, a UK-based expert in African history and the diaspora, emphasized that African countries would be much stronger in their demand for the return of stolen cultural artifacts if they are united under the auspices of the African Union.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, this year’s African Union Summit will be held from February 12-16, 2025, in Addis Ababa under the grand yearlong theme ‘Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations.’ Cultural artifacts, looted and dispersed across museums and private collections worldwide, have become a central focus in the ongoing discussions about reparations. These stolen items are seen as a form of cultural theft that continues to harm the heritage and identity of African nations.
The call for repatriation has gained significant momentum, as African governments, diaspora communities, and international organizations increasingly advocate for the return of these cultural artifacts to their rightful homes. Hence, the theme of this year’s African Union Summit is crucial for discussing these issues, as it creates an opportunity to address reparations, the return of cultural artifacts, and broader justice for Africans and people of African descent. This summit serves as a pivotal moment to advance these discussions and push for meaningful action on a global scale.
Speaking to POA, Professor Adi stated that the AU, alongside individual governments, should prioritize these critical issues. He pointed to the sacred artifacts looted from Magdala during the British invasion of Ethiopia in the 19th century as just one example of stolen cultural property that must be returned. This is just one example among many, such as the Benin bronzes and countless other stolen cultural artifacts from across the African continent, according to Professor. These items were effectively looted, and their return is crucial, he added.
The Professor elaborated that African countries would be much stronger in those demands for the return of stolen cultural artifacts. ‘If they [African Countries] united under the auspices of the African Union and as a continent demanded the return of these artifacts,’ he added. Such a unified stance would send a powerful message, signaling the urgency of cultural reparations and the need for the AU to take binding action in this regard.