Is It Time to Repatriate Africa’s Looted Art?

Wooden African statuettes housed in the Royal Museum for Central Africa, in Belgium. Image from Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images.

Within the past decade, the call to return African objects to their home of origin has strengthened. Nosmot Gbadamosi's article for Foreign Policy tackles the complex arguments involved in the case for restitution, speaking to museum professionals who argue that this moment is long overdue, as well as those who deny restitution claims.

"Museums now face a moral reckoning over artifacts stolen by people who took colonial violence and racial superiority as a given. It is time to start having honest conversations about righting those wrongs." - Nosmot Gbadamosi