African Heritage Restitution

The African Heritage Restitution Tracker is a project of Arterial Network Zimbabwe implemented with the generous support from Africa No Filter. It creates a centralised, bilingual online information repository on developments around heritage restitution on the African continent. The tracker serves as a heritage restitution information source for policymakers, scholars, partners, journalists, media houses and other stakeholders. This tracker feeds into a monthly African Heritage Restitution Newsletter which is shared with a database of journalists, government ministries, artistic communities, arts, and culture and heritage practitioners with a view to keep them updated on heritage restitution developments and inspire them to act and demand their lost heritage.

The project comes at a time when information around heritage restitution in Africa is scanty and coverage of heritage restitution stories by African media is also weak. As a result many stakeholders are not well informed about heritage restitution, especially young people and yet they have the highest demographic dividend on the continent. In addition, a study conducted in 2018 revealed that over 90 percent of African heritage resources are being held outside the continent. Robust awareness raising and advocacy work strengthens formal demands for restitution.

Heritage restitution embodies a narrative of redress and determination to correct a part of African history which depicts Africans as inferior to the colonizers. It is crucial to correct colonial narratives and stereotypes created by the colonizers about Africa. Arterial Network Zimbabwe and its partners believe that narratives are conduits for ideas which defines the past, present and future of generations. As observed by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people. But stories can also repair that broken dignity.”

This project will enhance the crucial efforts by Africans to reclaim their plundered heritage and contribute towards restoring dignity of our ancestors whose bodies are currently displayed in some foreign museums, enrichment of African Museums and inspiration of contemporary art. All the artefacts held outside Africa tell a story of Africa - they are part of the African history and identity - a stolen identity, stolen dignity used to create a false narrative about Africa and should be returned to their rightful owners. In addition, Africans have been deprived of the economic value of this heritage which has unjustly benefited individuals and holding countries through tourism.