Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow (20 March 1921 - 24 September 2024) was elected as the first-ever African director general of UNESCO in 1974. In 1978, he made a now-famous speech denouncing the lack of movement on heritage restitution and making a passionate appeal for the return of artefacts and human remains.
Publication Link
A Plea for the return of an irreplaceable cultural heritage to those who created it: an appeal by Mr. Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow, Director-General of UNESCO