Winding Down Open
Restitution Africa

Throughout 2026, Open Restitution Africa wound down as an active project, consolidating its full body of research,tools,and resources into a lasting public archive for the field it helped build.

2026 has been a year of sunsetting for ORA not an ending so much as a gathering-in. Over the course of the year, the Open Restitution Africa team brought together the full spectrum of knowledge resources developed since the project’s founding: the launch of the ORA Open Data Platform, the publishing of a series of restitution guides and data insights, and the completion of the Restitution 101 explainer video series. Together, these form the most comprehensive public resource yet assembled on African-led restitution.

At the centre of this body of work sits ORA’s dataset of 25 case studies, researched across 13 countries on the continent and spanning more than 200 years of history. Built through a grassroots methodology with research fellows rooted in the communities and contexts of the belongings and ancestors they were tracking, the dataset captures primary data, oral histories, and records that had, until now, remained largely undocumented and inaccessible. 

ORA was founded on the understanding that restitution knowledge was siloed, informally held, and largely absent from public record even among those actively leading returns. Over six years, that gap was addressed through grassroots research, community convenings, screenings, and the development of open digital tools, reframing a field historically negotiated between Western museums and governments to instead centre African communities, researchers, and practitioners. 

None of this would have been possible without the significant community of practice that has stood alongside ORA since 2020; research fellows, cultural practitioners, museum professionals, scholars, artists, policymakers, and the many institutions and individuals who contributed their knowledge, time, and trust. ORA is deeply grateful for that collaboration, and for the relationships built along the way. 

With the project now closed, ORA’s Open Data Platform including its case study database, interactive restitution journey visualisations, data dashboard, and AI-powered data query tool licensed under Creative Commons will remain freely available here for public use here until 2031. After 2031 the open data repository remains accessible at Open Africa and Zenodo. 

The  podcast, webinar and Restitution 101 video series will remain accessible here, ensuring that the knowledge gathered over six years continues to support researchers, practitioners, educators, and communities carrying the work of restitution forward.

To understand more about our sunsetting process read a letter from founders Molemo Moiloa and Chao Tayiana Maina