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Valerie Viban is a Cameroonian policy advisor and expert in international relations, currently residing in Germany. He has a passion for advocating for human rights, intrafaith tolerance, and cohesion, and has worked on several projects in community based organisations in his home country and at the National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms. In Germany, he has had experiences working and volunteering with Bread for the World, German African Partnership Foundation, and Solidarity Service International where he is part of a film making project called ‘Draufsicht’. He holds a Master’s degree in International Relations with a special focus on Communication and Public Policy, and a second Master’s in International Economics from the Berlin School of Economics and Law. He has been an active diasporic member in the campaigns to #BringBackNgonnso [Queen Mother of the Nso people]. In June 2022, he accompanied Sylvie Vernyuy Njobati, to witness the public handover of a letter from Mr Hermann Parzinger, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK), which authorised him to enter into a restitution agreement with the Cameroonian government and the Nso community, regarding Ngonnso.
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Pierre Ismaël Bidoung Kpwatt is a Cameroonian academic, educator and social worker. He served as the Director of the National Institute of Youth and Sport (INJS) before becoming a minister. In 2015 he was appointed as the The Minister of Arts and Culture in Cameroon. In 2022, he was charged with putting together the Interministerial Committee for the Repatriation of Cultural Property Illegally Exported Abroad, to coordinate and facilitate restitution activities between Cameroon and Germany for ongoing grassroots demands.
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Ambassador Robert M. Masozera was appointed the Director General of Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy Inteko y'Umuco) in 2020. The mission of this academy is to preserve national heritage and safeguard the national language (KINYARWANDA), the culture and its values as a foundation of national unity and dignity. In this capacity, he is responsible for Rwanda's museums and historical sites, national archives and library services, cultural creative industries and cultural tourism. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Rwandan National Commission for UNESCO, which provides expert analysis and policy advice to the Rwandan government on UNESCO-related issues, and at the same time serves as the focal point for the UNESCO World Heritage Convention in Rwanda. Prior to this appointment, he was the Director General of the Institute of National Museums of Rwanda (INMR) since October 2016. Previously, he was Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to the Kingdom of Belgium and Permanent Representative to the European Union (2011-2015) and Deputy Ambassador at the Embassy of Rwanda in Germany (2000-2007). This gave him extensive experience in diplomacy and foreign affairs in his country, Rwanda. Masozera holds a Master's degree in Political Science, International Relations and Journalism and Communication Sciences from the University of Vienna, Austria, obtained in 1999. His expertise is wide-ranging and covers fields as diverse as culture and heritage, diplomacy, international cooperation, communication and public relations, mass mobilization, foreign affairs, security, economic and trade issues. - Director General of National Museums of Rwanda [Institut National du Musées Rwandaise] (INMR) participated in the ‘Sharing Past and Future : Strengthening African-European connections' conference where he raised issues surrounding Belgium's possession of Rwandese archives, and demanded access. Later become DG of Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy.
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Mostafa Waziry is an Egyptian archaeologist and Egyptologist who served as the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities from September 2017 to March 2024. In this prominent role within Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, he directed the oversight of nationwide excavations, artifact preservation, and the promotion of archaeological research, contributing significantly to the global appreciation of ancient Egyptian civilization. Waziry managed the approval processes for archaeological missions across Egypt, ensuring compliance with preservation standards while facilitating over 50 active Egyptian-led excavations that contributed to major site developments in areas like Saqqara and Luxor. Under his leadership, the SCA strengthened international collaborations, forging agreements with entities like the Republic of Kazakhstan for the restoration of historical mosques, such as Al-Zahir Baybars in Cairo, and with South Korea for the preservation of Ramses II's temple at Abu Simbel.These partnerships not only provided technical expertise and funding but also promoted cross-cultural exchanges in antiquities management. Additionally, Waziry prioritized the repatriation of looted belongings, successfully recovering over 114 items smuggled to France in 2021 and three artifacts from the United Kingdom in the same year, actions that bolstered Egypt's efforts against illicit trafficking amid ongoing global challenges to cultural heritage security.
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Toussaint Kafarhire Murhula, S.J., is a Jesuit priest and academic leader. He currently directs the Centre Arrupe for Research and Training (CARF) and teaches at Universite Loyola du Congo. His extensive background includes working as an Executive Coach for African leaders at the African Union Kofi Annan Public Health Leadership program and leading the African Studies Association of Africa. In 2022, he was chosen to engage with U.S. institutions on restitution by the Ministry of Culture, Art, and Heritage of the DRC. As the President of ASAA, he will host the International Congress of African and African Diaspora Studies (ICAADS) and a pan-Africanist conference in Lubumbashi in October 2023, gathering scholars, artists, activists, and policymakers to discuss critical topics like restitution, repatriation, and restoration. His diverse research interests span democracy, African resource governance, transgenerational justice, and leadership coaching. His contributions to academic networks and editorial boards further underscore his dedication to advancing knowledge and discourse.
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Dr Frezer Getachew Haile is an experienced communications strategist and foreign policy expert with a decade of experience advising public sector and international organisations in Africa, Europe and Asia. Dr Haile is currently a strategic adviser at Panterra, a boutique consultancy firm, helping clients navigate complicated, transnational challenges of a political nature, involving policyissues, litigation, investments, elections or major crises. Prior to this, he served as a senior advisor at the Ethiopian Embassy in London, during which time he was responsible for the Ethiopian Government’s work on restitution in the UK and led its negotiations with a variety of UK cultural institutions, including the British Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum and British Library, amongst others. He regularly speaks publicly on issues of heritage and restitution and holds a doctorate in politics and geography from King’s College London.
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Bernard Alexander Montgomery Grant (17 February 1944 – 8 April 2000) was a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Tottenham, London, from 1987 to his death in 2000. In 1993 Grant co-founded and chaired the African Reparations Movement (ARM UK) to campaign for the movement for reparations for slavery and racism. ARM UK was formed following the 1993 Abuja Proclamation declared at the First Pan-African Conference on Reparations, in Abuja, Nigeria, convened by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and the Nigerian government. Grant's approach to reparations included demands for the return of looted African cultural heritage (such as the Benin Bronzes) and that the British government should financially support those who wanted to return to their country of origin.
Affiliation(s): African Repatriations Movement UK
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Published Work: The archives of Bernie Grant’s restitution campaign, developed in advance of 1997 as the centenary year of the British sacking and looting of Benin City, are held at London’s Bishopsgate Institute, Benin Bronzes Campaign Files BG/ARM/4. 1994–2000.
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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.
Affiliation(s): UNESCO
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Published Work: 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
