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Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes is a Senior Lecturer, multidisciplinary researcher and writer. His research focuses on the critical study of development, education and law, and the importance of lived experience and epistemic diversity for decolonial and sustainable futures. His teaching practice is informed by the importance of indigenous knowledges, diverse epistemologies, cultures and critical theories. He also researches on African experiences and Ethiopian traditions, and writes creatively on belonging and diasporic lives.
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Published Work: Repatriation: Why Western Museums should Return African Artefacts
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The late Prince Folarin Shyllon (23 July 1940 - 13 January 2021) is the most prolific thinker and writer on restitution matters from the continent, dedicating much of his professional life to international work on the matter. He was the foundation Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Ibadan. His dedication to the promotion of the protection of cultural heritage and its return to countries of origin was embodied in his tireless work in regional and international organizations. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization acknowledged his unflinching contribution to its work for decades and the progressive development of international cultural heritage law.
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Published Work: Implementation of the 1970 UNESCO Convention by African States: The Failure to Grasp the Nettle
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Dr. Kwame Opoku is an unwavering voice in the development and distribution of African knowledge on the subject of restitution in Africa. He was until retirement Legal Adviser at the United Nations Office in Vienna (UNOV) where he subsequently served as Ombudsman. He previously served as Deputy Legal Adviser in the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Opoku served as Legal Adviser to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women(CEDAW) as well as the Commission on the Status of Women and various Preparatory Committees for UN Conferences such as United Nations Conference for the Promotion of International Co-operation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy (UNPICPUNE), Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing. Opoku was a member of the experts commission that assisted Bénédicte Savoy and Felwine Sarr to produce the Sarr-Savoy report on restitution.
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Salome Kiwara-Wilson obtained her J.D. in 2013 from the DePaul University College of Law. While in law school, Salome interned at the Field Museum of Natural History, where she worked on NAGPRA research, as well as on intellectual property issues pertaining to objects in the museum's collection. She also interned at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, where she researched issues in non-profit law and intellectual property law as they affected the Foundation's grant-making capabilities. Salome's senior thesis paper, "Restituting Colonial Plunder: The Case for the Benin Bronzes and Ivories," was published in The DePaul Journal of Art, Technology & Intellectual Property Law, and was awarded first place in the 2012 LCCHP Student Writing Competition.
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Published Work: Restituting Colonial Plunder: The case for the Benin Bronzes and Ivories
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Don Deya is a highly accomplished legal expert and leader. As CEO of the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), he chairs various executive committees, including the Pan African Citizens’ Network (PACIN), the International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect (ICRtoP), and the Financial Transparency Coalition (FTC). With a wealth of experience, he actively participates in regional and international legal matters, including litigation at the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) and the East African Court of Justice (EACJ). His advocacy extends to numerous African and international organizations, such as the African Union, African Development Bank, and the United Nations
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Chief Charles A. Taku is the Lead Counsel at the International Criminal Court on the ICC-Situation in Darfus, Northern Uganda and Previously ICC-Situation in Central Africa Republic. Since 1991, he serves as a dedicated advocate for reparations and restitution justice for historic crimes against Africa. He has successfully represented victims of human rights before the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva and the African Court on Human Rights and Peoples' Rights. Chief Taku is also the former President of the ICC Bar Association and a life-member of the Governing Council of the African Bar Association
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Published Work: Contextual Foundations of International Criminal Jurisprudence: Selected Cases an Insider’s Perspective
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Dr Afolasade A. Adewumi is a senior lecturer in the Department of Jurisprudence and International Law, Faculty of Law at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. Her areas of research include Heritage Law, the Nigerian Legal System and Private International Law. She has a PhD in Cultural Property Law from the University of Ibadan.
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Published Work: RETURN AND RESTITUTION OF CULTURAL PROPERTY IN AFRICAN STATES UNDER THE 1970 UNESCO AND 1995 UNIDROIT CONVENTIONS
Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes is a Senior Lecturer, multidisciplinary researcher and writer. His research focuses on the critical study of development, education and law, and the importance of lived experience and epistemic diversity for decolonial and sustainable futures. His teaching practice is informed by the importance of indigenous knowledges, diverse epistemologies, cultures and critical theories. He also researches on African experiences and Ethiopian traditions, and writes creatively on belonging and diasporic lives.
Repatriation: Why Western Museums should Return African Artefacts
