The Restitution of the Nalindele Mask

The Nalindele Mask is an adornment that is worn during the Luvale people’s circumcision rites and rituals. It is crafted from wood, has long hair made of plant fibre, or rubber and beads, and is decorated with intricate dot motifs on its cheeks and forehead.

Balovale (now known as Zambezi), in the North Western Province of Zambia.

The Nalindele Mask forms part of Mukanda rituals, which are periodically conducted by each community in the Luvale society. Although the main objective of these rituals is the circumcision of young boys and men, these rituals span over many months and involve teaching and affirming values through various mediums,  including texts, songs, dances and the enactment of ritual dramas.   Masquerades or masked characters are used to teach valuable lessons around collective and individual solidarity, well-being, and fertility. The Nalindele Mask – a feminine character that is representative of a royal woman or woman of high standing is used in this teaching process. The symbols on her  face  represent her high rank in society.

The Nalindele mask is currently housed at the Livingstone Museum in Zambia.

On the 28th of June 1989 the Livingstone Museum Ethnography and Art Gallery was broken into. The Nalindele Mask was stolen out of its secured display case, along with other traditional ceremonial belongings.

The various masks that are part of Mukanda represent different characters such as spirits, ancestors or other personas, and form an integral part of the sharing of values through cultural expression. The Nalindele Mask had its own meaning and messages, which could not be included in the time it was missing. This means that the numerous young men and boys who went through the ritual  in the absence of the Nalindele Mask did not gain the knowledge and values that the Mask carries.

In 1994, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) published Looting in Africa: One Hundred Missing Objects, to draw attention to, and fight against, the illicit trafficking of cultural belongings. The case of the theft of the Nalindele Mask was featured in this publication.

Between 1994 and 1996, the Mon Steyaert Gallery in Brussels, Belgium sold the Nalindele Mask at an art auction. It was valued at USD 40,000. A Chilean art dealer acquired the mask.  Through the ICOM publication, the curator of the Mon Steyaert Gallery later discovered that the Mask they had auctioned had been stolen from the Livingstone Museum. The Chilean art dealer saw the same publication, and  handed the Mask  over to the Belgian police in June 1996.

The Livingstone Museum then bore the burden of proof of ownership. Since the theft had been reported by the museum, and was being actively investigated by Interpol, and the museum had sent images of the Mask to ICOM, US African Command [AFRICOM] and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO] it was relatively easy to prove rightful ownership.

The Belgian authorities initially handed over the Nalindele Mask to the Zambian Ambassador to Belgium, Isiah Chabala, in order for it to  be returned to Zambia. However, it was decided that the Mask should rather be transferred to the Royal Central African Museum in Tervuren  for conservation under museum storage conditions, up until arrangements could be made for its return to Zambia.

In November 1997, Mr. Manyando Mukela, a Director of the National Museum Board and ICOM Zambia Vice President, was attending an ICOM Board meeting in Paris. He was made aware of the restitution issue and followed the recommendation that he retrieve it. He obtained documentation from ICOM and the Royal Central African Museum to attest to his right to transport the Mask. With these he was able to pass through customs in Brussels and London, and bring the Mask back to Zambia on December 6, 1997.

The mask was received at Lusaka International Airport by a delegation from the National Museum Board, led by Professor Francis Musonda. The individuals who received the mask, including Mr Mukela, then immediately handed over the Mask to the Minister of Tourism, Mr. Amusa Mwanamwamba, in Lusaka. The main objective was the  formal handover of the Mask to a representative of the Government of the Republic of Zambia, and the reporting of its return.

On 8 December 1997, a celebratory handover event was held, where the Nalindele Mask was officially returned to the Livingstone Museum. . Government officials and museum management who were in attendance gave speeches, and local community members, particularly the Luvale. added to the festivities with dances and performances.

Following the return of the Nalindele Mask, a number of activities were undertaken to increase its visibility and history. When curators first inspected the Mask, they noticed that part of its hair, made of plant fibre, had been cut off  and its original accession number, 9198B, had been rubbed off (possibly attempts made to disguise it when it was stolen).

Despite this damage, which the curators were unable to repair, the Mask was made available for public viewing in a special display case in the museum, and welcomed back into the museum’s collection with a new accession number, 11999. Commemorative postcards – featuring a drawing of the Mask on the front, and a short history of its significance and purpose in the Luvale community on the back – were also printed and sold at the Livingstone Museum Shop. These efforts renewed interests in the cultural/ritual practices involving the Nalindele Mask.

The Nalindele Mask was removed from the special display case after a year, and then placed in storage at the Livingstone Museum.