The Restitution Efforts of Oba Akenzua II and the Significance of the Benin Royal Stools
The Benin Royal Stools belonged to Oba Esigie, who ruled Benin from 1504–1550, and Oba Eresoyen, who ruled…
Case Studies
Archive
The Repatriation of Ife Cultural Belongings
The Ife Terracotta Head is thought to date back to the 12th to 15th century. Crafted in a…
Selective Memory and the Steindorff Case: What We Choose to Forget
The Georg Steindorff Collection, comprising 163 objects, is a central, yet complex, component of the Egyptian Museum-Georg Steindorff…
Restoring Royal Legacy: The Return of 119 Benin Bronzes from the Netherlands to Benin City
This case study is centred around 119 cultural belongings from the historic Benin Kingdom that are part of…
Redressing and Addressing the Lechwe Skin Cloaks of the Batwa people: 1912 – 2025.
This case study centres on a rare collection of Lechwe Skin Cloaks, garments traditionally made by Batwa men…
Formal Requests, Community-Based Activism, and Alternative Approaches: Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone is a granodiorite stele dating back to 196 BCE. It is inscribed with a royal…
Echoes of Return | The Restitution of Rwanda’s Colonial-Era Audio Archives (1950s – Early 2000s)
These audio archives embody Rwanda’s living cultural heritage, especially its musical traditions that foster social cohesion and national…
Bones of Returned Memory: The Repatriation of Neolithic Skeletons from Bordeaux to Rabat
This case study concerns the repatriation of prehistoric human ancestors from Morocco’s Rouazi-Skhirat necropolis (an ancient cemetery or…
The Tangué – Belonging of the Bele-Bele Kingdom of the Douala Communities
The Tangué is intertwined with the political, spiritual and cultural lives of the water tribes of the Douala…
Hendrik Witbooi (|Gâbemab !Nanseb) Bible and Whip Repatriation Case
In 1884, Germany occupied Herero and Nama land in Namibia, under the auspices of protection treaties. When Gaob…
The Return of Ngadji: A sacred drum stolen from the Pokomo people
Ngadji was stolen from the Pokomo community in 1902 and donated to the British Museum’s Africa collection in…
Offer to Return 27 Vigango
Vigango originate from the Mijikenda community, which is made up of nine closely related but distinct cultural groups…
Offer to Return 30 Vigango
Vigango originate from the Mijikenda community, which is made up of nine closely related but distinct cultural groups…
The Repatriation of Sara Baartman
Sara Baartman’s death in France, on 1 January 1816, at the probable age of 26 years catapulted her…
The Restitution Journey of Ngonnso from the Nso Kingdom in Cameroon
The Ngonnso deity was stolen from the Palace of the Nso Fondom in 1902 during a punitive expedition…
Masalela a Monna wa Mosarwa* a boetse gae [The remains of the Mosarwa man have returned home]
Monna wa Mosarwa was the first human ancestor repatriation to Botswana, one of the first on the continent…
The Theft and Return of the Nalindele Mask
The Nalindele Mask is an adornment that is worn during the Luvale people’s circumcision rites and rituals. On…
The Return of Katana’s Vigango
Kigango (singular) or vigango (plural) are memorial funerary posts that maintain a perpetual connection between the living and…
Isanzu Community Perspectives on Ancestral Human Remains Restitution to Tanzania
In 1899, German military forces began erecting stations and forts in Kilimatine, Iramba and Isanzu areas in Tanganyika…
Return of 23 Cultural belongings to Namibia.
The 23 cultural belongings are from various communities in Namibia, and were selected to represent the various cultural…
The Return of the Rhodesia Cabinet Files to Zimbabwe from Rhodes University, South Africa
The Rhodesia Cabinet Files were housed at the Cory Library at Rhodes University in Makhanda, South Africa, and…
Human Ancestors Return to Kilwa
The human ancestors from Kilwa were housed in Nairobi, in the British Institute of Eastern Africa’s (BIEA) storeroom,…
Bamendou Tukah Mask
The community is now seeking the temporary loan of the Tukah mask, to be able to perform the…
Kabwe Man
Kabwe Man (also known as “Broken Hill Skull” or “Rhodesian Man”) is said to be the first human…
