Objectives:
Central to France’s restitution efforts following the Savoy-Sarr report commissioned by President Macron on African cultural heritage restitution. Implement systematic provenance research and concrete restitution measures. The museum conducts provenance research as part of its scientific mission.
Restitution Measures:
Parliamentary approval for actual returns – 26 works from Abomey royal treasury returned to Benin in 2021, including belongings taken by General Dodds from King Béhanzin’s palace in war. (The works were looted by General Dodds from King Béhanzin’s palace following the Second Franco-Dahomean War in 1892.)
Limitations:
Case-by-case approach requiring individual parliamentary approval for each restitution. Process appears lengthy and bureaucratic, potentially limiting scope and speed of future returns despite established precedent.
