Reports
Open Restitution Africa
We develop reports that document restitution progress across Africa with accuracy and clarity. Each report focuses on presenting reliable data, context, and analysis in a format that is easy to understand and use, ensuring stakeholders have the facts they need to inform their work.
Field Work Guide For Restitution Practitioners In Africa
Introduction: Open Restitution Africa’s case study model has been pivotal in revealing the complexities of restitution work within African communities. Rather than relying on conventional fieldwork conventions, the need arose to break the mould and reconfigure approaches to better suit the specific realities of our continent’s context. It provides a comprehensive roadmap for working in and with communities…
Restitution Through An Indigenous Knowledge Systems Lens
Indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) contemplate the world through an interconnected lens, reflecting the integrated way life is lived and the symbiotic relationship between humans and their immediate tangible and intangible environment. Through our work at Open Restitution Africa, we have begun to see how the invocation of an IKS lens shifts the means and desired ends of restitutionary…
Restitution in Practice: From Policy to Activation
In March 2025, University of the Western Cape’s Iyatsiba Lab hosted the Restitution in Practice: From Policy to Activation Baraza convening, jointly organised by UWC’s Department of Historical Studies and Open Restitution Africa (ORA). Heritage practitioners, museum professionals, activists, scholars and community leaders gathered to move restitution from policy statement to practical action. Across the discussions, a shared…
Building Restitution Frameworks & Policies – An African Practitioner’s Guide
Introduction: Restitution transcends the physical return of objects; it is a complex journey of healing, dignity restoration, cultural revitalisation and reparatory justice. As a growing number of African nations begin to shape policies for the return of material heritage and human ancestors, Open Restitution Africa designed this guide to support practitioners in developing holistic and sustainable frameworks that…
Rethinking Inventories for African-led Restitution
Inventories of collections within African museums and cultural institutions are essential for collections management, preservation, and cultural heritage development. Our focus in this brief is not internal inventories within countries or institutions rather we explore the feasibility of exhaustive external inventories that attempt to catalog all objects from a country that are held abroad. This policy brief responds…
Reclaiming Restitution
The restitution of African heritage – artefacts and human remains – is one of the vital social justice issues of our times. It is about recognising centuries of devastation of the African continent, and taking a step towards social, historical and cultural repair for Africans themselves. Its therefore without question that Africans should be – and have historically…