The call for reparations and the return of Africa’s cultural property is not merely about compensation or the recovery of stolen artifacts.
It is about restoring dignity, memory, and ownership of identity. For centuries, Africa’s wealth; human, material, and cultural, was extracted to build the foundations of other civilizations, while the continent itself was left fragmented and impoverished. True reparations, therefore, must go beyond financial redress.
They must encompass structural, educational, and cultural restoration. The return of looted heritage stands as a moral and historical imperative, a symbolic and tangible act of justice that reclaims the narrative of Africa’s past and empowers its people to shape their future. To speak of reparations is to demand not charity, but fairness. To insist that the world acknowledges Africa not as a victim of history, but as a rightful custodian of its own story and destiny.
In an effort to support the fight for reparations, the Pan-African Progressive Front (PPF) is organizing an International Conference of Pan-African Progressive Forces Commemorating the 5th Pan-African Congress. At the conference this November (18-19), issues discussed will focus on Africa’s present realities, from the pursuit of reparations and economic independence to the fight against new forms of dependency.
As part of the significance of this issue, the conference of Progressive Forces will also reflect on the enduring legacy of Africa’s cultural heritage, including the fate of historical artifacts housed outside the continent. Discussions at the conference scheduled to happen in Accra come November, will explore how restitution and preservation connect to broader questions of memory, justice, and identity.
For centuries, colonizers have plundered Africa, stealing sacred objects from our culture. They make huge profits by displaying stolen artifacts in their museums. At the conference, a much more meaningful exhibition will be done to display only a tiny fraction of what rightfully belongs to Africa.
Across Africa, sacred and royal artifacts are far more than artistic relics. They are vessels of history, symbols of authority, and living embodiments of collective memory. Their removal during colonial conquests tore communities from the spiritual and cultural foundations that defined them.
The violent extraction of these treasures did not only strip the continent of its material heritage; it disrupted traditions, rituals, and identities that continue to seek restoration today. As these objects remain scattered across foreign museums, their absence stands as a lasting reminder of historical injustice and the urgent need for restitution and reconciliation.
Below are several cultural artifacts that were taken from their rightful homes and remain displaced across foreign institutions.
Origin, contexts and current reality…
1. The first artifact to look into is the ‘Ivory Pendant Mask of Queen Idia’.
Ivory Pendent Mask of Queen Idia is originally from Edo Kingdom (Benin City), Nigeria. They were stolen in the year 1897 and are currently located in the British Museum (London) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, respectively.
Located in the British Museum
These exquisite Ivory masks are believed to represent Queen Idia, the powerful mother of Oba Esigie, who was instrumental in securing his throne during the 16th century's dynastic struggles. A masterpiece of Benin court art, it was worn as a ceremonial pendant during sacred rituals. More than artworks, they embody the political influence and spiritual authority of women in Benin's history, making full presence, vital to the nation's cultural continuity.
The mask was violently removed from the royal quarters during the 1897 British Punitive Expedition. A military operation that left Benin City in ashes and resulted in the systematic looting of thousands of royal treasures. While the British Museum legally acquired it in 1910, this transaction masks the brutal reality: the mask entered the collection as direct spoils of colonial violence, its acquisition predicated on the destruction of the very civilization that created it.
2. The second look, is at the ‘Head of an Oba (Benin Bronze)’.
Also originated from Edo Kingdom (Benin City), Nigeria, the Head of an Oba was seized in the year 1897 from the African continent. The Benin Bronzes, representing centuries of African cultural heritage, were systematically looted during the 1897 British punitive expedition. Countless masterpieces that once adorned the royal palace were dispersed to Western institutions, severed from their cultural roots. Among them is this bronze head, seized during the invasion and later acquired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and remains the current location of this masterpiece till date.
This commemorative sculpture was created to honor a deceased Oba (king), serving as a sacred focal point on royal altars for rituals connecting the physical and spiritual realms. The elaborate coral-bead regalia embodies the Oba's divine authority and his sacred role as mediator between his people and their ancestors. As a spiritually potent object, its violent removal constituted a profound cultural violation as such sacred artifacts belong in their original ritual context to maintain the continuity of Benin's living cultural and religious traditions
3. Thirdly, ‘The Ife Head’.
This zinc-brass sculpture from Ife, a masterpiece of naturalistic portraiture created centuries before the European Renaissance, showcases a level of sophistication that forces a radical rethinking of art history. Ife, the spiritual cradle of the Yoruba civilization, produced these breathtaking heads to depict deified kings and queens, yet their creators remain unknown, their techniques lost to time.
The profound tragedy lies in their violent separation from this sacred context. This particular head was not merely "acquired"; it was stolen in the year 1938 during the punitive British expeditions that systematically plundered sacred sites, severing a living lineage from its spiritual anchor. Today, it sits in the British Museum (London), a trophy of colonial conquest, while the Yoruba people are deprived of the very objects that manifest their civilization's divine authority and artistic genius. A stark monument to a heritage held hostage, its soul confined to a glass case thousands of miles from home.
To add significantly, another prime example is the piece titled ‘Shrine Head’, which is from the royal city of Ifẹ́ in western Nigeria. Made by a Yoruba artist in the 12th century, a breathtakingly beautiful craft also currently in the Institute of Art in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA where it does not belong.
This head, demonstrates the high-level modelling of the face, the use of scarification lines (vertical ridges), indicative of royal veiling, and an aesthetic of calm, inward dignity and all characteristic of Ifẹ́ art.
4. Lastly, Asante Gold Regalia. Also called the Denkyemkye cap (related royal pieces).
This golden Denkyemkye, or "crocodile" cap, was far more than an accessory; it was a direct symbol of state authority worn by high-ranking Asante officials. To understand its true significance, one must know that gold was considered the very soul of the Asante nation in Ghana. Its acquisition by the British Museum was not a simple transaction but a direct result of the violent Anglo-Asante wars, a deliberate act of cultural plunder designed to dismantle the very soul of the Asante nation.
The shocking reality is that this cap is just one of thousands of priceless regalia looted during the 1874 sacking of Kumasi, when British troops systematically stripped the royal palace and desecrated sacred tombs. While the Asante people have fought for decades for the return of their spiritual and political heritage, these symbols of sovereignty remain captive in museum vaults abroad, serving as stark trophies of colonial conquest rather than the living embodiments of a proud and enduring culture.
Conclusion…
The moral and political case is clear: returning these objects helps restore what colonial violence took away. In essence, we demand reparations. ‘Bring us back our history’.
The writer is a Journalist, Writer& Media Analyst
F Tuyee Lane, Tema, Ghana
