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Africa's struggle for its art : history of a postcolonial defeat / Bénédicte Savoy ; translated by Susanne Meyer-Abich.

by Savoy, Bénédicte, author.

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Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2022]

Cultural property -- Repatriation -- Africa -- History -- 20th century.

Cultural property -- Protection -- Africa -- History -- 20th century.

Museums -- Acquisitions -- Europe.

9780691234731 (hardcover ; acid-free paper) :

0691234736 (hardcover ; acid-free paper)

viii pages, 2 unnumbered pages, 214 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), facsimiles, portraits (some color) ; 25 cm

(from table of contents) Preface -- Introduction -- 1965 Bingo -- 1971 You Hide Me -- 1972 Prussian Cultural Property -- 1973 Zero -- 1974 Increasingly Global -- 1975 Pause -- 1976 "German Debate" -- 1977 Festac '77 -- 1978 Attack, Defence -- 1979 A Spectre Is Haunting Europe -- 1980 Battle of Lists -- 1981 Lost Heritage -- 1982 Mexico and the Greeks -- 1983 Bremen -- 1984 Open End -- 1985 Back to the Future -- Epilogue -- Timeline.

"A major new history of how, between 1965 and 1985, African nations sought the restitution of works of art stolen during the colonial period, written by the most important and influential figure in the field"--Provided by publisher.

For decades, African nations have fought for the return of countless works of art stolen during the colonial era and placed in Western museums. In 'Africa's Struggle for Its Art', Bénédicte Savoy brings to light this largely unknown but deeply important history. One of the world's foremost experts on restitution and cultural heritage, Savoy investigates extensive, previously unpublished sources to reveal that the roots of the struggle extend much further back than prominent recent debates indicate, and that these efforts were covered up by myriad opponents. Shortly after 1960, when eighteen former colonies in Africa gained independence, a movement to pursue repatriation was spearheaded by African intellectual and political classes. Savoy looks at pivotal events, including the watershed speech delivered at the UN General Assembly by Zaire's president, Mobutu Sese Seko, which started the debate regarding restitution of colonial-era assets and resulted in the first UN resolution on the subject. She examines how German museums tried to withhold information about their inventory and how the British Parliament failed to pass a proposed amendment to the British Museum Act, which protected the country's collections. Savoy concludes in the mid-1980s, when African nations enacted the first laws focusing on the protection of their cultural heritage. Making the case for why restitution is essential to any future relationship between African countries and the West, 'Africa's Struggle for Its Art' will shape conversations around these crucial issues for years to come.

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